The Chancellor, Sajid Javid, will announce a new multi-million pound package of support to train and retain the nurses the NHS needs as part of the Spending Round today (September 4).
The £210 million funding boost in financial year 2020/21 is part of the Spending Round, which will set departments’ budgets for the next financial year. It will include funding for a £1,000 personal development budget for every nurse, midwife and allied health professional to support their personal learning and development needs over three years. Wider education and training budgets will also get a funding boost to support delivery of the NHS Long Term Plan.
Access to additional training is regularly cited as an issue affecting morale and retention for non-medical staff, especially nurses. This initiative is part of a wider drive to improve recruitment, retention and staff morale through the development of the first ever NHS People Plan, led by NHS Improvement Chair Baroness Dido Harding and NHS Chief People Officer Prerana Issar.
In addition to the personal development budgets provided centrally by government for this year, employers will also be expected to provide additional funding locally to invest in their staff.
There is no specific mention of training funding provision for estates and facilities professionals. However, Matt Hancock has asked Baroness Dido Harding and Health Education England Chair Sir David Behan to work with stakeholders to develop a training and development framework for healthcare assistants and other unregulated staff to ensure they are also able to benefit from effective training and development to progress their career within the NHS.
