Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of NHS hospitals have had vacancies for medical staff unfilled for more than (a) one, (b) two, (c) three and (d) four years.

NHS Improvement does not hold data for the length of time vacancies have been unfilled for, nor does it hold vacancy data for individual hospitals.

NHS Improvement collects vacancy data for three staff groups; doctors, nurses and ‘other staff’. These vacancy statistics are published for England and at the regional level of North, Midlands and East, London and South.

NHS Digital published the latest NHS Improvement vacancy data which can be found in the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-vacancies-survey/february-2015---march-2019-provisional-experimental-statistics

Vacancies are filled by a combination of bank (82,900) and agency staff (28,900). There are more temporary staff than vacancies because bank and agency staff are also used to provide cover for short and long-term sickness absence, and maternity and paternity leave.