Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan on regional variations in access to Parkinson’s care.

No assessment has been made. The Long Term Workforce Plan, which was published in June 2023, includes projections for the number of doctors, nurses and other professionals that will be needed over the next 15 years.

It sets out the mix and number of staff required, as well as the actions and reforms across the National Health Service that will be needed to reduce the supply gap and improve retention. This plan will help ensure we have the right numbers of staff, with the right skills and roles, in the right locations and at the right time, to transform and deliver high-quality services fit for the future.

The modelling and staff training plans presented in the Plan look at the NHS as a whole at a high level, to inform government decisions on the workforce. This is designed to identify the right supply of staff across all clinical pathways and specialisms rather than workforce plans for specific services.