Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of staffing levels and burnout on incidents of avoidable harm in NHS Trusts.

The responsibility for determining and reviewing staffing levels remains with National Health Service clinical and other leaders at a local level, responding to local needs, supported by guidelines by national and professional bodies and overseen and regulated by the Care Quality Commission.

The Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan which will have a focus on supporting our hardworking and dedicated healthcare professionals. This includes the development of a new set of staff standards for modern employment. We will also roll out Staff Treatment Hubs to ensure staff have access to high quality support for occupational health.

NHS organisations have a responsibility to create supportive working environments for staff, ensuring they have the conditions they need to thrive, including access to high quality health and wellbeing support.

On staff burnout, relevant questions have been incorporated into the annual NHS National Staff Survey. The Copenhagen Burnout index has been included in the annual survey since 2021, providing a national, regional, and organisational view of burnout over five years. Organisations can use this information to triangulate with other data sets, including on patient safety incidents.