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.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the 2024–25 formal negotiations for the community pharmacy contractual framework have been recommenced since the last general election; and, if not, why is this the case and when might they recommence.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are committed to working with the sector to achieve a service that is fit for the future.
As identified by Lord Darzi’s review, primary care is under pressure and in crisis, but there are also demands in other parts of the National Health Service. This has made allocation of available funding very challenging.
As we committed to parliament at the end of last year, we will be resuming our consultation with Community Pharmacy England regarding the funding arrangements for community pharmacy very shortly.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what performance management arrangements were in place, if any, to ensure the take-up of flu and COVID-19 vaccinations by NHS staff in (1) 2022, and (2) 2023.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England plays an important role in supporting the National Health Service to run effective influenza and COVID-19 vaccination programmes for NHS staff.
As part of this, NHS England provides a range of resources and tools to support this offer and is working to increase influenza and COVID-19 vaccination uptake in 2024/25. In addition, improved Federated Data Platform reporting is providing more detailed regional uptake intelligence. NHS England is encouraging integrated care boards to work with the highest performing trusts in their region to share best practice and lessons learned, and provide additional support for those providers where uptake is low.