Additional funding for NHS staff training welcome to help address workforce challenges
03 September 2019
- In an announcement ahead of the government spending review due tomorrow, chancellor Sajid Javid has promised an increase in planned spending on NHS staff development.
- He says this will pay for £1,000 “personal development budgets” for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals.
- The Treasury said the money was part of a £210m “funding boost for frontline NHS staff” in 2020-21.
- Officials believe that a lack of access to training is one of the main issues damaging morale among staff.
Responding to government commitments for an increase in spending on NHS staff development, the director of policy and strategy at NHS Providers, Miriam Deakin said:
“Any additional funding for staff development and training would be very welcome and is one part of a broader plan to improve the offer of support for current staff and address the severe workforce shortages the NHS faces.
We should be doing everything we can to ensure that hard-working NHS staff feel valued and have the opportunities to develop themselves and their careers within the health service.
Director of Policy and Strategy
“We need to retain staff within the NHS and ensure we offer attractive careers to new joiners. We should be doing everything we can to ensure that hard-working NHS staff feel valued and have the opportunities to develop themselves and their careers within the health service.
“As always we need to see the detail behind this funding announcement, and how it will work given cuts to training budgets over recent years. Trusts will also need clarity over whether they will be expected to front some of this additional cost.”