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| 'Historic' 15-year plan to boost NHS workforce | 'Historic' 15-year plan to boost NHS workforce |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| There will be a major expansion in training places for health staff in England, under a "historic" 15-year plan to fill NHS staffing shortages. | There will be a major expansion in training places for health staff in England, under a "historic" 15-year plan to fill NHS staffing shortages. |
| It includes more university places for medical and nursing students and a greater emphasis on apprenticeships with the first ever scheme for doctors. | It includes more university places for medical and nursing students and a greater emphasis on apprenticeships with the first ever scheme for doctors. |
| A consultation on whether five-year medical degrees could be shortened by a year will also be launched. | A consultation on whether five-year medical degrees could be shortened by a year will also be launched. |
| The plan has taken more than a year longer to be published than expected. | The plan has taken more than a year longer to be published than expected. |
| During that time, the NHS has been beset by strikes - with the dispute with doctors still continuing. | During that time, the NHS has been beset by strikes - with the dispute with doctors still continuing. |
| Pay does not feature in the plan - instead, it focuses on how much training places need to increase. | Pay does not feature in the plan - instead, it focuses on how much training places need to increase. |
| NHS staff sickness hits record high in England | NHS staff sickness hits record high in England |
| NHS in England facing worst staffing crisis, MPs warn | NHS in England facing worst staffing crisis, MPs warn |
| Currently, half of new doctors and nurses have to be recruited from abroad as the UK supply route has struggled to keep up with demand. | Currently, half of new doctors and nurses have to be recruited from abroad as the UK supply route has struggled to keep up with demand. |
| One out of every 10 posts remains unfilled - more than 110,000 vacancies. | One out of every 10 posts remains unfilled - more than 110,000 vacancies. |
| And without action, this could rise to 360,000 by 2037, modelling for the plan suggests. | And without action, this could rise to 360,000 by 2037, modelling for the plan suggests. |
| Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and NHS England chief executive Amanda Pritchard will officially unveil the plan on Friday. | Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and NHS England chief executive Amanda Pritchard will officially unveil the plan on Friday. |
| To help achieve the goals, the government has promised £2.4bn over the next five years. | To help achieve the goals, the government has promised £2.4bn over the next five years. |
| Ms Pritchard called it a "historic" moment for the NHS. | Ms Pritchard called it a "historic" moment for the NHS. |
| "It gives us a once-in-a-generation opportunity to put staffing on a sustainable footing for years to come," she added. | "It gives us a once-in-a-generation opportunity to put staffing on a sustainable footing for years to come," she added. |
| Mr Sunak called it "one of the most significant commitments" he would make as prime minister. | Mr Sunak called it "one of the most significant commitments" he would make as prime minister. |
| The targets for 2031 include: | The targets for 2031 include: |
| doubling medical school places for student doctors, to 15,000 a year | doubling medical school places for student doctors, to 15,000 a year |
| a 50% increase in GP trainee places for junior doctors | a 50% increase in GP trainee places for junior doctors |
| 24,000 more nurse and midwife student places a year - close to double the number now | 24,000 more nurse and midwife student places a year - close to double the number now |
| In the next five years, the proportion of NHS staff, including physios, podiatrists and maternity staff, trained through apprenticeships - combining paid work with study and no tuition fees - will double, to one out of every six. | In the next five years, the proportion of NHS staff, including physios, podiatrists and maternity staff, trained through apprenticeships - combining paid work with study and no tuition fees - will double, to one out of every six. |
| And next year, an apprenticeship for doctors will launch, with a few hundred places. | And next year, an apprenticeship for doctors will launch, with a few hundred places. |
| NHS England medical director Stephen Powis told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that making the plan a reality is "doable", but would be "challenging" for the entire health system. | NHS England medical director Stephen Powis told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that making the plan a reality is "doable", but would be "challenging" for the entire health system. |
| Pressed on whether he had confidence it would be backed financially by the government, he said it contained a "clear ambition over 15 years, laying out exactly what the NHS will need" beyond the initial £2.4bn. | Pressed on whether he had confidence it would be backed financially by the government, he said it contained a "clear ambition over 15 years, laying out exactly what the NHS will need" beyond the initial £2.4bn. |
| Speaking to the same programme, health secretary Steve Barclay said senior NHS leaders had told him the plan "gives hope to the system" in the long-term. | Speaking to the same programme, health secretary Steve Barclay said senior NHS leaders had told him the plan "gives hope to the system" in the long-term. |
| He said patients will not see some of the benefits for several years, but added that reforms and measures to improve staff retention "will come through quite quickly". | He said patients will not see some of the benefits for several years, but added that reforms and measures to improve staff retention "will come through quite quickly". |
| Gemma Peffers' role bridges the gap between healthcare assistant and nurse | |
| Gemma Peffers is one of thousands of people to have already started a nursing apprenticeship - in 2016, aged 30, at Royal Derby Hospital. | |
