Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help improve the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of staff in the NHS cancer workforce.

Recruitment to National Health Service roles is managed locally by trusts and systems. However, NHS England is taking a range of actions to support the recruitment and retention of staff in the NHS cancer workforce.

To grow the workforce, NHS England has been expanding specialty training places in key cancer professions, including histopathology, clinical radiology, and gastroenterology. Targeted national campaigns and outreach activities, for example in clinical oncology, also promote cancer career pathways, with a focus on increasing applications.

To improve retention, NHS England is investing in structured career development and education support. The Aspirant Cancer Career and Education Development programme provides a nationally agreed framework for capability, career development, and education for nurses, allied health professionals, and the support workforce working in cancer care.