Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what is the timetable for his department and NHS England to (a) open and (b) close applications for voluntary exit following the merger of the two; and whether there are plans for a compulsory redundancy process.

Both the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England opened voluntary redundancy schemes in 2025, prior to the merger, to allow staff to leave before the merger takes place.

The DHSC voluntary exit scheme launched on 2 April and closed 30 April 2025. The first cohorts of staff left in November and December 2025. A small cohort of staff were placed 'on hold' and will exit between January and May 2026.

The NHS England redundancy scheme ran from 1 December 2025 until 5:00pm on 16 December 2025. This was announced to staff on 11 November 2025, and formal consultation with trade unions concluded on 14 November 2025.

We remain committed to the target of my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for a leaner, more efficient centre that is approximately 50% smaller. We are currently aiming to meet this target through voluntary means. However, until we know the outcome of these schemes, we cannot rule out future compulsory redundancies.