Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to maintain the quality of service of specialist diagnostic workforces in cancer treatment after the UK leaves the EU.

We value the enormous contribution of all the staff working in health and social care from across the European Union and the rest of the world. We are committed to ensuring that the National Health Service and social care have the nurses, midwives, doctors, carers and other health professionals that they need to deliver the high quality service on which patients rely following the United Kingdom’s exit from the EU.

The Prime Minister has been very clear that EU citizens living lawfully in the UK will be allowed to stay.

The Department has submitted evidence to the Migration Advisory Committee to ensure the position of staff in health and social care is fully understood and taken into account as part of their evidence gathering into the impact of the UK’s exit from the EU on the UK labour market.

Health Education England published the cancer workforce plan in December 2017 which sets out actions as recommended in the Cancer Strategy for England, including for the diagnostic workforce up to 2020/21. The plan also considers future challenges beyond 2020/21.

It is the responsibility of the devolved governments in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to ensure they have the specialist workforce to deliver cancer services.