Psychiatry
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase the number of full-time psychiatrists in the NHS (a) nationally and (b) in Chichester constituency.
Answered by Dr Zubir Ahmed
Decisions about recruitment are matters for individual National Health Service trusts. NHS trusts manage their recruitment at a local level, ensuring they have the right number of staff in place, with the right skill mix, to deliver safe and effective care.
However, we know that the NHS has been facing workforce shortages for a number of years. While there has been growth in the mental health workforce over recent years, more is needed. That is why, as part of our mission to build an NHS that is fit for the future and that is there when people need it, the Government is recruiting an additional 8,500 mental health workers, including psychiatrists, by the end of this Parliament. We are more than halfway towards this target, which will help to ease pressure on busy mental health services.
Verbatim has judged this answer against the question that was actually asked — answered, partly answered, or evaded. Sign in to see the verdict →