Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to include the biomedical science workforce in the development and delivery of community diagnostic services to ensure equitable access to high-quality diagnostics outside of hospital settings.

The role of biomedical scientists is critical to the delivery of the Government’s overarching ambitions for National Health Service recovery, and to deliver on the strategic shift of moving care from the hospital to the community. The Government and NHS England have ensured that their views and input have been sought to inform the development and delivery of policy, including on diagnostic services.

The pathology professional bodies, including the Royal College of Pathologists and the Institute of Biomedical Science, are key stakeholders in NHS England’s pathology transformation and diagnostics programmes. They are represented on programme boards and working groups, and there is a strong track record of joint working, including national engagement events on topics such as sustainability, modernising histopathology services, and digital transformation. This engagement is helping to shape policy and delivery, including the delivery of community diagnostic services, to ensure equitable access to high-quality diagnostics outside of hospital settings.

With more than 270,000 contributions, the engagement the Government undertook to inform the 10-Year Health Plan was the biggest ever national conversation in the history of the NHS. Organisations representing the biomedical science sector played an important part in it. We received consultation responses from a number of these organisations, including The Institute of Biomedical Science and Royal College of Pathologists, who we undertook specific engagement with through our Partners’ Council.

All of this input fed directly into our policy making process, and insights from the engagement are embedded throughout the plan. As NHS England prepares to deliver the Government’s health ambitions set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, professional bodies, alongside other key stakeholders, will continue to play an important role in informing the implementation of priority programmes.

Biomedical scientists are increasingly working at the top of their licence, supported by digital pathology and laboratory automation that improves workflow and turnaround times. They provide governance and quality oversight for community point-of-care testing, outside of hospital settings linked to community diagnostic centres and hub laboratories, with advanced and consultant-level roles developing where appropriate.

Decisions on the availability of trainee positions to become registered biomedical scientists are matters for individual NHS trusts. NHS trusts manage their recruitment at a local level to ensure they have the right number of staff in place, with the right skill mix, to deliver safe and effective care. NHS England, and previously Health Education England, have, however, supported advanced specialist diplomas and other advanced training for biomedical scientists, with further information on this available on the Institute of Biomedical Science’s website, in an online only format.

The Government will be publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan to create a workforce ready to deliver a transformed service. They will be more empowered, more flexible, and more fulfilled. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the best care for patients, when they need it.