Funds boost means more training places for health professionals
THE Welsh Government has announced a significant boost in the number of training places for nurses, midwives and other health professions.
Health Minister Vaughan Gething has confirmed that £16.4m will be used for a 14.5% increase in training places for nursing and midwifery and a 17.7% increase for other health professions.
The extra funding also includes £1.4m for 47 additional medical post-graduate training places.
The measure has been welcomed by the British Medical Association (BMA) in Wales which claims it will go some way to addressing the workforce crisis facing the Welsh NHS.
In a statement, Mr Gething said training places for nurses and midwives have increased by 55.9% over the past five years in Wales.
He added it was the sixth consecutive year the Welsh Government had increased funding for health professional education and training.
“The Welsh Government is committed to providing the NHS the workforce it needs to meet ever increasing demand,” he said.
“We are achieving this through an increase in training places, encouraging young people to take up health professions and recruiting outside Wales, supported by our successful Train, Work, Live campaign.
“I am very pleased to increase training places once again for nurses, midwives and many other health professions that are the backbone of our health service.
“This record level of funding will support the highest ever number of training opportunities for health professionals in Wales. This expansion will help us address shortages in priority areas and meet workforce needs of the future, as set out in A Healthier Wales.”
Earlier this month, Mr Gething also announced the target for GP training places in Wales had been exceeded. The quota for GP training places increased from 136 to 160 this year and 186 places have been filled.
Dr David Bailey, chairman of the BMA Welsh Council, said: “We welcome the expansion of training places for healthcare professionals across Wales.
“We’re particularly pleased to see an increase in funding for the non-medical prescribing budget, alleviating some of the pressures our members are facing.
“BMA Cymru Wales has long warned of a drain of talented students and juniors from Wales to England due to a lack of appealing training places, and this extra funding will go towards making Wales a more attractive place to live and work for our best and brightest.”