Vaughan Gething, Minister for Health and Social Services
This was published under the 2016 to 2021 administration of the Welsh Government
The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted our continued requirement for increased numbers of essential health professionals. That is why, for the seventh consecutive year, funding to support health professional education and training in Wales will increase. £227.901m will be invested in 2021/22, this equates to an 8.3% increase from 20/21 which is an extra £9.124m for education and training programmes for healthcare professionals in Wales; £2.315m extra for medical training places, an extra £5.312m to support core GP training numbers and a net increase of £0.762m for pharmacy training across Wales.
This is a record level of funding and will support the highest ever number of training opportunities in Wales.
I am proud of this government’s record on investing in education and training to support and sustain the health workforce across Wales. The NHS has more people working in it than at any time in its history, all aimed at prevention and care for members of society across every community in Wales, the importance of our health and care services have never been more apparent than over the last nine months.
A well trained NHS workforce with the right skills is essential to providing a sustainable high quality care to people across Wales and improving standards in our health service. Despite the challenges we face today, especially this year with the pandemic, we have continued to invest in the education and training of healthcare professionals in Wales.
Over the past five years nurse training places have increased by 72% and midwives have increased by 97%. Tables showing the increase in health professional and medical training places for 2021/22 can be found at Annexe A.
The Welsh Government is committed to providing the NHS with the workforce it needs and to ensuring a sustainable health and social care system, as set out in A Healthier Wales. These additional training places will increase the capacity of the workforce to help the NHS respond to the challenges facing it now and in the future.
Annexe A
NHS Wales Education Commissioning and Training Plan for 2021/22
The following tables show the increase in health professional and medical training places for 2021/22.
Health professional staff
|
Specialty |
From |
To |
% Increase |
|
Adult Nursing |
1,400 |
1,540 |
10% |
|
Mental Health Nursing |
356 |
410 |
15% |
|
Child Nursing |
159 |
175 |
10% |
|
Midwifery |
161 |
185 |
15% |
|
Radiotherapy & Oncology |
22 |
26 |
18% |
|
Dietetics |
52 |
60 |
15% |
|
Physiotherapy |
164 |
174 |
6% |
|
Occupational Therapy |
163 |
179 |
10% |
|
Podiatry |
24 |
27 |
12% |
|
Paramedics |
52 |
75 |
44% |
|
Doctorate in Clinical Psychology places |
29 |
32 |
10% |
|
Healthcare Science: Scientific Training programme |
32 |
37 |
17% |
|
Higher Specialist Scientific Training Programme |
5 |
8 |
60% |
|
Healthcare Science: PTP / BMS |
24 |
25 |
4% |
Medical Workforce Planning Recommendations
|
General Practice |
Continue to advertise 160 with option to over recruit should there be sufficient suitable applicants. |
|
Emergency Medicine
|
5 new Higher Training posts (ST3) and 2 Core Training posts on the Acute Care Common Stem Programme. |
|
Anaesthetics |
3 new Higher Training posts. |
|
Intensive Care Medicine |
4 new Higher Training posts highlighted as a requirement through the Coronavirus pandemic. |
|
Plastic Surgery |
2 new Higher Training posts to support the Major Trauma Centre. |
|
General Surgery |
4 new Higher Training posts to support the workforce model for the Major Trauma Centre and increased demand to support cancer treatments. |
|
Urology |
4 new Higher Training posts to support the Cancer agenda. |
|
Paediatrics |
6 new posts which includes 2 Higher Training fellowships. |
|
Obstetrics & Gynaecology |
2 new posts in response to ‘Maternity Care in Wales, a 5 year vision for the future’. |
|
Internal Medicine |
15 new Core Training posts. |
|
Acute Medicine |
4 new Higher Training posts. |
|
Respiratory Medicine |
2 new Higher Training posts The coronavirus pandemic has demonstrated the need for an increase in respiratory physicians. |
|
Gastroenterology |
2 new Higher Training posts to the single cancer pathway work. |
|
Medical Oncology
|
3 new Higher Training posts per year for 5 years to support the cancer agenda. |
|
Clinical Oncology |
4 new Higher Training Posts per year for 5 years to support the cancer agenda. |
|
Medical Microbiology / Combined Infection Training |
Continue the recommendation from last year’s plan of 3 new posts for 5 years. |
|
Clinical Radiology |
To maintain an intake of 20 trainees per annum. |