NHS BOSSES raised concerns about Tory efforts to tackle mounting staff shortages today after Health Secretary Steve Barclay refused to commit to publishing a long-awaited workforce plan in the near future. 

NHS Providers deputy chief executive Saffron Cordery warned it appeared the proposals, which she previously thought were “imminent,” had been delayed.

The warning came after Mr Barclay told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme that the plan would only be published “before the next general election,” due by January 2025.