UNICEF report warns of childcare disadvantage

 A new UNICEF report has warned that the potential benefits of out-of-home child care could be lost and social inequalities widened if governments in the world’s richest nations do not guarantee high quality early years care and education  for all, especially the most disadvantaged.

The international comparative study, released this week by the UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre in Florence, warns that poor quality child care may harm a child’s development. It highlights that the poorest often cannot afford high quality child care meaning that children born into these families face the double disadvantage of being born into poverty and receiving poor quality childcare.

The report proposes 10 ‘benchmarks’ as a first step towards establishing a set of minimum standards by which progress in early childhood education and care might be monitored and compared across the countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). England meets five of the 10 benchmarks and ranks joint 11th out of 25.

Minister questioned about Children’s Health Strategy

The Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families was this week questions about what aspects of the Children’s Health Strategy his Department would have responsibility.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Schools and Learners, responded stating that the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) is jointly responsible with the Department of Health (DH) for promoting the health of all children and young people. She also noted that the Child Health Strategy is being developed jointly by the DCSF and DH and will set out the Government’s long-term strategy to support children’s and families’ health. It will be aimed at the NHS, Local Government and partnership organisations, and build on the work already being delivered through Every Child Matters and the National Service Framework for Children. She said that it has been developed through widespread consultation with service providers, commissioners, and other stakeholders, and with young people and parents, and will fulfil a commitment in the ‘Children’s Plan—Building brighter futures’.

Early Day Motion tabled on Campaign to End Child Poverty

An EDM was this week tabled stating:

That this House is deeply concerned that there are 3.9 million children living below the poverty line in the United Kingdom, which is one of the worst records in the EU and amongst other wealthy countries; recognises the appalling damage poverty does to children’s wellbeing and life chances; further recognises the strength of public concern, as demonstrated by over 10,000 people at the largest ever event in support of an end to child poverty, the Campaign to End Child Poverty’s recent rally in Trafalgar Square; believes that British children should not have to continue suffering worse levels of poverty than their counterparts in other wealthy countries; notes research by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation indicating that social and economic problems resulting from child poverty cost the United Kingdom at least ?25 billion each year; believes that the Government should recognise, measure and act on relative poverty; and calls on the Government to eradicate United Kingdom child poverty by 2020.

New Nursing and Midwifery Council appointed

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) welcomed the announcement by the Appointments Commission of the names of 12 members of the reconstituted NMC Council.  The new members will take office on January 1 2009 under the leadership of Professor Tony Hazell, who was appointed as Chair (designate) of the new Council in September 2008. The Council will provide strategic direction to ensure that the NMC fulfils its statutory functions and that the organisation retains the trust and confidence of patients, the public, and the 670,000 nurses and midwives on the register.

The recruitment and selection of the reconstituted Council was carried out by the independent Appointments Commission.  All appointments were made on merit and political activity played no part in the selection process.  However, in accordance with the original Nolan recommendations, there is a requirement for appointees’ political activity (if any declared) to be made public. All except two appointees declared no political activity in the last five years.

An outstanding vacancy remains for a lay member to the new Council.  The Appointments Commission will appoint the position as soon as possible to bring the new Council up to its full 14-strong membership. Members will receive a remuneration of £12,000 per annum and be appointed for a two or three year term.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council was established in 2002 under the Nursing and Midwifery Order 2001. The primary purpose of the NMC is to safeguard the health and wellbeing of the public. It does this through maintaining a register of all nurses and midwives fit to practise within the UK and by setting standards for their education, training and conduct.

Queen’s speech outlines the legislative programme for 1008/09 – including greater equality and welfare reform

A draft outline of the Bills involved was announced earlier this year, but due to the economic downturn some Bills were dropped and other’s scaled back. 

Equality Bill

The purpose of the Bill is to: make Britain a fairer place where people have the opportunity to succeed whatever their race, gender, disability, age, sexual orientation, religion or belief. Fairness  and an absence of discrimination are the hallmarks of a modern decent society, with a strong economy, which draws on the talents of all.

Community Empowerment, Housing and Economic Regeneration Bill

 

 The purpose of the Bill is to: create greater opportunities for community and individual empowerment, reform local and regional governance arrangements to promote economic regeneration and continue the Government’s programme of housing reform.

The Bill will include legislation to empower communities and individuals by involving them in the design and delivery of local public services. 

National Health Service Reform Bill

The main purpose of the Bill is to: take forward those proposals arising from Lord Darzi’s ‘NHS Next Stage Review’ of the NHS in England that would require legislation to enable their implementation.

The Bill, say the NHS, must pay regard to the NHS Constitution which will be published in January and gives legal right to patient choice in healthcare, along with a series of rights such to be treated with dignity and respect, be treated in clean environment, the right to be prescribed NICE approved drugs. It could include:

• Publication of an NHS Constitution;

• Enabling and encouraging Primary Care Trusts to be more responsive to their local communities;  

• Giving greater scope for patients to shape the care they receive.

