Prime Minister pledges £1bn to train tens of thousands more nurses, midwives, doctors and dentists over next five years
- The Prime Minister hopes the extra funding will help solve the NHS staffing crisis
Rishi Sunak will pledge £1bn to train tens of thousands more nurses, midwives, doctors and dentists over the next five years.
The Prime Minister hopes the extra funding will help solve the NHS staffing crisis as it struggles to meet demand with 112,000 vacancies.
Proposals still under discussion include doubling the number of medical school places for physicians to 15,000 by 2028/29.
As part of the workforce plan, 24,000 nurses and midwives would be trained by 2030, with a further 2,000 general practitioners in training and thousands of dentists.
Apprenticeships for doctors and nurses will increase, with enrollees learning on the job.
Rishi Sunak will pledge £1 billion to train tens of thousands more nurses, midwives, doctors and dentists over the next five years
However, according to the Sunday Times, the Treasury has resisted calls to fund the 15-year plan in full.
It said Jeremy Hunt, who advocated a long-term workforce plan before becoming chancellor, has pushed for higher spending but has faced opposition from Treasury officials as he committed billions after the next government spending review in 2025.
Health Secretary Steve Barclay has demanded the NHS improve productivity and efficiency in return for the budget increase.
The plan, which has been repeatedly delayed, is being finalized by Mr Sunak and could be announced on 5 July – the 75th anniversary of the NHS’s foundation.
Mr Hunt negotiated the plan directly with NHS England chief executive Amanda Pritchard, the Sunday Times added.
The Prime Minister hopes the extra funding will help solve the NHS staffing crisis as it struggles to meet demand with 112,000 vacancies (File image)
Mr Sunak and senior ministers are said to be concerned that the cost could affect the government’s ability to cut taxes before the next election. The Treasury has committed itself to financing training costs for the next five years alone, potentially jeopardizing the later stages. If fully funded, the cost would run into several billions.
Saffron Cordery, deputy director of NHS Providers, representing trusts, said: ‘NHS trusts, their leaders, staff, patients and communities will all be disappointed if a fully funded plan is not published soon.
“The plan is to represent the cavalry arriving over the hill. If it’s not fully funded, there’s no guarantee the cavalry will come.”
A government spokesman said: ‘The NHS will publish a long-term staffing plan to recruit and retain more staff. The government will put forward this plan shortly, but will not comment on speculation.”