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<p>Appropriate staffing levels are an important element of the Care Quality Commission’s
registration regime. It is the responsibility of individual National Health Service
health and care employers to have staffing arrangements in place that deliver safe
and effective care. This includes recruiting the staff needed to support these levels
and meet local needs.</p><p> </p><p>As part of the NHS People Plan, NHS Improvement
and Health Education England are considering how best to support the NHS in ensuring
it has access to the staff it needs across England. This has focused on areas such
as retaining nurses already employed; supporting their existing nursing workforce
in areas such as flexible working; investing in nursing staff’s Continuous Professional
Development; and increasing undergraduate supply through attracting more students
to study nursing.</p><p> </p><p>NHS England and NHS Improvement working with Health
Education England are also delivering a major communication campaign ‘We are the NHS’.
The campaign aims to reduce vacancy rates across the NHS, with a focus on the nursing
profession. There has been a strong focus on recruitment to courses starting in September
2019. From September 2019, a further campaign has been launched to encourage the Universities
and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) applications to the 15 January deadline for
nursing courses starting in September 2020.</p><p> </p><p>UCAS reported that applicants
to study nursing have increased by 4% compared to the same period last year.</p><p>
</p><p>Our ongoing 25% expansion of medical school places in England will see 7,500
new doctors available annually by 2020/21. This expansion has delivered five brand
new medical schools in Sunderland, Lancashire, Chelmsford, Lincoln and Canterbury.
The upcoming NHS People Plan will examine options for growing the medical workforce
further. This includes the possibility of further medical school expansion, as well
as increasing part-time study and expanding the number of accelerated degree programmes.</p><p>
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