Website of the Department of Health

Progress

The Childcare Strategy was launched as part of the NHS Plan in July 2000. The national targets are for 150 extra on-site nurseries providing an additional 7,500 subsidised places and for all NHS staff to have access to a childcare co-ordinator. Over £70m has been made available for this from April 2001. So far 140 new nursery schemes (new builds or extensions to existing nurseries) have been opened or are in the pipeline. These should provide an extra 6,000 new nursery places for NHS staff. Over 230 childcare co-ordinators are now in post with recruitment continuing.

Strategic Health Authority capital allocations for 2003/04 included £15m nationally for building on-site nurseries. As well as the capital allocation for 2003/04, a further £15m revenue funding is available nationally to subsidise new nursery places; fund childcare co-ordinator posts and support other childcare initiatives. WDCs will be notified of their allocations early in the new financial year.

The Government has pledged further funding building up to £100m to expand the NHS Childcare Strategy. This funding should be used to widen the current NHS Childcare Strategy to meet other childcare needs and extend support beyond the provision of on-site nurseries such as holiday playschemes, out of school provision, emergency cover etc, and to support local childcare stratagies, led and implemented by childcare co-ordinators on the ground. Funding for childcare for 2004/05 onwards is included in PCT general allocations.

We are committed to providing childcare support for students by 2004. We are currently looking at how best this might be done.

All staff should eventually have access to an NHS childcare coordinator to fulfil the requirements for IWL Practice Accreditation. Childcare coordinators will scope the need for different forms of childcare across the local health economy, and develop strategic plans to ensure that the kind of childcare support required is provided. This will be helpful when deciding how to allocate future funding. We are also keen that NHS Childcare coordinators should make links with Early Years Development and Childcare Partnerships, who are taking forward the Sure Start programme at a local level.