Written question WQ95658
- Asked by
- Andrew RT DaviesConservative
- To be answered by
- Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care
- Tabled
- Due
- Answered
- Time to answer
- 6 days
Question
Is the Welsh Government considering any changes to the training of nurses in order to improve recruitment in the Welsh NHS?
Answer
Answered by Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care
The Welsh Government is committed to providing the NHS with the workforce it needs to meet demand now and in the future. We have increased training places; we are encouraging young people to take up a career in healthcare and recruiting outside Wales when necessary.
We invested £283.126m in 2023-24 – maintained in 2024-25 – to support education and training programmes for healthcare professionals in Wales. Nurse training places have increased by 8.9% in the last three years – from 2,202 in 2021 to 2,400 in 2024.
Student nurses and other healthcare professionals in Wales can benefit from the NHS Wales Bursary, which covers tuition fees and provides a grant and means tested bursary. Since academic year 2024-25, eligible full-time Welsh domiciled NHS Wales Bursary students can also access the full amount of maintenance loan from Student Finance Wales should they chose to, giving them access to greater financial support.
Welsh higher education institutions, in collaboration with Health Education Improvement Wales, offer part-time and flexible nursing degrees, as well as full-time, fully-funded distance learning courses for nursing. HEIW is working with HEIs to improve fill rates for nursing courses; has introduced initiatives to widen access and are running multi-platform marketing campaigns to enhance student attraction and improve the overall fill rates for nursing courses in Wales
The Student Streamlining Scheme is designed to help healthcare students, including nurses, transition smoothly into employment in NHS Wales. All vacancies are advertised on a single platform, and students can submit one application and select up to four preferred vacancies. For pre-registration nursing students, it ensures students receive appropriate pastoral support and professional guidance.
HEIW has developed its first Continuing Professional Development strategy to enhance the professional skills and knowledge of healthcare workers across Wales. CPD is crucial for fostering a skilled, knowledgeable, and motivated workforce, benefiting both healthcare professionals and patients.