Got a question for Wes Streeting, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care?

[JustineMumsnet]

Hi all,

Next week we’ll be back in Westminster to put your questions to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting MP.

His brief covers some big areas that we know are really important to Mumsnetters - including maternity care, access to GPs and dentists, mental health services, social care, public health, and how we keep the NHS sustainable in the long term. If you’ve got a question you’d like me to ask, please post it below.

As ever, one question per user please and keep it civil. We’ll be tight on time, so please keep questions short and sharp, so I can get through as many as possible.

We’ll close the thread on Wednesday pm - so do get your questions in before then.

Thanks,
Justine

What can be done to support student nurses and midwives who are unpaid and often having to take on additional work alongside studying and full time hospital placements. Is it time we pay them a wage as other apprentices undertaking degrees are?

What should the current sandwich generation do to plan for both their social care needs whilst simultaneously helping their children get on the property ladder?
secondly, if you are blessed with twin naturally (not through fertility treatment etc) why is there no financial help?

Can we have these Women's Health Hubs we keep being promised please? The waste of time and money we are spending on NHS forcing women to see doctors who have no clue about female health is astounding. I have had to make appointments to see 3 people just to be referred for a colposcopy because I have a tilted cervix - all because a male Dr didn't believe me despite it being on my notes. I am 44 and have had a child FGS. If men don't want to "deal" with female patients let us go to someone who will!

I'd also like to see the levels for B12 deficiency looked at and a campaign to warn new mums that gas and air depletes stores. Getting doctors to check bloods for it before offering out Prozac to women like sweets would also save NHS in the long run.

I'd rather any of the above were funded over the vaccinations for gonorrhea that embolden men to have more sex without a condom. Would love to see how the cost/efficacy was reached there.

What is being done to tackle the issue that NHS dentistry is impossible to get access to? Do we need to increase access and incentivise student dentistry? How can we incentivise dentists to stay within the NHS system rather than practice almost entirely privately?

NHS proudly announce to you as a pregnant woman that you can have your dentistry for free, but is you aren't registered with an NHS dentist in the first place this is a fallacy.

When will you eradicate transgender ideology and DEI from the NHS, and respect the Supreme Court clarification that woman means biological woman, and ban all gender affirming care to protect children and young adults? Why are you giving mixed messages to LGBTQ affinity groups about this? The Cass Review should have been enough, nevermind the SC judgement.

Regarding hospital acquired infections:
Please would Wes confirm the NHS is reverting to single-sex toilets, in line with its research published last year. https://salus.global/article-show/pathogen-findings-raise-concerns-about-move-to-unisex-hospital-facilities

Testing showed that :

• samples from the handles inside the doors of male toilets have about eight times more microbes than those from the same handles in female toilets.
• Pathogenic bacteria and fungi, including multi-drug resistant “superbugs”, have been found on the floors, ceilings, door handles and other surfaces of hospital toilets in the UK, with patient toilets the worst affected.
• the least hygienic toilets, with the highest microbial burden, are the gender neutral (unisex and disabled) toilets.

And the study concludes that “we should not be abandoning single-sex toilets in favour of unisex toilets”.

So please stop making previously female only toilets available to any Tom, Dick or Harry who fancies taking a selfie in the ladies loo. And make single sex toilets a requirement in all new-build NHS buildings.

I know others have asked similar questions, but this is an issue that affects all women - when will you force the NHS to recognise the Supreme Court Decision on single sex spaces - both for staff and patients? Why are staff having to bring legal proceedings to force the NHS to obey the law? And why are you sending mixed messages to Trans supporting groups to pacify them, instead of telling them what the law now is?

My son was referred to a gender clinic after a 5-minute GP appointment at age 18.

Adult gender clinics operate under a service specification where the majority of people are referred for invasive, experimental medical interventions (opposite sex hormones and gender reconstruction surgeries) after only two appointments.

Who will be held responsible for rushing young vulnerable people into these life-changing decisions? Hilary Cass advises caution in relation to 17-25 age group. Why is this not enforced?

Yes. There’s a tweet from Wes Streeting where he says he’d ‘kick a dog in the face’.

We all know you can tell a lot about a person by the way they treat animals.

What does he think this tweet says about him?

NHS England’s patient safety data still shows severe harm and deaths, and the latest WRES and Staff Survey show persistent bullying and discrimination towards staff — will you commit to tackling toxic culture and bias in the NHS, given it drives deaths, staff shortages and huge costs?

(Few of their own data collection as always gotta have the evidence 😁)

www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/patient-safety-data/2024-25/q4/

nhsproviders.org/resources/nhs-workforce-race-and-disability-equality-standard-2024

nhsrho.org/news/statement-in-response-to-publication-of-the-nhs-workforce-race-equality-standard-wres-2024-data-analysis/

Is it right that you’re close to Peter Mandelson? How do you feel about the stash of emails between him and Jeffrey Epstein, and why do you think the government appointed him knowing the risks? Doesn’t this show that powerful men at the top see very little wrong with rich men trafficking young girls?

Given the terms of reference for the maternity review announced this week didn't include some of the worst performing trusts in the country, can you tell us how and why your approach has changed since June (when you said the review would “look in detail at up to ten maternity units that are giving us greatest cause for concern") and why you think this is going to lead to a better outcome?

Hi Wes. Seems like quite a few in your party have it in for Keir. He doesn’t strike me as someone who’d cling on if he lost mass support. If there was a leadership contest, would you throw your hat in the ring? And please don’t say you’re not going to speculate etc. etc. - you wouldn’t be in politics if you weren’t ambitious... 👀

I posted before about having to have mine in hospital, which they wrote to my GP about. However having moved to a new surgery my notes have apparently all been wiped. So no bloods, no prior testing history and apparently no letter from the hospital to say I have to have smears up there. What is the NHS doing about the computer systems not passing on full records?

So many women find smears stressful and painful, why does the NHS seem to do everything it can to make it harder for women to get this basic test? We need better gynae from teenage years, so we know if we have retroverted or tilted cervixes in advance of trying to get pregnant, or having a smear. Fed up of women sucking up the admin and pain for basic healthcare. Will you fund anything to help female health specifically in the next couple of years, as we know how expensive these errors and delays can end up being for the NHS?

Given how interconnected poverty and health are, do you think the 2 child benefit cap should be scrapped?

Hi everyone,

Thanks for all your brilliant questions - you can see the interview with Wes Streeting here: www.mumsnet.com/news/wes-streeting-mumsnet-asks

Thanks,
MNHQ

Link not working for me @RhiannonEMumsnet

As above, link not working @RhiannonEMumsnet

Apologies @IDareSay @Levitatingdown - there was a stray full stop. It should be working now.

Thanks for flagging!

why is it still impossible to find to get a permanent NHS dentist

I am kind of gutted my question wasn't selected
:(

I was hopeful because autoimmune conditions, children's health and UPFs are all relevant on Mumsnet world. Ah well.

Me too. Surprised no question at all put to him about mental health in the NHS.

Nothing asked about the thousands of NHS staff being threatened with job losses despite the lack of a funded redundancy plan. Really disappointed he wasn’t challenged on that.

That was brilliant - thanks Mumsnet and Wes

If you, or your advisers are still watching Mr Streeting, I have some design suggestions to make the third spaces a bit safer than they are at the moment. I want safe toilets for everyone.

I am presuming third spaces mean the accessible toilet? Please also take into consideration the needs of those who can’t use any other toilets, whilst remembering any unisex toilet is going to be less safe and healthy by design.