Responding to new figures from the Royal College of Nursing, which show a third of mental health hubs for health and care staff in England have closed since they were launched two years ago, leaving staff without adequate mental health support, Saffron Cordery, deputy chief executive at NHS Providers said:

"We know that anxiety, stress and depression are consistently the top reasons for staff sickness in the NHS.

"Wellbeing hubs have provided crucial mental health support to health and care workers since they were introduced during the pandemic.

"Closure on this scale is deeply worrying as it will prevent overstretched staff from getting the support they need to live healthy lives and deliver high-quality care for patients, which is their number one priority.

"We urge the government to provide one year's transitional funding so that these services don't end abruptly, and support is given to those being scaled back."