Crawley MP Henry Smith welcomes announcement of record recruitment and reform to boost patient care

Henry Smith MP has welcomed confirmation that record numbers of doctors, nurses, dentists and other healthcare staff will be trained in England as part of the first ever Long Term Workforce Plan published by the NHS – helping to deliver one of the Government’s key priorities to cut waiting lists.

Backed by £2.4 billion of funding over the next five years, the plan represents long-term investment to deliver the most radical modernisation and reform of the workforce since the NHS was founded in 1948.

Coming ahead of the NHS’s 75th anniversary, the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan sets out how the NHS will address existing vacancies and meet the challenges of a growing and ageing population by recruiting and retaining hundreds of thousands more staff over 15 years and working in new ways.

This once-in-a-generation opportunity to make long-term staffing sustainable and improve patient care, focusing on retaining existing talent and making the best use of new technology, automating some clinical decisions where it is safe to do so, alongside the biggest expansion of training places in health service history to address the gap.

Henry said: “As we mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of the NHS, the Long Term Workforce Plan will see investment to deliver modernisation and reform of the NHS workforce.

“It will have three main areas of focus: to train significantly more members of staff, to retain the existing NHS workforce by providing enhanced flexibility and career progression, and to reform the way the NHS works to enable an even greater focus on patient care.”

The Chief Executive of NHS England, Amanda Pritchard, commented;

“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.”

The 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.

“In the coming years we will train twice the number of doctors and an extra 24,000 more nurses a year, helping to cut waiting lists and improve patient care. And we will do more to retain our brilliant NHS staff and reform the way the health system works to ensure it is fit for the future.

“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 Secretary of State for Health & Social Care, Steve Barclay, commented;

“The NHS is the biggest employer in the country and holds the affection of the British people because of the staff who work around the clock to care for us. The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, backed by significant government investment, shows our determination to support and grow the workforce.

“It sets out how we will deliver the biggest expansion of staff training in NHS history, retain more talented people and harness cutting-edge technology.

“As we celebrate the NHS’ 75th birthday, we are marking the occasion with an unprecedented plan that will further boost our drive to cut waiting lists and ensure the service can continue caring for us for generations to come.”

The Chief Medical Officer for England, Professor Sir Chris Whitty, said: “Ensuring the future NHS workforce and public health system will be able to respond to the future shape of health needs is essential.

“The proposed reform of NHS training and staff retention will help train and retain NHS staff, assist clinicians to retain their generalist skills and create opportunities for more people to study and train in parts of the country that have historically struggled to recruit.”