Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to extend the 2024-25 NHS pay settlement for staff aligned to Agenda for Change to social enterprises delivering NHS-funded services; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of excluding such organisations on workforce retention, pay parity and service sustainability.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

This specific assessment has not been made.

Independent organisations commissioned by the National Health Service in England, such as general practices or social enterprises, are free to develop and adapt their own terms and conditions of employment, including the pay scales that they use. It is for them to determine what is affordable within the financial model they operate.

Where such organisations choose to dynamically link to any of the national contracts, including Agenda for Change, those staff will be contractually entitled to receive the same uplifts in pay and associated terms and conditions as staff employed in NHS organisations.

The 2024/25 pay award was consolidated and funding has been issued. There are no plans to revisit the funding or to issue additional guidance.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, in relation to the staff survey conducted by the National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation team that closed on 9 March 2026, a) how many total responses were received, b) how many NHS trusts in England were represented in the results, and c) what the breakdown of responses was by profession or clinical speciality.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Baroness Amos launched a call for evidence for those who work in the maternity and neonatal pathway, which closed on 9 March. The National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation team has received more than 8,500 responses from across 124 trusts. A breakdown for responses by profession or clinical speciality is not available as evidence is still being analysed.

Baroness Amos has advised that the independent National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation will publish its final report and recommendations in June.