We have not done that yet, but I merely put down a marker today that I hope there will be a review process, so that we can be even more ambitious. If we were to write a risk register for the plan, I would suggest that one part of that register could be the productivity challenge, which the NHS has long struggled with.
Let me turn to social care. In many ways, the picture there is more challenging. The Committee’s report notes Care England’s finding that in December 2021,
“95% of care providers were struggling to recruit staff, and 75% were struggling to retain their existing staff.”
The report concluded:
“Care workers often find themselves in under-paid roles which do not reflect the value to society of the service they provide. Without the creation of meaningful professional development structures, and better contracts with improved pay and training, social care will remain a career of limited attraction”—
not poor attraction, because many people want to do it—
“even when it is desperately needed.”
I know that the Minister is passionate about this issue and that she will give a passionate response today. We noted, however, that health and social care services are obviously interdependent, and if efforts in the plan to tackle the challenges in the NHS are to be successful, capacity needs to increase across both health and care. The Minister knows that, but I feel that I have to say it. That point is crucial, and with the welcome focus on the NHS workforce, it is vital that the issues affecting the care workforce are not forgotten. The NHS workforce plan cannot succeed if the challenges facing the social care workforce are not tackled.
I visited the HC-One care home in my constituency last month during Care Home Open Week, and I met a very interesting lady from the Prince’s Trust, who is working with the care home group on the pipeline of social care staff. I recommend that the Government get in touch with the Prince’s Trust, which is doing good work in trying to inspire young people to go into a career in care. I accept that the social care workforce is a different kind of workforce and that not all the levers are under the Government’s control, as I said, but the Government know that there is much to do on this issue.
To conclude, the 75th anniversary is a huge milestone for the NHS. Millions of people still have huge affection for the organisation, but to misplace that and take it for granted would be to do the opposite of serving the NHS faithfully. The anniversary cannot be an exercise in nostalgia. It must be an opportunity to look forward and to make sure that we have an NHS that works for our constituents now and in the decades to come; that is a prevention service as much as it is a sickness service; and that is among the best organisations in the country, in the public or private sector, for the way it looks after its staff. I am very optimistic about the workforce plan. It is a big step in the right direction. The fact that it is out there is a big moment, but there is plenty still to be done, and the Minister knows that my Committee will be right there scrutinising that work as it is taken forward. The plan is just the start.
3.29 pm