Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to tackle (a) staffing shortages and (b) infrastructure problems in hospitals in Gloucestershire.

Information on local plans to tackle staff shortages is not collected centrally by the Department. National Health Service organisations are responsible for their own recruitment, and develop their own workforce plans based on service needs.

At a national level, we are committed to training the staff the NHS needs and will work closely with partners in education to do this. NHS England continues to lead a range of initiatives to boost the retention of existing staff and ensure the NHS remains an attractive career choice for new recruits.

Repairing and rebuilding our hospital estate is a vital part of our ambition to create an NHS that is fit for the future through our 10-Year Health Plan. That is why my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that health capital spending is set to increase to £13.6 billion in 2025/26, representing record levels of capital investment into healthcare.

This includes over £1 billion to continue to tackle dangerous reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete and make inroads into the backlog of critical maintenance, repairs, and upgrades across the NHS estate.