Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will develop the workforce recruitment and retention strategy to allow clinicians to be involved in clinical research.

The Government wants to create an environment where staff are supported in their careers, and that includes where they choose to take part in clinical research. Autonomy and flexibility around career planning is of growing importance to clinicians as they progress through their careers, and many may wish to balance their clinical responsibilities with educational, leadership, management, and research roles. This is something that the National Health Service will continue to support as it is an important factor in supporting retention.

The National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Academy builds research capacity and leadership in the NHS and social care across all regions in England, attracting, developing, and retaining researchers at all career stages. Since the NIHR launched in 2006, the academy has funded career development across 194 different professions and specialties.