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 impact of higher fuel costs on NHS staff using their own vehicles to travel to patients; and whether he plans to support NHS staff with any additional fuel costs.

The reimbursement of travel costs for community nurses and other National Health Service staff is addressed by the NHS Terms and Conditions, jointly agreed by employers and the NHS trades unions. The current rate for staff who use their vehicles to make journeys in the performance of their duties is 56 pence per mile, above the HM Revenue and Customs’ approved mileage rate of 45 pence per mile. This rate reduces after 3,500 miles to 20 pence per mile. The NHS Terms and Conditions sets out the process for reviewing the rate of reimbursement every six months, including reviewing fluctuations in fuel prices.

The NHS Staff Council recently published a statement to facilitate local discussions on temporary options, which is available at the following link:

https://www.nhsemployers.org/sites/default/files/2022-05/009%20NHS%20SC%20-%20Joint%20statement%20on%20reimbursement%20of%20travel%20costs%20in%20England%20MAY%202022.pdf

The statement includes a commitment for the NHS Staff Council to write to the Department to seek a remit to undertake and set out the scope for a possible review. We will respond in due course.