Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 9 December 2016 to Question 55994, how many sustainability and transformation plans contain proposals to reduce the number of qualified nurses; and what estimate he has made of the number of nursing places that will be reduced under those plans.

Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STPs) have been drawn up by 44 local leadership coalitions. Each area will now be engaging and, where required, formally consulting on their proposals with communities, staff, unions, and other stakeholders.

Although most STPs contain proposals to develop and reshape their local workforce, the proposals are at too early a stage to provide definitive numbers on the effect on specific staff groups. Work to assess this impact is ongoing.