Worcester MP Robin Walker has welcomed the news that the Midlands will receive 958 new doctors and 1,457 new nurses as part of the Conservative Government’s NHS recruitment efforts, which means there are now a record number of doctors, nurses, and staff working in the NHS in England.
This comes in addition to the announcement in November 2020 of funding to deliver 50,000 more nurses and 50 million more GP appointments across the United Kingdom.
Robin attended the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust staff recognition awards on Friday evening and heard many stories of the hard work of our dedicated local nurses and doctors.
Robin recognises the importance that the NHS plays in the community and the vital contribution that a medical school in Worcester could make to both recruitment and retention, and he recently met with senior figures at the University of Worcester to discuss the proposed Three Counties Medical School. Robin has been busy in Westminster lobbying ministers including Hospitals Minister Will Quince as well NHS CEO Amanda Pritchard and National Medical Director Stephen Powis on the case for the medical school in Worcester. Robin believes that the Medical School has a strong case, wants to ensure it has funded places to start training local people to be doctors and he is doing everything can to advance this important matter.
Nationally, there are now almost 1.24 million full-time equivalent staff working in the NHS in England – an increase of over 34,000 compared to September 2021. As part of the recruitment drive, almost 4,000 doctors and over 9,300 nurses have been recruited in the last 12 months, meaning there are now over 34,000 doctors and almost 45,000 nurses working in our NHS.
Together, these doctors and nurses will help to ensure that patients get the care they deserve in our NHS – including by delivering extra scans and checks, cutting waiting times, and delivering vital services. The recruitment will mean better care for patients in the Midlands with a total of 2,415 new doctors and nurses for the region.
Since 2010, there are over 34,170 more doctors and over 44,820 more nurses working in the NHS. And for the fifth year running, the Government has hit its target for GP speciality trainee recruitment, with 4,000 new trainee doctors accepting GP training placements.
Robin said:
“The pandemic has resulted in a backlog of operations and procedures – but we must ensure that patients get the care they need.
“Therefore, I am delighted those 958 new doctors and 1,457 new nurses have been recruited in the Midlands as part of a recruitment drive that has seen more doctors and nurses working in the NHS than ever before. This included record numbers of nurses and midwives trained in Worcester last year and will hopefully soon include locally trained doctors.
“This recruitment means we are well on our way to recruiting 50,000 more nurses by 2024 – delivering on our promise to the British people.”
Commenting, Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay said:
“Supporting the workforce is one of my immediate priorities and we are making significant progress in training and recruiting a record number of nurses, doctors and healthcare professionals. There are almost 4,000 more doctors and over 9,000 more nurses in the NHS than last year.
“I want to thank all our brilliant NHS staff who work tirelessly to look after us and our loved ones and continue to inspire future generations to join this rewarding career.
“We’re building a stronger, healthier NHS for the long-term to give people the security of knowing that it will be there for them when they need it.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors
For more information on Robin’s previous statements on the Three Counties Medical School, please see:
https://www.walker4worcester.com/news/university-worcester-train-new-doctors-september-year
https://www.walker4worcester.com/news/approval-worcester-medical-school
- There are almost 1.24 million full-time equivalent staff working in NHS trusts and commissioning bodies in England. This is a rise of 34,000 – or nearly 3 per cent – on September 2021 (DHSC, Press release, 24 November 2022).
- Compared to September 2021, there are almost 4,000 more doctors and over 9,300 more nurses working in the NHS (DHSC, Press release, 24 November 2022).
- Since 2010, there are now over 34,170 more doctors and over 44,820 more nurses working in the NHS (DHSC, Press release, 24 November 2022).
- For the fifth year running, the Government has hit its target for GP speciality trainee recruitment, with 4,000 new trainee doctors accepting GP training placements (DHSC, Press release, 24 November 2022).
- Midlands will receive new doctors and nurses as part of the Conservative Government’s recruitment efforts (NHS Digital, NHS Workforce Statistics, 24 November 2022.