Rethink on decision to scrap BTEC urgently needed says NHS Employers

The NHS Confederation is calling on the Government to urgently reconsider its decision to scrap vocational BTEC courses in health and social care.

NHS Employers, part of the NHS Confederation, has written to (current) education secretary James Cleverly, warning that abandoning Business and Technology Education Council qualifications will put at risk an important health staffing pipeline that allows thousands of potential nursing and midwifery recruits to join degree courses each year. NHS Employers says that bringing these qualifications to an end will 'stymy' recruitment at a time when both the NHS and social care are plagued by chronic staff shortages.

Recent Government education policy changes plan to end the BTEC qualifications by 2024, with the vocational diplomas instead being replaced by new two-year, post GCSE T-Level courses.

NHS Employers is urging the Government to rethink its approach, warning that doing away with BTECs in health and social care will jeopardise the recruitment of a valuable cohort of future health and care staff due to a lack of suitable training pathways.

Danny Mortimer, chief executive of NHS Employers said:

“Abolishing these important BTEC courses in health and social care is an incredibly short-sighted decision by the Government.

“At a time when the NHS is already extremely short staffed and carrying 105,000 vacancies, depriving the health service of a pipeline of fresh nursing, midwifery and other healthcare recruits, is both reckless and ill-advised and could well leave the NHS, as well as our colleagues in social care, to grapple with trying to fill several thousand more vacancies every year in the years to come.

“At the very least, healthcare leaders would urge that the education secretary presses pause and undertakes an urgent impact assessment to better understand the consequences scrapping BTEC qualifications will have on the NHS and social care sector.”

Around 30,000 students are currently studying for health and social care related BTEC qualifications in England, of which approximately 14,700 are studying full time.