NHS Long-term Workforce Plan

Debate between Baroness Harding of Winscombe and Lord Markham

Tuesday 4th July 2023 Lords Chamber

[Lord Markham (Con)]

As I mentioned previously, the NHS plan is something that we or the NHS can publish, being the employer. With there being hundreds, if not thousands, of employers in social care, it is clearly a different situation. What we can do is make sure that we put the investment into the sector, so that there is pull through in the number of places. Over the next few years, we are looking at an increase of up to £7 billion, which is about 20%. We know that, of that £7 billion, around 65% to 70% flows through to staffing and wages. We are seeing a massive investment on our side, which we are looking to lots of employers to fulfil. By increasing the number of medically trained people, we will be increasing the supply base to fulfil that demand.

[Baroness Harding of Winscombe (Con)]

My Lords, I too thank and commend my noble friend the Minister, the Secretary of State and the leadership of the NHS for producing an extremely good plan. It is historic, not because it is the first time such a plan has been written but because it is the first time in 20 years such a plan has been published. The Minister has commented a couple of times that this is a living plan—one that will be updated at least every two years. Could he confirm that those updates will be published every two years, and that this House will be able to debate and discuss them?

[Lord Markham (Con)]

That is absolutely my understanding. For it to be a living document, people clearly need to have input and to be able to debate it in exactly the way we are doing here today.

Nursing: Recruitment

Debate between Baroness Harding of Winscombe and Lord Markham

Wednesday 26th October 2022 Lords Chamber

[Lord Markham (Con)]

We appreciate that recruitment is an ongoing process, and while I think the whole House would agree a 29,000 increase is a good record—up 9,000 in the last year alone—we cannot rest on our laurels. Vacancies of 50,000 is partially a function of a full-employment economy, which I think we would all support. We are showing that our recruitment is working and, as I say, we are over half way towards our target of 50,000 more nurses.

[Baroness Harding of Winscombe (Con)]

My Lords, a few months ago, the Secretary of State but two said that the NHS long-term workforce strategy would include numerical assessment of both supply and demand of nurses and other clinical professionals but that publishing those details would depend on cross-government agreement. There was broad agreement in this House, in June, that those numbers should be published. Could my noble friend the Minister put on record his support for publishing NHS workforce supply and demand numbers? If he does not feel able to, could he explain how we will know whether 50,000 is the right number of nurses?

[Lord Markham (Con)]

There is a long-term workforce strategy plan being put together, as I think we know, and that builds on the NHS people plan of 2020, which has seen this increase in numbers. I will find out where we are with that, and the details behind that, and write to my noble friend.