Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will take steps to (a) recruit and (b) train more (i) medical physicists and (ii) clinical engineers.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The number of Scientist Training Programme (STP) trainees in Medical Physics and Clinical Engineering has tended to increase, with larger increases in recent years. The number of Higher Specialist Scientist Training (HSST) trainees has remained fairly constant. The following two tables show the number of trainees in the Medical Physics and Clinical Engineering STP each year since 2011, and the number of Medical Physics and Clinical Engineering trainees in HSST each year since 2014, respectively:
Year | Medical Physics STP | Clinical Engineering STP |
2011 | 61 | 8 |
2012 | 60 | 14 |
2013 | 67 | 13 |
2014 | 72 | 18 |
2015 | 72 | 8 |
2016 | 66 | 9 |
2017 | 73 | 20 |
2018 | 76 | 16 |
2019 | 86 | 13 |
2020 | 77 | 17 |
2021 | 83 | 25 |
2022 | 103 | 12 |
2023 | 118 | 21 |
2024 | 117 | 15 |
Note: The data for 2024 is subject to change, and without the Wales numbers.
Year | Medical Physics HSST | Clinical Engineering HSST |
2014 | 14 | 1 |
2015 | 29 | 1 |
2016 | 26 | 2 |
2017 | 23 | 2 |
2018 | 12 | 2 |
2019 | 15 | 4 |
2020 | 16 | 0 |
2021 | 15 | 2 |
2022 | 11 | N/A |
2023 | 17 | 2 |
2024 | 8 | 2 |
Notes:
- the data for 2024 is subject to change, and without the Wales numbers; and
- data is not available for the year 2022.
The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan sets out the future National Health Service workforce requirements, and includes healthcare science figures, though this is not broken down into Medical Physics and Clinical Engineering workforce targets. The plan assesses that education and training places for healthcare scientists need to increase by 20 to 34%, reaching between 930 and 1,039 places by 2033/34. The ambition set out in this plan is to increase training places for healthcare scientists by 32%, to over 1,000 places, by 2031/32. We will work towards achieving this ambition by increasing training places by 13%, to over 850, by 2028/29.
The workforce plan also sets out the ambition to retain up to 130,000 more staff across the NHS over the next 15 years, through measures to improve staff’s experience of working in the NHS. This applies to all NHS staff groups, including medical physicists and clinical engineers.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will develop the workforce recruitment and retention strategy to allow clinicians to be involved in clinical research.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government wants to create an environment where staff are supported in their careers, and that includes where they choose to take part in clinical research. Autonomy and flexibility around career planning is of growing importance to clinicians as they progress through their careers, and many may wish to balance their clinical responsibilities with educational, leadership, management, and research roles. This is something that the National Health Service will continue to support as it is an important factor in supporting retention.
The National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Academy builds research capacity and leadership in the NHS and social care across all regions in England, attracting, developing, and retaining researchers at all career stages. Since the NIHR launched in 2006, the academy has funded career development across 194 different professions and specialties.
Asked by: Chris Green (Conservative - Bolton West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to tackle social work workforce (a) shortages and (b) recruitment.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recognise and value the vital contribution of regulated professions, including social workers in adult social care, and are committed to developing the skills of the workforce. That is why we announced a new fund on 10 January 2024 to support recruitment of social work apprentices into adult social care over the next three years.
The new funding will allow local authorities to apply for a contribution towards the costs of training and supervising new social work apprenticeships. Details on what the funding can be used for, how to access the funding, and employer eligibility will be set out in guidance to be published on GOV.UK shortly.
Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)
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 help ensure adequate staffing levels within NHS organisations across Leicester and Leicestershire.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan (LTWP), published on 30 June 2023, sets out the steps the National Health Service and its partners need to take to deliver an NHS workforce that meets the changing needs of the population over the next 15 years. It will put the workforce on a sustainable footing for the long term.
The Government is backing the plan with over £2.4 billion over the next five years to fund additional education and training places. This is on top of increases to education and training investment, reaching a record £6.1 billion over the next two years.
By significantly expanding domestic education, training and recruitment, we will have more healthcare professionals working in the NHS. This will include more doctors and nurses alongside an expansion in a range of other professions, including more staff working in new roles. The LTWP also commits to retaining our workforce, keeping up to 130,000 more staff in the NHS by improving culture, leadership and wellbeing.
As of September 2023, there are currently 15,654 full time equivalent (FTE) staff working in University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust. This is 1,143 or 7.9% more than this time last year. This includes 2,219 FTE doctors, 180 or 8.8% more than last year, and 3,998 FTE nurses, 349 or 9.6% more than last year.
Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)
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 help increase (a) recruitment and (b) retention of staff in NHS organisations in East Yorkshire constituency.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan sets out the steps the National Health Service and its partners need to take to deliver an NHS workforce that meets the changing needs of the population over the next 15 years. It will put the workforce on a sustainable footing for the long term.
To boost recruitment, the Government is backing the plan with over £2.4 billion over five years to fund additional education and training places. This is on top of increases to education and training investment, reaching £6.1 billion over the next two years.
