Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Royal College of Physicians’ 2021 consultant census finding that 52 per cent of advertised consultant posts in England and Wales went unfilled, what recent assessment he has made of the size of the NHS workforce relative to patient demand.

The Department has commissioned Health Education England to review long term strategic trends for the health and regulated social care workforce. This will ensure that we have the appropriate skills and behaviours in the workforce to deliver high standards of care and meet patient demand. In addition, we have asked NHS England to develop a long term plan for workforce, which will include assessments of supply and demand. The outcomes of this plan will be available in due course. We are also considering workforce requirements within a number of forthcoming strategies including cancer, maternity and mental health services.