Department of Health and Social Care written question – answered at on 11 November 2025.
Dr Caroline Johnson
Shadow Minister (Health and Social Care)
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to (a) identify and (b) allocate capital funding to bring neonatal accommodation for parents in line with the standards outlined in the Health Building Note 09-03: Neonatal Units, published 20 March 2013.
Karin Smyth
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Repairing and rebuilding our healthcare estate is a vital part of the Government's ambition to create a National Health Service that is fit for the future.
The Government is backing the NHS with over £4 billion in operational capital in 2025/26, enabling systems to allocate funding to maternity and neonatal services, where this is a local priority. This is delivering improvements, as our enquiries suggest that current NHS capital programmes progressing maternity new builds will be Health Building Note compliant.
In addition, the Government is investing £131 million through the 2025/26 Estates Safety Fund into the maternity and neonatal estate. This funding will address critical safety risks on the maternity estate, enabling better care for mothers and their newborns.
Yes1 person thinks so
No2 people think not
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Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
