Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impacts of endemic bullying of students and newly qualified midwives on (1) retention, and (2) the treatment of pregnant women, in the NHS, as highlighted in the #Saynotobullyinginmidwifery report published on 12 November 2023.

Whilst no specific assessment has been made, the National Health Service takes bullying and harassment very seriously. All employers across the NHS should have a robust policy on bullying, outlining how it should be handled, and the support available to staff.

In June 2023, NHS England published their Equality Diversity and Inclusion Improvement Plan which set out a series of high impact actions, including the requirement for NHS organisations to review data by protected characteristics on bullying, harassment, discrimination, and violence, and to develop plans to improve staff experience. This includes promoting environments where staff feel they are able to speak up and raise concerns.

The plan also sets out the need for NHS organisations to provide psychological support to those who report that they have been a victim of bullying or harassment. NHS England has also developed an NHS Civility and Respect programme to tackle bullying and harassment in the NHS, and to create a culture of civility and respect.

On retention, we have set a very ambitious target in the Long Term Workforce Plan to reduce the overall leaver rate. We are not starting from scratch and a lot of work has been done through the NHS People Plan and NHS People Promise, to make the NHS a better and more modern employer by improving leadership and workplace culture, supporting staff health and wellbeing, and tackling issues such as bullying, harassment and discrimination. We will continue to prioritise this through the NHS National Retention Programme.