Oral Answers to Questions

Neil Coyle Excerpts

Tuesday 15th January 2019 Commons Chamber

The Secretary of State was asked—

[Neil Coyle (Bermondsey and Old Southwark) (Lab)]

1. What recent steps he has taken to tackle NHS workforce shortages.

[Helen Jones (Warrington North) (Lab)]

8. What steps he is taking to recruit and retain additional staff in the NHS.

--- Later in debate ---

[The Minister for Health (Stephen Hammond)]

Good morning, Mr Speaker. The NHS employs more staff now than at any time in its 70-year history, with a significant growth in newly qualified staff since 2012. We have increased the number of available training places for doctors, nurses and midwives, and taken further actions to boost the supply of nurses, including offering new routes into the profession and encouraging those who have left nursing to return. The long-term plan, which was announced last week, sets out the framework to ensure that the NHS has the staff it needs.

[Neil Coyle]

Guy’s and St Thomas’s, which is based in my constituency, offers globally renowned, first-class healthcare, but the trust has seen a massive drop in applications from other EU member states, including of almost 90% in midwives alone. All vacant posts across the NHS present the risk of longer waiting times and risk patient safety, so why did the Government not publish the workforce strategy in the so-called long-term plan? When will it appear? Will the Government reinstate nursing bursaries to address the shocking staff shortfall across the NHS?