By significantly expanding domestic education, training and recruitment, we will have more healthcare professionals working in the NHS. This will include more doctors and nurses alongside an expansion in a range of other professions, including more staff working in new roles.
The Long Term Workforce Plan also builds on the People Plan, setting out how to improve culture and leadership to ensure that up to 130,000 more staff are retained within the NHS over the next 15 years. This includes ensuring staff can work flexibly, have access to health and wellbeing support, and work in a team that is well led. These interventions apply across staff groups and geographical regions.
These recruitment and retention initiatives apply across the country, including in the East Yorkshire constituency.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the proposed number of physiotherapists provided for by the NHS Workforce Plan in (a) 2026-27, (b) 2031-32 and (c) 2036-37.
Answered by Will Quince
The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan models the workforce supply and demand for staff in different professions over a 15-year timeframe, and the resulting shortfall. The model suggests a shortfall between 0% and 5% for physiotherapists in 2036/37. Shortfall is not estimated for any other periods.
The Plan modelling aims to provide strategic insights to inform policy choices relating to education, training, recruitment and retention, rather than operational insights, targets or precise values. The National Audit Office (NAO) will carry out an independent assessment of the modelling behind the Plan. The NAO anticipates publishing their independent assessment in the first half of 2024.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan will require the creation of the new training course for NHS staff.
Answered by Will Quince
The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, published on 30 June 2023, sets out the steps the NHS and its partners need to take to deliver an NHS workforce that meets the changing needs of the population over the next 15 years. It will put the workforce on a sustainable footing for the long term.
The Plan sets out significant expansion of domestic education, training and recruitment. This will include more doctors and nurses alongside an expansion in a range of other professions, including more staff working in new roles.
Training will need to be reformed to support the education expansion set out in the Plan and ensure that we train the healthcare professionals of the future. Actions include improving productivity by working and training in different ways, building broader teams with flexible skills, changing education and training to deliver more staff in roles and services where they are needed most, and ensuring staff have the right skills to take advantage of new technology that frees up clinicians’ time to care, increases flexibility in deployment, and provides the care patients need more effectively and efficiently.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to increase (a) recruitment and (b) retention of healthcare professionals.
Answered by Will Quince
We are growing the workforce, with over 5,800 (4.5%) more doctors and almost 14,900 (4.8%) more nurses in National Health Service trusts and commissioning bodies than last year (April 2022).
We have published the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan. The Plan includes projections for the number of doctors, nurses and other professionals that will be needed for the next 15 years, taking full account of improvements in retention and productivity. This plan will help ensure that we have the right numbers of staff, with the right skills to transform and deliver high quality services fit for the future.
The Government is backing the Plan with over £2.4 billion over the next five years to fund additional education and training places. This is on top of increases to education and training investment, reaching a record £6.1 billion over the next two years.
By improving culture, leadership and wellbeing, we will ensure up to 130,000 fewer staff leave the NHS over the next 15 years. We will continue to build on what we know works and roll out the interventions that have already proven to be successful. This includes ensuring staff can work flexibly, have access to health and wellbeing support, and work in a team that is well-led. These measures will help to retain the workforce, and ensure the NHS People Promise becomes a reality for all staff.
Asked by: Alan Campbell (Labour - Tynemouth)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what guidance he has issued on the use of unlicensed doctors in his Department's tribunals.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Medical Members principally sit on cases in the Social Entitlement and Health, Education and Social Care (Mental Health) and War Pensions and Armed Forces Compensation Chambers.
Members of the Tribunals, who are not judges, are appointed by the Senior President of Tribunals under either Schedule 2 or 3 of the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007. Required qualifications for these appointments are specified in the Qualifications for Appointment of Members to the First-tier Tribunal and Upper Tribunal Order 2008, which sets out that a person who is not a judge is only eligible for appointment as a member of the First-tier or Upper Tribunal if they are, amongst other listed professions, a Registered Medical Practitioner. The Order also clarifies that a Registered Medical Practitioner means a fully registered person within the meaning of the Medical Act 1983, whether or not they hold a licence to practise under that Act.
This requirement is included in the information for candidates issued by the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) for Medical Member recruitment. As part of the selection process, the JAC checks and validates each candidate’s registration against the General Medical Council’s online register.
Following appointment, General Medical Council registrations are checked, at least annually, by the Tribunals as part of the appraisals process. All Tribunal Members, including Medical Members, are subject to the judicial conduct guidance issued by the Lord Chief Justice and Senior President of the Tribunals, and are expected to notify the relevant leadership judge immediately of any change in circumstances.
Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
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 improve patient care within NHS podiatry services, in the context of trends in vacancy rates of NHS podiatrists.
Answered by Will Quince
NHS England has worked extensively to enhance and modernise the podiatry professions. Central to this has been the development of education and training for support workers in podiatry and the development of the the podiatry apprenticeship.
NHS England is also continuing to promote podiatry as a career option through a suite of careers resources. The recently launched NHS Employers guide to podiatry sets out the full range of opportunities and offers guidance from career promotion in schools, to effective staff recruitment, retention and return to practice.