Recommendation 22

This report is the Committee’s second on NHS backlogs, the first being published in March 2022. We stated then that “the NHS will be less able to deal with backlogs if it does not address longstanding workforce issues”.44 For this inquiry we received evidence from five medical Royal Colleges. The submissions from the Royal Colleges of Nursing, Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, Ophthalmologists, Radiologists, and Surgeons all highlighted the ongoing absence of sufficient strategic workforce planning.45 The Autumn Statement 2022 confirmed that a workforce plan, with quantified workforce projections, would be produced by the Department in 2023: “the government is publishing a comprehensive NHS workforce plan, including independently verified workforce forecasts, next year. This will include measures to make the best use of training to get doctors, nurses and allied health professionals into the workforce, increase workforce productivity and retention.”46 This is a welcome and long overdue step. 39 C&AG’s Report, paras 9, 2.7 40 Q71 41 Q72 42 Q 73 43 C&AG’s Report, para 2.12, Figure 7 44 Committee of Public Accounts, NHS backlogs and waiting times in England, Forty-Fourth Report of Session 2021–22, HC 747, 16 March 2022 45 NHS0002, NHS0015, NHS0019, NHS0021, NHS0026 46 Autumn Statement 2022, para 5.59 14 Managing NHS backlogs and waiting times in England