£27m funding for Scottish NHS recruitment

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced £27 million worth of funding to support a number of new initiatives aimed at improving recruitment and retention in the Scottish NHS.

Over £23 million will be invested to increase the number of medical school places, with a focus on widening access to medical schools. This will include a new entry level programme for people from disadvantaged backgrounds, as well as a graduate entry programme to support students who work in the Scottish NHS after they qualify.

The Scottish government will also look to train an additional 500 advanced nurse practitioners with the help of £3 million worth of funding, as well as the launch of a discretionary fund of at least £1 million for nursing and midwifery students experiencing financial hardship to provide a ‘safety net’ that will help them continue their studies. In addition to this, Sturgeon also confirmed the retention of nursing and midwifery bursaries alongside free tuition fees.

Surgeon said: “We need to make sure that we are training the right numbers of professionals - in and across different specialties - with the skills they need for the health service of the future.

“That’s why this additional funding of £27 million is so crucial in ensuring the NHS in Scotland remains robust, resilient and ready for the challenges of the 21st Century.

“We’ve already invested heavily in the health and care workforce in the last 9 years. For example the NHS Scotland workforce has increased by more than 10,000 since 2007. But we need to build on that success.”

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This story was first published in digitalhealth.net

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