Overview

This bill mandates the UK Secretary of State to create and publish a comprehensive strategy addressing the recruitment and retention challenges of health and social care staff in rural areas within one year of the bill's passage. The strategy will involve assessments of current staffing levels, retention rates, employment conditions, reasons for staff leaving, housing availability, and the potential benefits of travel cost changes, culminating in the proposal of measures and targets for improvement.

Description

The Health and Social Care (Recruitment and Retention of Staff in Rural Areas) Bill requires the Secretary of State to develop and publish a strategy focused on improving the recruitment and retention of health and social care staff in rural areas (defined as settlements with under 10,000 residents).

Key Aspects of the Strategy:

• Assessment of current health and social care staffing levels in rural areas.
• Assessment of staff retention rates in rural areas.
• Assessment of current employment conditions for staff in rural areas.
• Examination of reasons for staff leaving their jobs in rural areas.
• Analysis of housing availability and its impact on recruitment and retention.
• Evaluation of potential benefits of altering travel cost entitlements for rural staff.
• Inclusion of measures and targets to improve both recruitment and retention.

The Secretary of State must consult relevant individuals and organizations when developing the strategy, with a list of those consulted (with consent) to be included in the published document. The strategy must be presented to both Houses of Parliament.

Government Spending

The bill itself doesn't specify direct government spending. The cost will depend on the initiatives proposed and implemented within the resulting strategy. No specific figures are available at this stage.

Groups Affected

• Health and social care staff in rural areas: This bill directly aims to improve their working conditions, potentially leading to better recruitment and retention.
• Residents of rural areas: Improved staffing levels could lead to better access to health and social care services.
• Healthcare employers in rural areas: This bill could ease their recruitment and retention challenges.
• Government departments (primarily the Department of Health and Social Care): Responsible for developing and implementing the strategy, incurring associated costs and administrative burdens.

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