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£95 million boost to nurse and other healthcare training places in Wales

Up to 3,000 students will benefit from a £95 million investment in healthcare training
student on clinical placement

News of £95 million worth investment in nursing and students in the other health professions in Wales will boost morale among front-line staff, RCN Wales claims.


New funding will pay for more nurse training in Wales  Photo: John Houlihan

Up to 3,000 new training places for students in nursing, medicine and other healthcare disciplines will be funded by the money.

Welsh health secretary Vaughan Gething, who announced the package, said the money would fund a 13% increase in nurse training places, following on from a 22% increase in 2015-16 and 10% increase for 2016-17. It will also provide an additional £500,000 to support community healthcare, including a boost to practice and district nurse numbers.

Overdue investment

RCN Wales associate director of employment relations Peter Meredith-Smith said: ‘We have argued for years that investment in community staffing infrastructure in Wales has not kept pace with changing models of care across the country.

‘Clearly it will take a few years for the full effects of this investment to fully bear fruit, with a time-lag between the money flowing into the system and nurses completing their education. However, the impact on the morale of frontline staff should not be underestimated.’

Mr Gething said: ‘This investment will ensure our healthcare professionals are able to provide high-quality care now and in the future and that patients will be able to receive care closer to home.’

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