Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to a Royal College of Nurses survey that found a quarter of nursing shifts have the planned number of registered nurses on duty, what steps his Department is taking to help increase the numbers of nurses on shift.

We are on schedule to deliver an additional 50,000 nurses and ensure the National Health Service has access to a sustainable long-term supply in future. In March 2022, the number of nurses had increased by 30,000 compared to September 2019.