Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) matron and senior nurse posts are filled and (b) such posts are advertised in the UK.

The responsibility of recruiting for nursing or any other National Health Service (NHS) profession sits with local employers and NHS England.

The Department and NHS England’s Compassion in Practice, nursing strategy published in December 2012, has a dedicated work stream, which is ensuring that we have the right staff, with the right skills in the right place. This national work stream has set clear guidance for NHS provider Boards and commissioners regarding appropriate staffing levels. NHS Boards are required to sign off and publish evidence based staffing levels at least every six months, providing assurance regarding the impact on quality of care and patient experience and publishing these for patients and the public. This work includes the recruitment of matrons and senior nurses as well as all staff at the clinical front line who are just as pivotal to the delivery of the kind of care we aspire to provide in any care setting at any time of the day or night.

To support nursing workforce requirements, Health Education England is running a campaign to encourage registered nurses who have left to come back to work for the NHS, and ensure that they have the most up to date knowledge and skills to provide high quality care.

In addition, we are investing £40 million through the NHS Leadership Academy, in leadership training for ward sisters, senior nurses and midwives.