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Community Nurses: Northern Ireland

Asked by Jim ShannonDemocratic Unionist PartyDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled Answered 19 November 2025UIN 89420

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in Northern Ireland on the retention of district nurses.

Answered by Karin Smyth

Officials from the Department regularly meet with their counterparts in the devolved administrations to discuss and update on the development of the 10-Year Health Plan in England.

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, the Government is committed to making the National Health Service the best place to work, by supporting and retaining our hardworking and dedicated healthcare professionals.

NHS England is already leading work nationally through its retention programme to drive a consistent, system-wide approach to staff retention across NHS trusts. This ensures trusts have access to proven retention strategies, data-driven monitoring, and can foster a more stable, engaged, productive, and supported workforce.

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