Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the annual NHS total workforce growth (a) was annually from 2022/23 onwards and (b) is projected to be over the next three years.

NHS England publishes monthly Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS) workforce statistics for England. These include staff employed by hospital trusts and integrated care boards but excludes staff working for other providers such as in primary care or social care. This data is drawn from the Electronic Staff Record, the human resources system for the National Health Service, and is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-workforce-statistics

The most recent published workforce data can be found within the July 2025, which includes selected preliminary statistics for August 2025, section of the publication, within the file Preliminary - NHS HCHS Workforce Statistics, Trusts and core organisations – data tables, August 2025. Within this file, a time series of the total full time equivalent (FTE) and headcount staffing levels for NHS trusts and organisations across England can be found in worksheet 1.

In the new year, we will publish a 10 Year Workforce plan, which will ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it.