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<p>The Department recognises that staff vacancies are among the biggest drivers of
agency use in the National Health Service.</p><p> </p><p>The NHS Long Term Plan, published
on 7 January 2019, sets out a vital strategic framework to ensure that over the next
10 years the NHS will have the staff it needs so that the NHS workforce has the time
they need to care, working in a supportive culture that allows them to provide the
expert compassionate care they are committed to providing.</p><p> </p><p>My Rt. hon.
the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has commissioned Baroness Dido Harding,
Chair of NHS Improvement, working closely with Sir David Behan, Chair of Health Education
England, to oversee the delivery of a workforce implementation plan. This will include
proposals to grow the workforce, consideration of the additional staff and skills
required, building a supportive working culture in the NHS and ensuring first rate
leadership for NHS staff.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is already increasing nurse
training places by 25%, with 5,000 additional nurse training places available every
year from September 2018. Additionally, in 2018, up to 5,000 Nursing Associates commenced
training through the apprentice route and the Department has a commitment to train
up to a further 7,500 in 2019. The Government also made a commitment to have 5,000
additional doctors in general practice. The Department has started to roll out an
extra 1,500 medical school places for domestic students, with the first 630 places
taken up in September 2018. By 2020, five new medical schools will have opened to
help deliver the expansion.</p><p> </p><p>We are also working with NHS Improvement
to implement a number of measures to reduce agency expenditure with a particular focus
on building trust bank capability, so that vacant shifts can be, where possible, filled
by existing NHS staff. As a result of this work, total agency expenditure across NHS
trusts in England has fallen from a peak of £3.6 billion in 2015/16 to £2.4 billion
in 2017/18 – a £1.2 billion reduction. The Secretary of State has made it clear that
he wants to do more to drive down agency spend, and we are committed to embedding
a ‘bank first’ approach across the NHS.</p>
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