Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support his Department is providing to hospitals with high levels of staff absence as result of covid-19 infection.

We are monitoring staff absence due to COVID-19 and we have multiple workforce supply initiatives. The Nursing and Midwifery Council has invited overseas nurses who are in the process of seeking full registration to join its emergency register, allowing 2,000 nurses to practice. Twelve thousand former healthcare professionals are still in touch with NHS England and have been contacted to support the National Health Service. Financial support has been provided to trusts to support rapid, large-scale recruitment, covering healthcare support workers, medical support workers and international recruits.