The Government's ambitious #70 million childcare strategy is on track
to ensure all NHS staff have access to a Childcare Co-ordinator who
can help them meet family needs.

So far 124 co-ordinators are in place across the country with another
50 currently being appointed.

The other NHS Plan committment to provide 150 on-site nurseries with
7,500 subsidised childcare places by 2004 is also within reach -
there are now 120 schemes open or in the pipeline providing 5,200
places.

For the first time NHS staff will easily be able to find the details
of their local Childcare Co-ordinator by going straight to a central
database.

The database, to be launched on Wednesday 12th February at the second
annual NHS childcare conference 'Beyond Workplace Nurseries', can be
easily accessed at www.doh.gov.uk/iwl.

The conference, organised by the Daycare Trust in association with
the NHS, is a key element in driving forward the Childcare Strategy.
NHS Childcare Co-ordinators are developing local childcare schemes
which provide good quality, affordable and accessible care to meet
the needs of staff; as well as provide advice and support to parents
working in the NHS.

In addition, many Childcare Co-ordinators are setting up schemes to
provide flexible short notice and emergency cover to ensure the needs
of doctors and particularly junior doctors are met. This will create
stability for their children and overcome problems surrounding
waiting lists.

Health Minister John Hutton said, "The NHS Childcare Strategy is a
key element in making the NHS a model employer as well as enabling it
to deliver its priorities over the next three years. The NHS is doing
more to provide childcare support for staff than any other employer
in the country. Such investment will encourage more people to stay in
the health service and more people to come back."

Andrew Foster, NHS Human Resources Director, said, "The challenge of
balancing childcare responsibilities and employment is often a source
of considerable stress for parents. We are committed to improving the
working lives of NHS staff by providing high quality, value-for-money
childcare which meets their diverse needs. We need to ensure that
this message is reaching potential recruits and returners."

The NHS Childcare Strategy is a key element in improving the working
lives of staff in the NHS. More than 250,000 NHS staff have children
under 14 and more nurses and doctors would return to the NHS if they
could get childcare help.

NOTES TO EDITORS
1. Journalists can speak to Yvonne Atherton, NHS Childcare
Co-ordinator in Manchester. By developing strong links with a local
childminder, Yvonne is able to offer staff 24-hour care, flexible
days according to people's work patterns, overnight and weekend care.
This has proven most helpful to families where both parents are
doctors or single parents.

2. They can also speak to Sara Mousley, NHS Childcare Co-ordinator in
Portsmouth. Sara was urgently contacted by a staff nurse whose
childminder arrangements had ceased with immediate effect. She needed
cover from 7.30am - 8.30pm with her child attending pre-school
sessions at a particular nursery four times a week. Sara was able to
resolve the crisis by finding a childminder able to offer unsociable
hours cover at short notice and in her area.

For further information contact Phil Cohen in the DoH Media Centre on
0207 210 5971.

ENDS