Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 14 May 2025 to Question 50992 on NHS: Contracts, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of collecting data on the number of staff working in the National Health Service for non-NHS providers; and whether his Department monitors differences in the terms and conditions of staff working (a) directly for the NHS and (b) in the NHS for non-NHS providers.

Neither the Department or NHS England intend to centrally collect data on the number of staff working in the National Health Service for non-NHS providers, or information on the differences in terms and conditions between NHS and non-NHS providers, due to the additional resources involved in such an exercise. Independent, non-NHS organisations are free to develop and adapt their own terms and conditions of employment. This includes the pay scales that they use, the extent to which pay awards are made, and when those awards are paid. We expect such employers, providing NHS services, to offer a total reward package that supports recruitment and retention and reflects the skills and experience of their staff.