Select Committee · Health and Social Care Committee

Workforce: recruitment, training and retention in health and social care

Status: Closed Opened: 23 Nov 2021 Closed: 26 Apr 2023 38 recommendations 35 conclusions 1 report

Reasons behind staff leaving the health and social care sectors and how to tackle them will be examined in a new inquiry. Workforce recruitment and training will also be explored. The Committee has heard repeatedly that more staff will be needed to meet future demand and deal with the backlog caused by the pandemic. Existing …

Clear

Reports

1 report
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Third Report - Workforce: recruitment, training and retenti… HC 115 25 Jul 2022 73 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

4 items
30 Recommendation Third Report - Workforce: recruitment, … Accepted in Part

UK medical school places require significant increase of 5,000 annually.

In the absence of an independent mechanism to assess the increase necessary, we agree with the recommendation of the Medical Schools Council and the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges that the number of medical school places in the UK should be increased by 5,000 from c.9,500 per year to 14,500. …

Government response. The government partially accepted the recommendation, noting it had already funded an additional 1,500 medical school places and temporarily lifted caps, and stated that a forthcoming Long Term Workforce Plan will set out actions to ensure sufficient staff, but it …
Department of Health and Social Care
37 Recommendation Third Report - Workforce: recruitment, … Accepted in Part

Temporary, bank, and agency staff require full access to NHS training.

NHS England must ensure that temporary, bank, and agency staff are given full access to NHS training to allow them to level up their skills, to ensure that they are able to sign up for additional shifts. (Paragraph 141) Working culture, including the experience of ethnic minority health and care …

Government response. The government agrees in part to provide better training and career development pathways in social care to drive recruitment and retention and commits to improving knowledge, skills, health and wellbeing and recruitment policies, providing resources through Skills for Care, and …
Department of Health and Social Care
69 Recommendation Third Report - Workforce: recruitment, … Accepted in Part

Decrease Health and Care Worker visa salary requirements and add care workers to shortage list.

The Government should report on how many care workers have been issued with Health and Care Worker visas since the scheme was launched. The salary requirement for the visa should be decreased to the average salary for a social care worker. Care workers should be considered skilled and added to …

Government response. The government reported that 56,900 care worker visas were granted in 2022, noting that care workers were added to the Health and Care Visa and Shortage Occupation List in February 2022. However, they rejected the recommendation to reduce the minimum …
Department of Health and Social Care
71 Conclusion Third Report - Workforce: recruitment, … Accepted in Part

Review NHS recruitment contracts to eliminate punitive repayment clauses for international staff.

The NHS must undertake a review of its recruitment processes to ensure that no international health and care staff are being subject to punitive repayment clauses in their contracts. Those who are subject to repayment clauses must be released from them, and future NHS contracts must not contain repayment clauses.

Government response. NHS England (NHSE) requires all trusts to follow the UK Ethical Code of Practice, which has been updated to ensure repayment clauses are transparent, proportionate, flexible, and taper down over time. NHSE will continue to explore further guidance with partners.
Department of Health and Social Care

Oral evidence sessions

6 sessions
Date Witnesses
28 Jun 2022 Chevonne Baker · Right at Home UK, Dr Claire Fuller · Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care System, Dr Hugh Porter · Nottingham City Integrated Care Partnership, Matthew Taylor · Good Work Review, Saffron Cordery · NHS Providers, Sarah Sweeney · National Voices View ↗
7 Jun 2022 Amanda Pritchard · NHS England, Matthew Style · Department of Health and Social Care, Michelle Dyson · Department for Education, Professor Stephen Powis · NHS England, Rt Hon Sajid Javid · Department of Health and Social Care View ↗
24 May 2022 Danny Mortimer · NHS Employers, Dr Denise Chaffer · Royal College of Nursing, Dr Navina Evans · NHS England, Gill Walton · Royal College of Midwives, Ian Trenholm · Care Quality Commission (CQC), Professor Em Wilkinson-Brice · NHS England, Ravi Sharma · Royal Pharmaceutical Society, Shawn Charlwood · British Dental Association (BDA) General Dental Practice Committee, Simon Williams · Local Government Association View ↗
11 May 2022 Dr Latifa Patel · British Medical Association (BMA), Isaac Samuels, Health and social care community campaigner and social care recipient, Lara Akinnawonu · Cardiff University, Professor Colin Melville · General Medical Council, Professor Hazel Scott · University of Liverpool, Professor Malcolm Reed · Medical Schools Council, Professor Roger Kirby · Royal Society of Medicine, Professor Scott Wilkes · University of Sunderland, Sophie Weaver, Town councillor and social care recipient, Trevor Wright, lived experience witness View ↗
22 Mar 2022 Dr Vishal Sharma · Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospital NHS Trust, Dr Wen Wang · University of Leicester, Jacqui McBurnie · NHS England and NHS Improvement Menopause Group, Nina Hemmings · Nuffield Trust, Prema Fairburn-Dorai · Primary Homecare in Suffolk, Professor Carol Atkinson · Manchester Metropolitan University, Professor Carol Woodhams · University of Surrey, Professor Dame Clare Gerada · NHS Practitioner Health, Shilpa Ross · The King's Fund, Wayne Jaffe · University Hospital of North Midlands NHS Trust View ↗
1 Mar 2022 Chris Hopson · NHS England, Dr Emma Hayward · University of Leicester, Gamu Nyasoro · Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Jane Ashcroft CBE · Anchor Hanover, Lara Bywater · LDC Care, Nicola McQueen · NHS Professionals, Oonagh Smyth · Skills for Care, Professor Dame Helen Stokes-Lampard · University of Birmingham, Rachael Dodgson · Dimensions, Sarah McClinton · Association of Directors of Adult Social Services View ↗

Correspondence

1 letter
DateDirectionTitle
6 Sep 2022 Correspondence from the Chief Executive of NHS England on Workforce: recruitme…