Government announce ‘biggest ever’ expansion plans for the NHS
Over a thousand extra doctors will be trained as part of the “biggest ever” expansion to the NHS’s medical workforce in England, health officials have said.
An extra 1,500 doctors a year will be trained in the NHS by 2020 – boosting the current student doctor numbers of 6,000 by 25%, the Department of Health said.
An additional 10,000 additional training places for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals are also planned, Health Minister Philip Dunne also confirmed
The extra places will be targeted at under-represented social groups such as lower income students, a Department of Health spokeswoman said the
It is hoped that the additional places will also help to address shortages of medics in coastal and rural locations as well as fill gaps in the fields of psychiatry and general practice.
Plans to increase the medical training programme were announced by Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt last October.
Doctors from the British Medical Association (BMA) said the move was reassuring but it also warned of an immediate shortage of doctors in the NHS.
The union also called for more clarity regarding a minimum term of service for doctors trained within the NHS – another of Mr Hunt’s proposals.
The Department of Health said the Government will “continue to consider return on taxpayer investment”.
Despite welcoming the news of the additional training places for doctors BMA medical students committee co-chairman Harrison Carter warned this would not solve the immediate shortage in the NHS.
She said: “The students who will benefit from these new placements will take at least 10 years to train and become senior doctors so we mustn’t forget this promise won’t tackle the immediate shortage of doctors in the NHS which could become more acute following Brexit.
“As such, we require equal focus on retaining existing doctors in high-quality jobs which will provide more immediate relief to an overstretched medical workforce.
The Department of Health said 45,000 students have applied for 23,000 nurse training places this year and historically thousands have been rejected despite having the required grades.
Mr Dunne added: “For too long, a cap on training places has meant thousands of talented students are rejected from university courses each year despite meeting requirements for medicine or nursing.
“These students will now be able to fulfil their potential as our future NHS nurses, midwives and allied health professionals.”
But Royal College of Nursing chief executive and general secretary Janet Davies said: “The health and care system desperately needs proper workforce planning. It’s unclear where extra nursing students will come from, when the removal of student funding is putting many people off entering the profession.
“When it comes to the future supply of nurses, the Government is turning off the tap – nursing degree applications have fallen sharply and the pay cap is forcing many nurses out of the job they love.
“It’s time for ministers to face facts: they will struggle to build a strong and resilient workforce unless they lift the cap on pay and reinstate student funding.”