Written question WQ86978
- Asked by
- Samuel KurtzConservative
- To be answered by
- Minister for Health and Social Services
- Tabled
- Due
- Answered
- Time to answer
- 8 days
Question
How is the Welsh Government working with health boards and trusts to reduce potential risks to patient safety as a result of unfilled NHS job vacancies?
Answer
Answered by Minister for Health and Social Services
NHS Wales organisations actively manage their workforce when posts become vacant, both through substantive recruitment and appropriate utilisation of temporary staff. The Welsh Government is addressing current pressures by supporting Health Education and Improvement Wales to increase the number of healthcare professional training places and by recruiting additional workforce from overseas, where this is ethical.
Patient safety is already at the heart of Welsh Government policy making. This is evidenced in a number of recent initiatives and legislative changes, including the Health and Social Care (Quality and Engagement) (Wales) Act 2020 which will introduce duties of quality and candour in NHS Wales by April 2023.
The Welsh Government is actively working with Health Education and Improvement Wales, NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership and health boards to improve data and analytics across a range of workforce metrics. This includes working towards regular collection and publication of NHS Wales vacancy information.