Contributions
2,308 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDNHS Winter PressuresOn the interaction between vacancies and workforce, NHS England is working on a workforce strategy, as has been said, and we will say more on that shortly. In his wider point, the…09 Jan 2023HANSARDNHS WorkforceWe are uniquely placed in having a Chancellor who has not only a deep understanding of health issues, but an understanding of recent Health and Social Care Committee reports.…06 Dec 2022HANSARDNHS WorkforceI have said that I am going to give way to my hon. Friend the Member for Bosworth (Dr Evans), and then I am going to wrap up. As I was saying, sometimes there are areas where it…06 Dec 2022HANSARDNHS WorkforceThe hon. Lady raises a fair point. That fund has been set up because there is an issue with how recruitment sometimes applies between different areas. We always face the challenge…06 Dec 2022HANSARDNHS WorkforceNo, of course not. The hon. Gentleman knows that is not the case. It is a bit like when he goes around the media to charge the Government with refusing to talk to the unions.…06 Dec 2022HANSARDNHS WorkforceAs part of making things easier, I set up a taskforce in the Department over the summer to look at how we can increase the numbers. We have increased the number of nurses…06 Dec 2022HANSARDNHS WorkforceThe hon. Lady had a go earlier, but I will let her have a final go.06 Dec 2022HANSARDNHS WorkforceThe hon. Lady has had a go, so I will make some progress. The hon. Member for Ilford North says that Labour would free up £3.2 billion by making changes in respect of…06 Dec 2022HANSARDNHS WorkforceThe hon. Lady raises a fair point. Nurses are under huge pressure, and I want to say how much we respect and value the work they do. The pandemic has placed huge strain on the…06 Dec 2022HANSARDNHS WorkforceMy hon. Friend raises an important point. The Government have increased the funding, which will be used in new, innovative ways to deal with the huge challenge we face as a…06 Dec 2022HANSARDNHS WorkforceAs the hon. Gentleman knows, I have been at pains to point to the huge pressure the pandemic has generated, which he seems unwilling to accept. In Wales, 60,000 people have been…06 Dec 2022HANSARDNHS WorkforceI discussed this issue with the Home Secretary this week: how we work together across Departments, not just on the visa system, but on other equities. For example, the amount of…06 Dec 2022HANSARDNHS WorkforceCan I just answer the hon. Member for Bath (Wera Hobhouse)? I have taken a number of interventions. The hon. Lady is intervening on an intervention. We must look at the increase…06 Dec 2022HANSARDNHS WorkforceI agree that it is not simply about statistics, but I think it is remiss not to point to the increase in doctor numbers, with 2,300 more in primary care—06 Dec 2022HANSARDNHS WorkforceLet me make some progress. There is a fair list of omissions in the motion. It did not talk about how the Government are on track to deliver their manifesto commitment of 50,000…06 Dec 2022HANSARDNHS WorkforceWell, it depends on what we are talking about. Are we talking about doctors or nurses? Are we talking about locums? Are we talking about the churn within care? There is a range of…06 Dec 2022HANSARDNHS WorkforceI very much agree. In fact, in the spirit of co-operation, I would be happy to write to Sir Ian Diamond at the Office for National Statistics to encourage that, if the Welsh…06 Dec 2022HANSARDNHS WorkforceMy hon. Friend raises an extremely important point. It is not just about the significant funding increase that the Chancellor has allocated; it is also about how that funding is…06 Dec 2022HANSARDNHS WorkforceThe hon. Lady mentioned the summer, and I think she knows that I visited the Jean Bishop integrated care centre and looked at the great innovations and brilliant work that her…06 Dec 2022HANSARDNHS WorkforceWe are investing in more doctors. We have 2,300 more doctors—a 3% increase. We also have 3% more nurses than we had last year. In fact, under the former Prime Minister, my right…06 Dec 2022