§ Mrs. Iris RobinsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made towards meeting staffing targets set out in Agenda for Change, with particular reference to(a) nurses and (b) health visitors. [173587]
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§ Angela SmithSpecific staffing targets are not part of Agenda for Change. Staffing is a matter for individual Health and Social Services Trusts taking into account factors such as service needs and available resources. However, the Department has a role in ensuring that sufficient suitably qualified staff are available to meet the needs of the service and to monitor workforce levels in Trusts. This will be done through workforce planning mechanisms, which provide an analysis of the current workforce and of current and future recruitment and retention issues. These encompass issues such as the number of staff required to meet service demands and address skill-mix options. These workforce plans will inform decisions on future student intake levels