Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Health Inequalities: Women

Wednesday 28 January 2026 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Max Wilkinson raised concerns about the temporary closure of the Aveta birth centre at Cheltenham general hospital and its impact on local women.
  • Calum Miller inquired about his constituent Debra, who was advised to take sodium valproate during pregnancy, leading to severe consequences for her sons.
  • The Minister offered to arrange for a Minister to provide an update on Calum Miller's constituent Debra's specific case and the wider implications of sodium valproate usage during pregnancy.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Max Wilkinson Lib Dem Cheltenham
NHS
Context

The MP references a local issue at Cheltenham General Hospital and the Aveta birth centre, which was temporarily closed four years ago under the previous government. The trust cannot make decisions on reopening until national and local reviews are completed.

Question

I am concerned about the case of Cheltenham general hospital and the Aveta birth centre, which four years ago under the previous Government was closed temporarily to labour and births. There is a national rapid review, which Gloucestershire is subject to, and a local service review. The trust tells me that it cannot make any decisions on reopening for labour and births until those two reviews have completed, and even then there is no timescale for giving women in my constituency what they need: to be able to give birth in Cheltenham when they need to. Will the Minister have a word with those in charge of the reviews and the local trust to try to move things along and get us the answer that we need?

Answer from The Minister for Secondary Care (Karin Smyth)

The hon. Member and I discussed this issue before he brought a debate on it to Westminster Hall, and I know that he has campaigned hard on it for local women. He raises an excellent point: we must ensure that what is happening on the ground with regard to maternity and the changes that people are proposing line up adequately with the national task. He has made that point very clearly today, and I will make sure that the local system is aware of it.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister acknowledged the issue but did not commit to specific action or timelines for reopening the birth centre.

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Q2 Calum Miller Lib Dem Bicester and Woodstock
NHS Women & Equalities
Context

The MP mentions a constituent, Debra, who was advised to take sodium valproate during pregnancy. The drug led to severe consequences for her family. Over two years after the Hughes report was published, no action has been taken.

Question

My constituent Debra was advised over 20 years ago to take sodium valproate during her pregnancy. Alongside thousands of other women, that advice has had severe consequences for her family. Both her sons have faced significant challenges through their lives and remain highly dependent on their parents, as a direct result of that drug. On Saturday, I visited Debra and she shared her fears for her sons’ future and her anger that more than two years after the Hughes report was published, no action has been taken. Will the Minister meet Debra and me to hear her family’s story and to discuss how the Government intend to put right this terrible injustice?

Answer from The Minister for Secondary Care (Karin Smyth)

It was the cases of many women like Debra, which have often been raised in this House, that led to that report, and we understand that people are facing serious and long-lasting conditions. I am happy to arrange for a Minister to get back to the hon. Member on that specific case and update him on the review.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister agreed to arrange a meeting but did not commit to immediate action or provide a timeline.

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