Training for the NHS workforce

The Department of Health and the Department for Education and Skills today
announced arrangements for the management of NHS training budgets by Strategic
Health Authorities in England in 2007/8. Funding of £4.3 billion has been
allocated for the training and development of the NHS workforce. This
represents an increase of 3.6% over 2006/7 (excluding student grants).

A new service level agreement has been put in place between the Department of
Health and the SHAs, setting out the priorities for investment of training
funding. SHAs and Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) will be expected to
work in partnership to ensure investment is effectively planned and based
on long term workforce need.

Health Minister Lord Hunt said:

"This agreement represents a significant commitment to the training of our
next generation of healthcare professionals. It is important that the NHS
has the freedom to manage training so that workforce development reflects the
healthcare needs of the local population. However we expect this agreement to
put training plans on a much firmer footing so that the investment we have
made will enable Strategic Health Authorities and their local universities
to work together to produce a well-trained NHS workforce that can deliver
improved patient care.

"We now have an agreement which links funding of training much more
closely to workforce planning needs and gives greater long term security to
universities. We expect future changes in training commissions to be based
on an assessment of services required by patients and that SHAs will work
in partnership with their local universities to achieve this.

Bill Rammell, Minister for Further and Higher Education said:

"This agreement underlines the importance of close partnership working between
the NHS and HEIs. We know that some HEIs may still be feeling the effects of
the savings which had to be made last year. We will expect SHAs to consider
the impact of their decisions on the financial viability of HEIs, and to
work towards implementing the agreed benchmark prices for their contracts
with HEIs. In the longer term the service level agreement will lead to a
more stable funding position for HEIs.

"I believe we now have an agreement where SHAs and Higher Education
Institutions can work together to plan and provide high quality healthcare
education for the NHS of the future.