Written question WQ95901
- Asked by
- Rhys ab OwenIndependent
- To be answered by
- Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care
- Tabled
- Due
- Answered
- Time to answer
- 4 days
Question
Will the Welsh Government review the number of places on all nursing undergraduate courses and bring them in line with the recommendations of Health Boards and Health Education Improvement Wales in light of the cuts made in 2024 by the Welsh Government for the first time in 10 years?
Answer
Answered by Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care
In 2024, the Welsh Government’s investment in the training of healthcare professionals enabled us, for the first time, to increase the number of places available for healthcare professional education and training in Wales, compared to the number of places filled.
In 2023-24, the number of nursing training places available was 2,400. The total number of nursing training places filled in 2022-23 was 2,362.
On 5 February 2025, I announced an investment of £294.22m for the education and training of healthcare professions for the academic year 2025-26. This investment will ensure the commissioning numbers agreed in 2024-25 are maintained.
Over the last four years, nursing training places have increased by 8.9% between 2021 and 2025.
The Welsh Government is committed to providing the NHS with the workforce it needs to meet ever increasing demand. We are achieving this through maintaining training places, encouraging young people to take up health professions, and recruiting outside Wales when necessary.
I am very 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, focussing on prevention and care for members of society across every community in Wales.