Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of prioritising UK trained nurses for nursing posts in the NHS.

As set out in the recently published 10-Year Health Plan, the Government is committed to reorienting the focus of National Health Service recruitment away from its dependency on international recruitment, and towards its own communities, to ensure sustainability in an era of global healthcare workforce shortages. It is our ambition to reduce international recruitment to less than 10% by 2035.

This includes a commitment to developing homegrown nursing talent, helping to bring economic growth to areas across the nation which are most in need. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will outline strategies for improving retention, productivity, training, and reducing attrition, ultimately enhancing conditions for all staff while gradually reducing reliance on international recruitment, without diminishing the value of their contributions.