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 increase the number of qualified occupational therapists in (a) health, (b) social care and (c) community settings.

The refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan, which will be published in summer 2025, will deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade, and will ensure that the National Health Service has the right people, including qualified occupational therapists, in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the care patients need when they need it.

The Department supports occupational health students in training with the NHS Learning Support Fund (LSF), providing eligible students with a non-repayable grant of £5,000 a year. Further financial support is also available for childcare, dual accommodation costs and travel.