Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to remarks by the chief executive of the Care Quality Commission (CQC) on 1 February that the CQC has “lost its way” with inspections, what plans they have to set a date for a date for the CQC to provide the public with reliable and up-to-date information on inspections of care homes, hospitals and other facilities.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has been open about the fact they need to do much more to be the strong, effective regulator that people who use health and care services need and deserve. A key area for improvement is to ensure that the CQC can give the public up-to-date information about services.
It is undertaking rapid changes to the way they work to increase the number of assessments they undertake, to provide updated ratings. However, it is clear the CQC has a lot to do to improve its performance in how it undertakes assessments and provides ratings. The CQC has reported progress with reducing the number of completed assessments stuck in its IT system and some of these will result shortly in updated ratings. It is not feasible to say when all care homes, hospitals and other facilities will have up to date information because of the number of providers in each sector.
The public should continue to use the CQC’s existing ratings, together with other information on the CQC’s and the provider’s websites and should look out for updated ratings.
Between 2023 and March 2024, CQC rolled out a new IT system, as well as structural changes within the CQC that made it difficult for its inspectors to do their jobs. This has meant that, while they have continued to focus on protecting people from poor care, often in response to information from the public, the number of routine inspections that resulted in award ratings fell dramatically. A revised way of working was introduced in December 2024 to address these issues.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much of the capital allocation for the three waves of the New Hospital Programme is now guaranteed; and which of the waves are subject to future spending reviews.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government has agreed a set of realistic and deliverable assumptions around the ongoing funding envelope that will enable the programme to plan sustainably for the long term and support schemes in rolling waves of investment. The exact profile of the funding will be confirmed in rolling five-year waves at regular Spending Reviews, as with all Government capital budgets in the future.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the future of funding for the Medical Doctor Degree Apprenticeship programme in England.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is for individual National Health Service employers to decide on their approach to apprenticeships. The Department for Education is currently reviewing access to the Apprenticeship Levy for Level Seven apprenticeships, which Medical Doctor Degree Apprenticeships fall under. The Government is committed to widening participation in medicine and creating a medical workforce that is representative of the society around us.
We will work with partners including NHS England, the Department for Education, and the university sector to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to study medicine, regardless of their background. This summer we will also publish a refreshed workforce plan to provide the health service with much-needed stability and certainty.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of jobs that could be lost due to increased National Insurance contributions in (1) hospices, (2) social care, and (3) community and primary health care.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have taken the necessary decisions to fix the foundations in the public finances at the Autumn Budget, enabling the Spending Review settlement of a £22.6 billion increase in resource spending for the Department from 2023/24 outturn to 2025/26.
The employer National Insurance contributions rise will be implemented from April 2025, and NHS England has set out the approach to funding providers in planning guidance for the next financial year, a copy of which is attached.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what the retention rate was for NHS (1) social workers, and (2) dentists, in the financial years (a) 2022–23, (b) 2023–24, and (c) 2024–25 to date.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold the information requested.
For professions such as dentists, who do NHS commissioned work but who are not directly employed by NHS bodies, the Department does not hold detailed staffing information.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what the retention rate was for NHS (1) nurses, (2) junior doctors, and (3) consultant doctors, in the financial years (a) 2022–23, (b) 2023–24, and (c) 2024–25 to date.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The following table shows the retention rates of nurses, resident doctors, and consultant doctors who are employed by National Health Service hospital trusts or integrated care boards in England, between 30 September 2021 and 30 September 2024:
Period | Leavers rate |
September 2021 to September 2022 | 11.5% |
September 2022 to September 2023 | 9.9% |
September 2023 to September 2024 | 8.8% |
Source: NHS England Hospital and Community Health Service Workforce Statistics.
In addition, the following table shows the annual leaver rates from the NHS of resident doctors by grade, in NHS trusts and other core organisations in England, between 30 September 2021 and 30 September 2024:
Period | Resident doctors: | Leavers rate |
September 2021 to September 2022 | Specialty Registrar | 23.8% |
Core Training | 20.3% | |
Foundation Doctor Year 2 | 53.0% | |
Foundation Doctor Year 1 | 20.1% | |
September 2022 to September 2023 | Specialty Registrar | 23.4% |
Core Training | 17.8% | |
Foundation Doctor Year 2 | 50.5% | |
Foundation Doctor Year 1 | 17.9% | |
September 2023 to September 2024 | Specialty Registrar | 22.6% |
Core Training | 15.6% | |
Foundation Doctor Year 2 | 44.7% | |
Foundation Doctor Year 1 | 18.3% |
Source: NHS England Hospital and Community Health Service Workforce Statistics.
