Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve the retention of experienced nurses in (a) Congleton constituency and (b) nationally.

NHS England’s retention programme seeks to understand why staff leave and provide targeted interventions to support staff to stay, with each trust required to have retention action plans, including in Congleton.

NHS England is working with each integrated care system to support a dedicated retention resource for 2022/23. Support for line managers has been provided, including a staff retention guide with information on induction, reward and recognition, menopause support and online resources to support colleagues in late and early career.

In July 2022, NHS England asked each National Health Service organisation to prioritise the delivery of five actions on nursing and midwifery retention, including enhanced support for those joining the NHS, menopause support and improved advice and guidance for those later in their career with flexible working and pensions. The Department has commissioned NHS England to develop a long-term workforce plan. The plan will consider the number of staff and the roles required and will set out the actions and reforms needed to improve workforce supply and retention, including in Congleton.