A WIRRAL West MP has called on the government to think about the stress NHS staff are under due to “stretched resources”.

Margaret Greenwood MP spoke in a debate in the House of Commons as MPs considered amendments made to the Health and Care Bill in the House of Lords.

She spoke in support of an amendment that would have required the government to lay a report before Parliament, at least once every three years, describing the system in place for assessing and meeting the workforce needs of health, social care, and public health services in England.  

Such a report would have had to include an independent assessment of health and social care workforce numbers and the projected workforce supply for the following five, 10, and 15 years.

It would also have had to include an independent assessment of future health and social care workforce numbers based on the projected health and care needs of the population for the following five, 10, and 15 years. 

Greenwood said: “This amendment was incredibly important because it would have assisted in the planning of the health and care workforce of the future.

“It is a huge disappointment that the government opposed it. 

“Instead, the provisions in the bill around workforce planning are weak and do not set out how many health and social care staff are needed to meet demand. 

“NHS staff and care workers do incredibly important work, looking after people when they are at their most vulnerable.   

“People in Wirral West have told me of their frustration with waiting times and their concerns about staffing levels in the health service.

“There have been warnings from senior figures in the care sector that there is a crisis because of staffing shortages.”