 

 The main benefits of the Bill could include:

 

• Strengthening public involvement in Primary Care Trusts’ commissioning arrangements;

• Allowing the possibility for those patients, who wish to do so, to have  greater control over the management of their care.  

Saving Gateway Bill

The purpose of the Bill is to: provide a financial incentive to saving among the poorest in society.

This could be aimed at working towards ending child poverty with the Government offering a national cash saving scheme for those on lower incomes, providing a financial incentive to save through matching (a government contribution for every pound saved).  The scheme will be open to individuals in receipt of qualifying benefits and tax credits namely: Working Tax Credits; Child Tax Credits paid at the maximum rate; Income Support; Jobseeker’s Allowance; Incapacity Benefit and Employment and Support Allowance; and Severe Disablement Allowance – around 8 million individuals in the UK.

It will open in 2010, with the first matched payments paid out to savers from 2012 and in pilots carried out between 2001 and 2007, over 22,000 people took part, achieving over £15 million in savings.

The scheme aims to kick-start a saving habit among people on lower incomes, enabling them to plan for the future and cope with financial pressure, and to promote financial inclusion by encouraging people to engage with financial institutions such as banks, building societies and credit unions.

Welfare Reform Bill

The purpose of the Bill is to: further reform the welfare and benefit systems to improve support and incentives for people to move from benefits into work, to provide greater choice and control for disabled people. The Government remains committed to make progress towards the target on child poverty. The bill will be preceded by a green paper and full consultation which will look at options to modernise the benefit system, delivering value for money for the taxpayer while providing support for people at the time they need it most. The changes will also focus on promotion of personal responsibility and independence, making clearer the relationship between the support people can receive and the expectations of them to participate fully in society.

This will work towards ending child poverty with measures to better enable people to take advantage of help on offer to them and where appropriate, to undertake training that is considered essential to finding employment.  It includes:

• A range of measures which strengthen the benefit contract between the individual and society – the individual’s right to support in exchange for clear personal responsibility for improving their own circumstances.

• A number of measures to strengthen the requirements of non-resident parents to contribute to their children’s upbringing, as part of a package which champions personal responsibility in the welfare system. 

• Measures to modernise and simplify the benefit system, ensuring that support provides help at the time and in the manner most needed.

The Bill aims to strengthen parental responsibility; give disabled people greater choice and control; reduce welfare dependency; and increase personal responsibility within the welfare system.

Health Minister questioned about the implementation of Maternity Matters

Harry Cohen MP, Member of the All PArty Parliamentary Group on Maternity, this week questioned the Secretary of State for Health about the implementation of the national choice guarantee for maternity services in 2009. Ann Keen, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State replied:

 

The NHS Operating Framework for 2007-08 (a copy of which has already been placed in the Library) stated that this was a preparatory year for primary care trusts (PCTs) to undertake a needs assessment and to make plans for meeting the maternity commitment by the end of 2009. It is for strategic health authorities to monitor the performance of PCTs.

Latest infant mortality figures show decrease in number of deaths

The Department of Health has published the latest figures relating to infant mortality which shows an overall decrease in the number of infant deaths in England and Wales. The statistics reveal that during 2005-07, there were 9,846 infant deaths, giving an overall rate of 4.9 deaths per 1,000 live births. This represents a decrease from the 5.0 deaths per 1,000 live births during 2004-06.

The infant mortality rate among the Routine and Manual (R&M) group, those with ‘lower supervisory and technical occupations’, ’semi-routine’ and routine’ occupations, was 16% higher than in the total population in 2005-07; this compares with 13% higher in the baseline period of 1997-99, so the gap had widened since the baseline. However, the gap has narrowed in recent years – the rate among the R&M group was 19% higher than in the total population in 2002-04, 18% higher in 2003-05, 17% higher in 2004-06, and 16% higher

 

This target was set in the Department of Health Public Service Agreement (PSA) published as part of the Government Spending Review 2004.

 

The target to reduce health inequalities by 10% by 2010 as measured by infant mortality and life expectancy at birth is still a challenging one, but if the gap continues to narrow at the rate observed since 2002-04, the Infant Mortality inequality target will be met.More detail can be found in the bulletin available at the link below.

http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/

EDM calls for more research into the causes of premature birth

An Early Day motion has been tabled this week recognising the number of premature births and calling for a research strategy to look at the causes of premature birth. The text is below:

 That this House recognises that every year around 50,000 babies are born prematurely in the UK; acknowledges that premature birth can lead to lifelong conditions as well as being a significant contributor to infant mortality; and urges all hon. Members to back the call by the charity Action Medical Research to the Department of Health and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills urgently to develop a 10-year national research strategy in order to understand the causes of premature birth and to stop unnecessary suffering.