Finally, the following table shows the annual leaver rates from the NHS of consultants, in NHS trusts and other core organisations in England, between 30 September 2021 and 30 September 2024:
Period | Leavers rate |
September 2021 to September 2022 | 6.0% |
September 2022 to September 2023 | 5.3% |
September 2023 to September 2024 | 4.9% |
Source: NHS England Hospital and Community Health Service Workforce Statistics.
The data is presented for the 12-month period to each September to allow for the inclusion of the latest data available. This data is based on the headcount of staff and shows people leaving active service, and would therefore include those going on or returning from maternity leave or a career break, as well as staff moving to other health and care sectors such are general practice, social care, or private provision. This is important particularly in relation to resident doctor retention rates, as these staff will be moving between sectors, particularly general practice, in a planned way as part of training programmes. Leaving rates are calculated by dividing the number of leavers in the period by the average number of staff in that category at the beginning and end of the period.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what the retention rate was for NHS (1) physiotherapists, (2) radiographers, and (3) occupational therapists, in the financial years (a) 2022–23, (b) 2023–24, and (c) 2024–25 to date.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The following table shows the leaver rates of physiotherapists, radiographers, and occupational therapists, employed by National Health Service hospital trusts or integrated care boards in England, between 30 September 2021 and 30 September 2024:
Position | Period | Leaver rate |
Physiotherapists | September 2021 to September 2022 | 11.6% |
Physiotherapists | September 2022 to September 2023 | 10.4% |
Physiotherapists | September 2023 to September 2024 | 9.7% |
Radiographers, therapeutic and diagnostic | September 2021 to September 2022 | 10.6% |
Radiographers, therapeutic and diagnostic | September 2022 to September 2023 | 8.6% |
Radiographers, therapeutic and diagnostic | September 2023 to September 2024 | 7.5% |
Occupational Therapists | September 2021 to September 2022 | 12.3% |
Occupational Therapists | September 2022 to September 2023 | 11.5% |
Occupational Therapists | September 2023 to September 2024 | 10.1% |
Source: NHS England Hospital and Community Health Service Workforce Statistics.
The data is presented for the 12-month period to each September to allow for the inclusion of the latest data available. Leaver rates are calculated by dividing the number of leavers in the period by the average number of staff in that category at the beginning and end of the period.
The data is based on the headcount of staff and shows people leaving active service in the NHS, which would include those going on or returning from maternity leave or a career break, as well as staff staying in their profession but moving to roles in other sectors, such as primary care, local authority provision, or private provision.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what the retention rate was for NHS (1) community pharmacists, and (2) hospital pharmacists, in the financial years (a) 2022–23, (b) 2023–24, and (c) 2024–25 to date.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Data on retention rates for pharmacists working in community pharmacies is not held centrally. The following table shows the annual leaver rates from the National Health Service of pharmacists, in NHS trusts and other core organisations in England, between 30 September 2021 and 30 September 2024:
Period | Leaver rate |
September 2021 to September 2022 | 13.1% |
September 2022 to September 2023 | 12.0% |
September 2023 to September 2024 | 10.3% |
Source: NHS England Hospital and Community Health Service Workforce Statistics.
The data is presented for the 12-month period to each September to allow for the inclusion of the latest data available. Leaving rates are calculated by dividing the number of joiners in the period by the average number of staff in that category at the beginning and end of the period.
The data is based on the headcount of staff and shows people leaving active service in the NHS, and therefore includes those going on or returning from maternity leave or a career break, or those moving to work as pharmacists in other sectors, such as primary care or community pharmacy.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in the light of concerns raised by the Royal College of Psychiatrists about the impact of the use of video monitoring technology on some mental health patients, whether they will commission independent research on the efficacy of such technology and its effect on patients; and whether they will suspend the use of Oxevision until such research is carried out.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England has commissioned a rapid evidence review of vision based monitoring systems. These insights have been used to work in partnership with people with lived experience, clinicians, and stakeholders to develop national guidance, which will be published imminently. There is currently no guidance to suspend oxevision until such research is carried out.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of value for money of NHS trusts paying £6.2 million annually from revenue budgets to NHS Providers.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has made no such assessment, as the responsibility for spending decisions rests with individual National Health Service trusts.
As public bodies, NHS trusts should maintain the highest standards of rigour, value for money, and propriety in the use of public funding. All spending must contribute to organisational objectives and support the delivery of high-quality patient care.