Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase the number of neonatal nurses in (a) England and (b) Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin integrated care system.

NHS England is establishing over 550 new neonatal nurse posts across England, including in the Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Integrated Care System (ICS), since publishing Implementing the Recommendations of the Neonatal Critical Care Transformation Review, which is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/implementing-the-recommendations-of-the-neonatal-critical-care-transformation-review/

NHS England is working with trusts and regions to support their workforce growth plans. There were 53 neonatal nurses working in the Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin ICS as of April 2024, which is nine more than in April 2023.

The Government recognises that there are serious issues within maternity and neonatal services, and is committed to learning from the findings of recent inquiries and investigations, such as those carried out at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, the East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust, and the emerging lessons from the ongoing inquiry at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust.