Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of his policy on pay negotiations for NHS staff on the morale of those staff.

The Government highly values and appreciates all our National Health Service staff.

The independent pay review body (PRB) process is the established mechanism for determining pay uplifts in the public sector, including for staff working in the NHS.

The PRBs are made up of industry experts who carefully consider evidence submitted to them from a range of stakeholders, including government and trade unions. They base their recommendations on several factors including the economic context, cost of living, recruitment and retention, morale, and motivation of NHS staff.