Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had recent discussions with (a) his counterparts in the devolved Administrations and (b) professional bodies on the potential merits of amending pension rules to help (i) reduce burnout and (ii) improve retention among healthcare professionals.

In common with the pension schemes for National Health Service workforces in Scotland and Northern Ireland, the NHS Pension Scheme for England and Wales provides a good pension for retirement. The scheme also offers a partial retirement option which allows older NHS staff to draw down part of their pension and continue working in a more flexible way, either with a reduction in hours or a change in responsibilities.

While no specific discussions have been held recently on amending pension rules, the Government continues to work closely with the devolved administrations and professional bodies through the NHS Pension Scheme Advisory Board to ensure the scheme supports the retention of experienced and skilled NHS staff.

The health and wellbeing of NHS staff is a top priority. Employers across the NHS in England have their own arrangements in place for supporting their staff, including occupational health provision, employee support programmes, and health and wellbeing guardian roles. At a national level, NHS England has made available additional support. This includes a focus on healthy environments, tools and resources to support line managers, and emotional and psychological health and wellbeing support.