CPD budgets: nurses to get personalised professional development funds

But Treasury ‘misses opportunity to invest in preregistration education’

Every nurse providing NHS services in England has been promised a £1,000 continued professional development (CPD) fund, spread over three years.

The Treasury has set aside £150 million for the first tranche of funding in 2020/2021, a jump up from £84 million this year.

Calls for investment in preregistration nurse education

However, the RCN and the Council of Deans of Health believe the government needs to go much further. Both want ministers to promise investment in preregistration education. And the RCN was disappointed the CPD funding announcement will not help nurses practising outside NHS services.

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College general secretary Dame Donna Kinnair said: ‘This [CPD funding] will help to ensure every individual nurse can access the training they need – though it needs to be extended to all nursing staff.’ 

Maintenance grants for nursing students

Council of Deans of Health chair Brian Webster-Henderson said the chancellor had 'missed an opportunity'. 

He added: ‘The council will continue to call for the introduction of a maintenance grant for healthcare students and consideration of loan forgiveness in return for service.’ 

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The government also announced there will be new funding of £1.5 billion for social care in 2020/2021. The figure was dismissed as 'not even a sticking plaster given the scale of the funding gap’, by public service think tank Reform.

Chancellor Sajid Javid said his spending commitments were providing a 'solid foundation to protect the stability of the system next year’.

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HM Treasury: Spending Round 2019

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