Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of NHS trusts’ financial balance requirements on planned workforce reductions in the North West; and what assessment her Department has made of the potential effects of those reductions on (a) clinical capacity, (b) patient safety and (c) waiting times.

All NHS trusts are required to manage their spending within the funding provided for their services by local commissioners, and in line with the plans agreed with NHS England. Trusts are expected to make local decisions about how best to deploy their workforce, balancing financial sustainability with the need to maintain safe, effective services for patients.