Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had recent discussions with NHS England on the workload of pathology services staff.

My Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has had no recent discussions with NHS England on this subject. However, the Department will continue to engage with NHS England on a variety of issues, including staff workload.

We recognise that staff across the National Health Service have been under considerable pressure. We are committed to tackling staff shortages, and want to improve organisational culture and working conditions so that we can keep staff healthy and motivated, and retain vital skills and experience in the NHS.