Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of workforce burnout on waiting lists.

The Department has not made an assessment of the potential impact of staffing shortages in non-clinical roles, workforce burnout, reductions in the number of interim board positions, or regional retention offers on waiting lists, or of creating temporary cross-trust staffing pools for specialties with high waiting times. No assessment has been made of the potential impact of regional retention offers on reducing workforce turnover.

The Government is committed to making the National Health Service the best place to work, by supporting and retaining our hardworking and dedicated healthcare professionals. The Government plans to introduce a new set of standards for modern employment in April 2026. The new standards will reaffirm our commitment to improving retention by tackling the issues that matter to staff, including promoting flexible working, improving staff health and wellbeing, and dealing with violence, racism, and sexual harassment in the NHS workplace.

The health and wellbeing of all NHS staff is a top priority. NHS organisations have a responsibility to create supportive working environments for staff, ensuring they have the conditions they need to thrive, including access to high quality health and wellbeing support. As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will roll out Staff Treatment hubs to ensure all staff have access to high quality occupational health support, including for mental health.

NHS England published its planning guidance for 2025/26 in January 2025. This guidance sets out clear priorities for the NHS, including the delivery of the interim electives ambition that nationally, 65% of patients are seen within 18 weeks, along with an expected minimum 5% improvement on current performance for each trust, as set out in the Elective Reform Plan. Trusts and integrated care boards are expected to manage the staffing of all professions to deliver on these priorities within their agreed financial allocations.