Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with Frimley Health NHS Trust on progress made on the recruitment of midwives for Wexham Park Hospital.

The Department has not discussed midwife recruitment with the Frimley Health NHS Trust. Decisions on the recruitment of midwives are a matter for individual National Health Service trusts, which manage their recruitment at a local level, ensuring they have the right number of staff in place, with the right skill mix, to deliver safe and effective care.

We are investing £10.6 million to fund an additional 1,000 temporary roles to help newly qualified midwives join the NHS. The new roles for graduates will help build on the success of the 2025 Graduate Guarantee that means every newly qualified midwife in England will have the opportunity to apply to join the NHS.

We will also shortly be publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan, which will put the NHS workforce on a sustainable footing so it can deliver the service model set out in the 10-Year Health Plan.