Flexible training for healthcare professionals switching discipline

The government will consider how to better recognise the skills and experience of existing healthcare professionals who want to train in a different area of healthcare.

With the UK leaving the European Union, the government says that newly designed courses could take into account existing qualifications, training and experience, making it easier and quicker for existing healthcare professionals such as physiotherapists or pharmacists to train as doctors.

The current training standards are set by the EU, meaning that healthcare professionals wishing to move into another area have to complete a set training course, regardless of any existing health background or qualifications. At present, this includes 5,500 hours of training and a minimum of 5 years to become a doctor.

The potential new system would help the government’s ongoing recruitment commitment, which includes a drive to deliver 50,000 more nurses and 6,000 more GPs by 2025.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “Without being bound by EU regulations, we can focus on ensuring our workforce has the necessary training which is best suited to them and their experience, without ever compromising on our high standards of care or on patient safety. The plans we are setting out today mean that we can retrain healthcare workers and get them back to the frontline faster. This is good for patients, and good for our NHS.

“Healthcare professionals across the NHS work tirelessly, day in, day out, to improve the lives of those around them and I welcome this chance to review any unnecessary barriers that can delay them from reaching their full potential in our NHS. This is an important step in our efforts to deliver on our commitments and boost the number of staff in our NHS – backed by record funding of £33.9 billion extra a year by 2023/24.”

Prerana Issar, Chief People Officer for the NHS, added: “As the NHS delivers on our Long Term Plan and continues to treat record numbers of patients, in addition to greater bed capacity and 50,000 more nurses, we need to do everything possible to keep our world-class staff in the NHS. Cutting unnecessary red tape, while keeping and strengthening essential safety standards, will enable our committed staff to retrain for other new and exciting roles, which is better for our patients and will mean we make the most of our staff’s invaluable skills and offer them rewarding and lifelong careers in the NHS.”