Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with NHS England and NHS workforce framework providers on ensuring compliant payroll practices within the agency staffing supply chains for the NHS.

The Department, alongside NHS England, collaborates with framework providers like the NHS Workforce Alliance and HealthTrust Europe to ensure compliant payroll practices. Key actions include mandatory auditing, IR35 compliance, adherence to National Health Service employment checks, and enforcing agency price caps.

NHS England continues to monitor agency spending and works to reduce reliance on off-framework staffing, which is crucial for compliant, high quality, and cost-effective staffing.