Asked by: Andrew George (Liberal Democrat - St Ives)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing mandatory safe registered nurse staffing levels in all forms of hospital settings.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Ensuring adequate staffing levels is the responsibility of National Health Service Trusts and commissioners, supported by national guidelines. The Government will prioritise patient safety to ensure that the NHS treats people with the high quality and safe care that they deserve.
We are committed to training the staff we need to get patients seen on time. The Government will make sure the NHS has the staff it needs to be there for everyone when they need it.
Asked by: Andrew George (Liberal Democrat - St Ives)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what NHS services he plans to commission through private providers in the next 12 months.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Services are commissioned either by integrated care boards or by NHS England. Commissioners have always worked with private providers to deliver primary and secondary services for the National Health Service, and make decisions based on the specifics of their areas and populations.
This government is committed to driving down waiting times for patients and will use all levers, including spare capacity in the system whether that is in independent or NHS providers, to ensure patients are treated faster. Our first step will be the delivery of 40,000 more appointments per week, and we will support the system to deliver these in the most productive and cost-efficient way.