Under a “historic” 15-year plan to address shortage of personnel in the NHS, there would be a significant expansion of educational possibilities for health professionals in England.
Additionally, it places a greater value on apprenticeships, and adds more university spots for medical and nursing students, as well as the first-ever programs for doctors.
A survey on the possibility of one-year cut to five-year medical degrees will also be initiated. The plan was supposed to be disclosed over a year ago. Since then, there have been numerous strikes affecting the NHS, and the conflict with the physicians have been raging on.
However, the plan does not address salary; instead, it is focused on how many additional training positions would be required.
Due to the UK supply route’s difficulty keeping up with demand, 50% of all new doctors and nurses are currently sourced outside. More than 110,000 positions with the health system remained vacant. Modeling for the proposal indicates that, if nothing is done by 2037, this number could increase to 360,000.
The strategy will be formally unveiled on Friday by the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, and Amanda Pritchard, the Chief Executive of NHS England. Over the next five years, the government has pledged to invest £2.4 billion, in achieving the objectives.
It was a “historic” moment for the NHS, according to Ms. Pritchard. “It gives us a once-in-a-generation opportunity to put staffing on a sustainable footing for years to come,” she disclosed.
Prime Minister Sunak described it as “one of the most significant commitments” he would make.
The objectives for 2031 consist of; increasing the number of GP trainee positions for junior doctors by 50%, and doubling the number of medical school spots for student doctors to 15,000 every year and 24,000 extra nurse and midwifery student positions yearly, or nearly twice as much as there are today.
Moreover, one out of every six NHS employees would received their training via an apprenticeship in the next five years, including physiotherapists, podiatrists, and maternity professionals. The apprenticeship programs would combine paid employment with academic study, and do not require students to pay fees.
Also, there would be a few hundred spots available for a doctor apprenticeship that will commence the following year.
Making the proposal a reality is “doable,” but would be “challenging” for the entire health system, according to Stephen Powis, medical director of NHS England.
When queried about his trust in the government’s financial support, he responded that, it featured a “clear ambition over 15 years, laying out exactly what the NHS will need” in addition to the initial £2.4 billion.
Health Secretary Steve Barclay revealed that, top NHS officials had advised him the strategy “gives hope to the system” in the long run. Although the positive effects won’t be felt by clients for a number of years, he noted that, staff retention policies “will come through quite quickly”.
Additionally, there would be a significant focus on employee retention, with advancement in careers and more flexible work schedules, offering clear paths to senior positions. In the past year, the NHS lost around 40,000 nurses.
The health care system as a whole is generally supportive of the approach. It has been described as “bold and ambitious” by Matthew Taylor of the NHS Confederation, composed of health trusts. He continued that, the social care workforce now required the same level of dedication.
Others have noted that, the push to expand training opportunities may be hampered by the scarcity of front-line internships; a nurse student’s degree requires them to spend half of their time working for the NHS.
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