News / Training funds increase to follow students

Higher education institutions will be eligible for an immediate 4.6% uplift in the number of funded placements for nurse, midwife and allied health professional training. But they must work with local health organisations to secure up to 1,500 additional placements this year.

In a letter to the education bodies, Health Education England said the increase in placements this year was the first step in meeting the government commitment to as many as 10,000 additional clinical placements by 2020. 

While the funding for 2017/18 will follow the students through their courses, any uplift in 2017/18 is not considered recurrent. Work on the funding mechanism for 2018/19 to 2020/21 is ongoing, though HEE said funding for a further 2,500 placements will be available in 2018/19.

The government also committed to training 1,500 more doctors a year by 2020 – a 25% increase in the number of domestic medical students. From next year, existing medical schools will collectively be able to offer an extra 500 places to future doctors, while the remaining 1,000 places will be allocated across the country based on an open bidding process. The extra places will be targeted at under-represented social groups.

Health minister Philip Dunne (pictured) said: ‘We are committed to giving more talented students the chance to be part of our NHS workforce. Not only is this the biggest ever expansion to the number of doctor training places, but it’s also one of the most inclusive; ensuring everyone has the chance to study medicine regardless of background, and ensuring the NHS is equipped for the future with doctors serving in the areas that need them most.’

In the shorter term, NHS England announced it was accelerating its recruitment of qualified GPs from overseas. This financial year it will aim to recruit 600 doctors, and a total of at least 2,000 over the next three years. Previously, the target was to recruit 500 doctors by 2020/21.

As well as asking recruitment agencies to join a framework to support the drive, NHS England said it was establishing an international GP recruitment office to manage the programme. Initially it will focus on doctors from European Economic Area countries – their qualifications are recognised in the UK under EU law.

NHS England director of primary care Arvind Madan said: “Most new GPs will continue to be trained in this country, and general practice will benefit from the 25% increase in medical school places over the coming years. But the NHS has a proud history of ethically employing international medical professionals, with one in five GPs currently coming from overseas. 

‘This scheme will deliver new recruits to help improve services for patients and reduce some of the pressure on hard working GPs across the country.’