Recruiting and retaining NHS staff

That this House acknowledges there is a staffing crisis in the National Health Service, exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic but predating it; recognises the intense pressure on healthcare staff, who having worked incredibly hard during the pandemic now face the vast challenge of clearing the backlog of care caused by it; regrets that many are now leaving NHS employment or actively considering it; notes the years of pay freezes and below-inflation pay rises and the spread of in-work poverty in the NHS; therefore calls for a decent pay rise for NHS staff aimed at boosting recruitment and retention, particularly during the cost of living crisis; urges the Government to act sooner rather than later; and further calls for embedding the real living wage as a benchmark and a dedicated retention package focused on encouraging existing, experienced NHS staff at all levels to stay in post.