NHS plan will see nearly a million staff hired to plug doctors and nurses gap
A landmark NHS plan will expand the workforce from 1.4 million to 2.2 million staff over the next 15 years in England.
The long-delayed workforce plan for the first time forecasts how many medics need to be trained to safely care for the population.
However the Tories have only committed funding for the first five years and the full report is likely to come under scrutiny when it is published by Rishi Sunak on Friday.
If the Government funded the full 15 years of the plan, taken alongside measures to halt the exodus of existing staff, it could mean at least an extra 60,000 doctors, 170,000 more nurses and 71,000 more allied health professionals in place by 2036/37.
If successful it could cut spending on expensive agency staff by £10 billion between 2030/31 and 2036/37.
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Rishi Sunak (above with Health Secretary Steve Barclay) is announcing the long-awaited NHS plan at noon on Friday (PA)NHS England boss Amanda Pritchard said: “This is a truly historic day for the NHS in England - for 75 years, the extraordinary dedication, skill and compassion of NHS staff has been the backbone of the health service – and the publication of our first-ever NHS Long Term Workforce Plan now gives us a once in a generation opportunity to put staffing on sustainable footing for the years to come.
“As we look to adapt to new and rising demand for health services globally, this long term blueprint is the first step in a major and much-needed expansion of our workforce to ensure we have the staff we need to deliver for patients.
“We will take practical and sustained action to retain existing talent, we will recruit and train hundreds of thousands more people and continue to accelerate the adoption of the latest technology to give our amazing workforce the very best tools to provide high-quality care to millions of people across the country each day.
“Crucially, this plan will also ensure there is an NHS career choice that works for everyone now and in the future, so if you are interested in working for the NHS, or have loved ones who might be, please do find out more – it is a decision I have never regretted.”
Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting said: “The Conservatives have finally admitted they have no ideas of their own, so are adopting Labour’s plan to train the doctors and nurses the NHS needs." (Getty Images)The Government has committed £2.4 billion to fund additional education and training places over five years. This will increase medical and nurse training places by a third, up 10,000 and 40,000 a year respectively by 2028.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “On the 75th anniversary of our health service, this government is making the largest single expansion in NHS education and training in its history. This is a plan for investment and a plan for reform.
“This is something no other government has done and will be one of the most significant commitments I will make as Prime Minister – acting as the cornerstone for our vision for a better, more modern healthcare system and putting the NHS on a sure footing for the long term.”
The workforce plan aims by 2031 to double medical school training places to 15,000, increase the number of GP training places by 50% to 6,000 and almost double the number of adult nurse training places.
NHS England boss Amanda Pritchard said: “This is a truly historic day for the NHS in England" (PA)Apprenticeships will be increased so students can "earn while they learn". It is estimated that one in six (16%) of all training for clinical staff, including doctors, nurses and other health professionals, will be offered through degree apprenticeships by 2028, including 850 doctor apprenticeships.
The workforce plan will be updated every two years so forecasts for how many staff are needed can remain current.
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The report will today clarify how these forecasts will be arrived at.
It follows the Tories refusal for years to approve truly independent forecasts of staffing need.
Previous assessments have shown that current record numbers of advertised NHS vacancies in England of 112,000 could increase to 360,000 by 2037 if action is not taken.
Richard Murray, Chief Executive of The King’s Fund said: “Of course, the plan needs to be delivered but the commitment to updating the plan every two years provides hope that it will be a lasting way out of the recurrent workforce shortages that have plagued the NHS over decades.”
Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting said: “The Conservatives have finally admitted they have no ideas of their own, so are adopting Labour’s plan to train the doctors and nurses the NHS needs.
“They should have done this a decade ago - then the NHS would have enough staff today.
“Instead, the health service is short of 150,000 staff and this announcement will take years to have an impact.
“Patients are waiting longer than ever before for operations, in A&E, or for an ambulance.
“It will be left to the next Labour government to rescue the NHS from the biggest crisis in its history, and renew the service to make it fit for the future.”
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