Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what succession planning arrangements the NHS is making to minimise the vacancy rates for (a) Parkinson’s nurses and (b) other specialist roles.

The National Health Service interim People Plan was published on 3 June 2019, it puts staff at the heart of NHS policy and delivery and recognises the current shortage of nurses as the most urgent challenge facing the health system.

It calls for action to be taken now to make the NHS the best place to work, by reforming the culture and leadership and ensuring all staff (including nurses) feel supported and valued, in an effort to increase workforce recruitment and retention.

The interim Plan proposes to increase the number of newly qualified NHS nurses, support and retain existing nurses, provide nurses with every opportunity to return to work, and bring in nurses from abroad. It commits to delivering 5,000 additional placements for nursing students, 7,500 further Nursing Associates, increasing undergraduate supply and broadening routes into nursing.

There are no post-registration requirements for a Registered Nurse to become a Parkinson’s nurse. Therefore, local integrated care systems will be responsible for ensuring they have the necessary numbers of Parkinson’s (and other specialist) nurses to meet the needs of their local population.