Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of differing pay and conditions between people employed by NHS Professionals Ltd and people directly employed by the NHS on (a) recruitment, (b) retention and (c) staff morale.

No such assessment has been made. National Health Service trusts will locally identify the mix of permanent and temporary staffing that fits their workforce requirements and delivers value for money. This can include the use of NHS professionals.

The Government values the dedicated staff we have working in the NHS, and is committed to supporting them so that they can continue to thrive, and we can retain their valuable skills and experience within the NHS. NHS England is leading a national NHS retention programme to drive a consistent, system-wide approach to staff retention across NHS trusts. This ensures trusts have access to proven retention strategies, data-driven monitoring, and can foster a more stable, engaged, productive, and supported workforce.