Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions her Department has had with the Department for Education concerning the withdrawal of Strategic Priorities Grant support for clinical academic pay, and what assessment has been made of whether reductions in university clinical academic posts resulting from financial pressures on higher education could increase NHS workforce expenditure.

The Department of Health and Social Care works closely with the Department for Education on an on-going basis covering a wide range of matters to ensure the education system is supporting healthcare students, while delivering value for money for taxpayers.

Decisions regarding the Strategic Priorities Grant (SPG) and any potential impact of such decisions on university budgets or staffing are a matter for the Department for Education, who manage the SPG and associated budget.

The Department of Health and Social Care has had no discussions with the Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust or the University of Nottingham regarding the Future Nottingham restructuring programme. Decisions about recruitment are a matter for individual employers, who manage this at a local level to ensure they have the staff they need to deliver safe and effective care.