Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of current workforce pressures in obstetrics and gynaecology; and whether the forthcoming NHS Workforce Plan will include specific measures to support the recruitment, retention and wellbeing of the obstetrics and gynaecology workforce.

Page 86 of the Renewed Women’s Health Strategy sets out the central means by which we will measure its success over the short, medium, and long-term, including through a series of clearly measurable objectives, such as reducing the time women spend on gynaecology elective waiting lists. The strategy also sets out the action we are taking to address workforce pressures in roles that are critical for our women’s health objectives, and this will be reinforced in our upcoming 10 Year NHS Workforce Plan.