Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) financial and (b) other steps his Department is taking to tackle workforce shortages within the NHS in (a) Coventry North East constituency, (b) Coventry, (c) the West Midlands and (d) England.

In Coventry, NHS England is overseeing a programme to increase the workforce, including further development of the reservist programme; international recruitment for nurses and therapy roles; a partnership with the University of Coventry to expand the number of undergraduate places; primary care initiatives for general practitioners to support retention; and a system-wide needs analysis to support staff wellbeing.

In the West Midlands, NHS England is addressing vacancies in the region through health and wellbeing initiatives, with the emphasis on supporting staff to be able to attend work; reducing pressure on staffing and improving retention; improved opportunities for flexible working including retire and return; supporting the workforce with the addition of the reservists; and international recruitment initiatives in nursing and the allied health professions.

In England, eligible new and continuing nursing students at English universities receive a non-repayable grant of at least £5,000 for three years. In addition, extra grants of up to £3,000 per academic year are available to eligible students with child dependents or those studying specialist subjects. We have also increased the number of funded medical school places by 25% over three years to 2020. The first cohort of these students will enter foundation training from this year. This expansion also delivered five new medical schools in England.