| "I left school not knowing what to do," she says. "I had lots of different jobs." | |
| Ms Peffers has now qualified as a nursing associate - a role that bridges the gap between healthcare assistant and nurse. | |
| Her next step will be to start two years of training to become a nurse. | Her next step will be to start two years of training to become a nurse. |
| Learning on the job has been really beneficial, Ms Peffers says. | |
| "We are learning the ethos of the NHS and getting to know how our patients want to be looked after," she says. | "We are learning the ethos of the NHS and getting to know how our patients want to be looked after," she says. |
| And earning while she learns is important too. | And earning while she learns is important too. |
| "I've got children and a house to run," Ms Peffers says. "The security is really important and has enabled me to pursue a career in the NHS." | |
| Being welcomed | Being welcomed |
| There will also be a major drive on retention - including more flexible-working options and career development to provide clear routes to senior jobs. Last year, more than 40,000 nurses left the NHS. | There will also be a major drive on retention - including more flexible-working options and career development to provide clear routes to senior jobs. Last year, more than 40,000 nurses left the NHS. |
| The plan is being welcomed by many in the health service. | The plan is being welcomed by many in the health service. |
| Matthew Taylor, of the NHS Confederation, which represents health trusts, called it "bold and ambitious". | Matthew Taylor, of the NHS Confederation, which represents health trusts, called it "bold and ambitious". |
| The same commitment was now needed for the social care workforce, he added. | The same commitment was now needed for the social care workforce, he added. |
| Others have pointed out the drive to increase training places could be undermined by the lack of placements on the front line - half of a nurse student's degree is spent working in the NHS. | Others have pointed out the drive to increase training places could be undermined by the lack of placements on the front line - half of a nurse student's degree is spent working in the NHS. |
| It will also take years before this expansion starts to have an impact on current shortages - it takes five years to complete a medical degree and three a nurse degree. | It will also take years before this expansion starts to have an impact on current shortages - it takes five years to complete a medical degree and three a nurse degree. |
| Is it enough? | Is it enough? |
| There are challenges making sure the expansion of training places are successful. The first one is making sure there are enough people interested in pursuing a career in health care. | There are challenges making sure the expansion of training places are successful. The first one is making sure there are enough people interested in pursuing a career in health care. |
| That is less of a problem for doctors - medical degrees are heavily over-subscribed. | That is less of a problem for doctors - medical degrees are heavily over-subscribed. |
| But the number of applications for nursing degrees is falling - with universities saying the cost of living crisis is putting people off. | But the number of applications for nursing degrees is falling - with universities saying the cost of living crisis is putting people off. |
| However, perhaps the biggest challenge of all is ensuring existing staff are retained - nurses are leaving the NHS almost as quickly as new ones are joining. | However, perhaps the biggest challenge of all is ensuring existing staff are retained - nurses are leaving the NHS almost as quickly as new ones are joining. |
| There has been very little detail so far about how this will be addressed - and of course pay is not part of this plan and that is a key factor in keeping staff. | There has been very little detail so far about how this will be addressed - and of course pay is not part of this plan and that is a key factor in keeping staff. |
| Pay awards going forward will be determined by two things - the size of the NHS budget and what is happening with inflation. | Pay awards going forward will be determined by two things - the size of the NHS budget and what is happening with inflation. |
| It is why the £2.4bn committed to boost training in this plan over the next five years is being welcomed, but on its own will not determine its success. | It is why the £2.4bn committed to boost training in this plan over the next five years is being welcomed, but on its own will not determine its success. |
| 'Dismal reality' | 'Dismal reality' |
| Dr Billy Palmer, of the Nuffield Trust think tank, said while it was good to see the plan published, there had been "years of drift". | Dr Billy Palmer, of the Nuffield Trust think tank, said while it was good to see the plan published, there had been "years of drift". |
| And he warned the "dismal reality" of working in the NHS at the moment could undermine the push to tackle shortages in the long term. | And he warned the "dismal reality" of working in the NHS at the moment could undermine the push to tackle shortages in the long term. |
| "There is a risk that we will feed more and more people into training only to burn them out ever faster," Dr Palmer said. | "There is a risk that we will feed more and more people into training only to burn them out ever faster," Dr Palmer said. |
| Speaking to the BBC, shadow health secretary Wes Streeting said "congratulations to the government for listening to Labour", claiming that ministers had "nicked" the opposition's plan. | Speaking to the BBC, shadow health secretary Wes Streeting said "congratulations to the government for listening to Labour", claiming that ministers had "nicked" the opposition's plan. |
| He continued: "There is a reason why the NHS is understaffed, and it's the lack of a workforce plan for the last 13 years." | He continued: "There is a reason why the NHS is understaffed, and it's the lack of a workforce plan for the last 13 years." |
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| Related Topics | Related Topics |
| Apprenticeships | Apprenticeships |
| Nursing | Nursing |
| NHS England | NHS England |
| NHS | NHS |