Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of below-inflation pay rises on the level of staff vacancies in the NHS.

The Pay Review Body (PRB) process is the established mechanism for determining pay uplifts in the public sector, including for staff working in the NHS.

In formulating their recommendations, the Review Bodies carefully consider evidence from a wide range of stakeholders, including NHS system partners and trade unions. In reaching their recommendations the independent PRBs consider a number of factors, including recruitment, retention, morale and motivation, alongside affordability and the economic context, including inflation.