New research from the Labour party, undertaken by the House of Commons Library, has revealed that the NHS workforce training budget has plummeted by 4.7% over the past five years.
Health Education England, which manages the NHS's workforce and training budget has consequently been forced to reduce its expenditure by 7.6% in real terms between 2013/14 and 2017/18.
Labour says its analysis also exposes the government's "blasé" approach to what it calls the "workforce crisis." Health Education England's funding as a percentage of the overall Department of Health budget has fallen year-on-year since 2013/14 to just 3.9% in 2017/18.
"Further cuts are imminent, with day-to-day spending on the wider health budget set to fall by £1 billion in real terms next year. According to the Health Foundation, this includes cuts to the workforce training budget," says Labour. Shadow Health Secretary, Jonathan Ashworth has demanded cuts to NHS training budgets be reversed in the forthcoming long term plan, to ensure the NHS has the staff it needs.
In the November/December issue of HEFMA Pulse, Jane Renton takes a detailed look at the workforce shortages facing estates and facilities now and into the future and discovers some alarming trends. (Click here to read the full article). As we await the publication of NHS Improvement's Workforce Strategy, HEFMA continues work on its Coaching and Mentoring Register and the Career Route Map. See the Coaching & Mentoring section of this website for more information.
