Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many contracts his Department has awarded to private nursing companies to supplement NHS nurses in hospitals; and what the cost to his Department is of those contracts.

The Department does not hold contracts with companies for the supply of temporary nursing staff into the NHS (i.e. to NHS Trusts). NHS Trusts contract directly with private nursing companies to meet their requirements or call off work from such companies on national and NHS regional contract framework agreements.