The Audit Commission and the National Audit Office today published the results of their comprehensive joint review of education and training for existing and trainee nurses, midwives and other healthcare staff. Getting the development of these staff right is fundamental to meeting patients’ needs, improving services, reducing risks and modernising the NHS.
Jump to downloadsThe reports make significant practical recommendations for improvement which the NHS is encouraged to address as a priority.
"Educating and training increased numbers of nursing, midwifery and other health professional students is a key way of overcoming the shortage of such staff in the NHS. The NHS and higher education institutions must continue working together to improve value for money, to ensure more students complete courses, to reduce the constraints on providing practical experience, and to invest in new capacity where needed. Healthcare professionals provide much of the service that patients need and expect, and a cost effective world class education and training system must be the foundation for delivering this."
Sir Andrew Foster, the Controller of the Audit Commission, said today:
"Healthcare staff are the lifeblood of the NHS. Developing their skills and abilities is vital both to the quality of patient care and the modernisation of the NHS. We need to actively manage and plan for the training of our nurses, therapists and other staff. Everyone, from front-line staff to trust board members, must show commitment to a culture which values and expects training and learning."
The Audit Commission’s Hidden Talents report focuses on the existing healthcare workforce and looks at how trusts can get the best value from their training and development activities. The National Audit Office’s report to Parliament, Educating and Training the Future Health Professional Workforce for England, reviews the effectiveness of arrangements between the NHS and higher education institutions for educating and training pre-registration health professional students.
The detailed findings of the two reports are set out in the attached annexes.
Sir John Bourn, the head of the National Audit Office
Downloads
- 0001277es.pdf (.pdf — 149 KB)
- 0001277.pdf (.pdf — 759 KB)
Publication details
- ISBN: 102840016 [Buy a hard copy of this report]
- HC: 277 2000-2001
