Select committee: Health and Social Care Committee

Conclusion 19

Third Report - Workforce: recruitment, training and retention in health and social care Published 25 Jul 2022 Paragraph 78 Addressed to Department of Health and Social Care
Conclusion (the committee's words)
The NHS must ensure that all staff have access to adequate facilities. At the minimum, all staff should have access to 24/7 hot food and drinks, free parking, and places to rest, store their belongings, shower and change, and take breaks with colleagues. The NHS should conduct a welfare provision assessment to consider how to move towards this.

From: Health and Social Care Committee, Third Report - Workforce: recruitment, training and retention in health and social care (HC 115), paragraph 78, 25 July 2022

Government response

The government responded to the whole report on 21 April 2023 (deadline 25 September 2022).

Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.

The government's response sets out partial and varied positions on the Committee's 73 recommendations, with some agreed, some agreed in principle, and others not agreed, and points to the forthcoming Long Term Workforce Plan.

  • On workforce planning (Recommendations 1 and 2) it states "We agree this recommendation" and says the Long Term Workforce Plan will include independently verified projections for 5, 10 and 15 years, which it has "committed to publishing" "shortly".
  • On a new nursing bursary scheme (Recommendation 3) it says "We do not agree with this recommendation", citing the training grants already available to nursing, midwifery and allied health students.
  • On maternity funding and workforce plans (Recommendations 9 and 10) it states "We disagree with these recommendations", but says it "will consider" the forthcoming Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists report and "will keep further funding under review".
  • On social care funding it states "We do not accept" the recommendation of an extra £7 billion a year by 2023-24, pointing to up to £2.8 billion in 2023-24 and up to £4.7bn in 2024-25.

Read the government's response ↗ Report an error