Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of (a) paid sabbaticals, (b) guaranteed study leave and (c) reform of NHS deaneries on the (i) recruitment and (ii) retention of NHS doctors.

The Department has not made any assessment of the potential merits of paid sabbaticals, guaranteed study leave or reform of NHS deaneries on the recruitment and retention of NHS doctors.

Individual NHS employers are responsible for developing their own policy relating to sabbaticals. Policies are designed to meet the employers’ specific recruitment and retention needs.

Arrangements relating to study leave are detailed in the national terms and conditions of employment for NHS doctors. Requests for study leave will normally be granted, subject to the need to maintain NHS services.

NHS deaneries deliver national recruitment to training posts across the four nations but do not run recruitment for employment and do not have responsibility for retention.