Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of trends in vacancy rates for midwives in (a) England, (b) London and (c) the North East London Health and Care Partnership.

No specific recent assessment has been made. The Government will continue to work with the National Health Service as it delivers its three-year maternity and neonatal plan to grow the maternity workforce, develop a culture of safety, and ensure women receive safe, compassionate care. NHS England is boosting the midwifery workforce through undergraduate training, apprenticeships, postgraduate conversion, and return to midwifery programmes. Theme two of the Three Year Delivery Plan covers growing, retaining, and supporting our workforce. This includes establishing a retention midwife in every unit to co-ordinate recruitment and retainment activities for their own units.