Wes Streeting MP, Labour’s Shadow Health and Social Care Secretary, commenting on warnings from health leaders of rising staff absences in the NHS in England, said:

“Hardworking health and social care workers are overstretched and understandably exhausted.

“The pandemic has taken its toll, but the truth is that, after eleven years of Conservative mismanagement, we went into the pandemic with 100,000 staff shortages in the health service and 112,000 social care vacancies.

“It’s not just that the Tories didn’t fix the roof while the sun was shining, they dismantled the roof and removed the floorboards.

“Ministers must bring forward a workforce plan to fix the staff shortages in the NHS.”