Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to assess the workforce requirements for clinical specialisms in the NHS.

We have no plans to make a specific assessment. However, the Department has commissioned Health Education England to review long term strategic trends for the health and regulated social care workforce. This will ensure the appropriate skills and behaviours are available to deliver high standards of care. In addition, we have commissioned NHS England to develop a long term plan for the workforce, which will assess supply and demand. The outcomes will be available in due course. We are also considering the workforce implications within a number of forthcoming strategies including cancer, maternity and mental health services.