Rob Butler MP has welcomed the news that record numbers of doctors, nurses, dentists and other healthcare staff will be trained in England as part of the first ever Long-Term Workforce Plan published by the NHS.
Backed by £2.4 billion of funding over the next five years, the plan represents long-term investment to deliver the most radical modernisation and reform of the workforce since the NHS was founded in 1948.
Coming ahead of the NHS’s 75th anniversary, the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan sets out how the NHS will address existing vacancies and meet the challenges of a growing and ageing population by recruiting and retaining hundreds of thousands more staff over 15 years and working in new ways.
Rob Butler, MP for Aylesbury, said: "This new workforce plan will bring huge benefits locally, helping to tackle the issue of
long waiting times to see doctors. I know how highly local people value the work of NHS staff in and around Aylesbury; this plan is a vital step in the modernisation of the health service workforce that will help ensure the NHS is fit for purpose for decades to come."
Amanda Pritchard, NHS chief executive, said: “This is a truly historic day for the NHS in England - for 75 years, the extraordinary dedication, skill and compassion of NHS staff has been the backbone of the health service – and the publication of our first-ever NHS Long Term Workforce Plan now gives us a once in a generation opportunity to put staffing on sustainable footing for the years to come.
“As we look to adapt to new and rising demand for health services globally, this long-term blueprint is the first step in a major and much-needed expansion of our workforce to ensure we have the staff we need to deliver for patients.
“We will take practical and sustained action to retain existing talent, we will recruit and train hundreds of thousands more people and continue to accelerate the adoption of the latest technology to give our amazing workforce the very best tools to provide high-quality care to millions of people across the country each day."