Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust on the potential effect on NHS staffing levels of the UK leaving the EU without a withdrawal agreement.

The Department, alongside NHS England and NHS Improvement, is ensuring that there is regular communication with frontline National Health Service organisations regarding European Union exit preparations.

We have published EU exit operational readiness guidance for the health and care system in England outlining actions that providers and commissioners of health and social care services should take to prepare for, and manage, the risks of the United Kingdom leaving the EU. We do not currently expect the manner by which the UK leaves the EU to have a significant impact on NHS staffing levels on or around exit day.

We are, however, not complacent and have plans in place to ensure there will continue to be sufficient staff to deliver the high-quality services on which the public relies. Our overall programme of work is comprehensive, thorough and continuously updated and will stand irrespective of the terms in which the UK leaves the EU. We continue to monitor and analyse overall staffing levels in the NHS and social care sector and we have been monitoring leaver and joiner rates of EU staff on a regular basis since the 2016 referendum. In addition, individual organisations can escalate concerns through existing reporting mechanisms to ensure there is regional and national oversight.