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 support the retention of ambulance service staff.

People working in the National Health Service do so because they want to make a significant difference in people's lives by providing great quality healthcare. In turn, we need to ensure that we support them throughout their careers, providing access to training and development, and that they can work in an environment that is supportive, rewarding and inclusive.

NHS England already has an extensive retention programme that addresses matters that are important to staff such as good occupational health support, options for working more flexibly and better culture and leadership.

Targeted retention work continues through the NHS Retention Programme, which works with trusts to help them understand why staff have left. This has focused on better support for line managers including a staff retention guide, improved support for new joiners to the NHS and enhanced support for staff going through the menopause.

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, the Government is committed to making the NHS the best place to work, by supporting and retaining our hardworking and dedicated healthcare professionals.

The 10 Year Workforce Plan will set out how we will deliver this change by making sure that staff are better treated, have more fulfilling roles, and hope for the future. This includes the development of a new set of staff standards for modern employment which will reaffirm our commitment to improving retention, and which are likely to focus on flexible working, improving staff health and wellbeing, and dealing with violence, racism, and sexual harassment in the NHS workplace.