Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of the relative cost of housing compared with wages in (a) Oxford and (b) Oxfordshire on the ability of Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to recruit nursing staff on a starting salary.

Recruitment of staff and the overall employment package is a matter for local National Health Service employers.

The Government wants to support employers to employ the right number of staff with the right skills to work in our hospitals or in the community.

We know the cost of housing is challenging which is why the Government is committed to ensuring that NHS land is used in a way that ensures the best possible services for patients, the best value for taxpayers in freeing additional resources for reinvestment in new facilities and services, and which supports wider housing objectives. This includes freeing surplus NHS land sufficient for 26,000 homes.

As part of this, we recognise that in some areas it may be beneficial for NHS organisations to use their surplus land to provide accommodation for their staff. We have been engaging with a wide range of stakeholders to understand better the housing need for NHS staff, and for the first time have started to collect data on where NHS organisations are already using their land in this way. The need for NHS staff accommodation differs across the country, and we are working with the NHS, housing associations, and other partners to explore opportunities for developing local solutions.