350 extra Medical School places allocated in major boost for NHS training

THE Government has allocated an additional 350 Medical School places, to deliver the future workforce the NHS requires. In 2023, the NHS set out its Long Term Workforce Plan, backed by more than £2.4 billion in Government funding. It outlines how the NHS will recruit and retain hundreds of thousands more staff over the next 15 years; delivering the biggest training expansion in the health service's history.

1 of the key commitments is doubling the number of Medical School places in England to 15,000 by 2031, and levelling up the geographic training of places to help tackle unequal access to services.

In the next step to deliver this commitment, the Office for Students (OfS) has now allocated 350 places in the academic year 2025/26 to Medical Schools across the country.

Health and Social Care Secretary Victoria Atkins said:- "Thanks to the Government's plan for a faster, simpler and fairer healthcare system, the NHS now has record funding, and a record number of doctors. I want to make sure that we will have the medical professionals we will need in the years ahead. That's why we are delivering the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, and doubling the number of Medical School places, so we can train the next generation of world-class doctors to offer patients the highest-quality care."

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said:- "Our frontline health workers do tremendous work in serving the nation every single day and ensuring all of us receive the care we need. I know what a popular career medicine is among young people, and it's so important they have the chance to pursue their ambitions. With this expansion of places; alongside our new doctor degree apprenticeship - the opportunities for a career in medicine are greater than ever."

Amanda Pritchard, Chief Executive of NHS England said:- "This is a hugely important moment for the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan and marks 1 of the first steps towards our ambition to train more doctors in England than ever before; the record expansion will help us boost care for patients right across the country. The ambitious blueprint for our workforce, is a once in a generation opportunity to put NHS staffing on a sustainable footing, particularly as we continue to adapt to new and rising demand for health services."

Dr Katie Petty-Saphon, CEO, Medical Schools Council said:- "The Medical Schools Council welcomes the announcement of 350 additional student places from 2025. Medical Schools are committed to widening participation to the profession and particularly important is the need for local recruitment in under-doctored areas. We will continue to work with stakeholders to ensure that the NHS has the staff it needs to deliver high quality patient care."

Places have been provided across the country, but the OfS has used analysis of geographical distribution provided by NHSE to target under-doctored areas in its allocation of the places.

This includes substantial increases to Medical Schools at Universities in:- Sunderland, Leeds, East Anglia, Anglia Ruskin, Plymouth and Surrey. The University of Surrey is also receiving Government-funded places for the first time.

This is the 2nd year of expansions to deliver the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan. Delivery started a year early, allocating 205 additional Medical School places for the 2024/25 academic year, including:- providing Government-funded places to 3 Schools for the 1st time.

This builds on the 25% expansion of Medical School places in England that the Government completed in 2020, taking the total number of places to 7,500 per year and delivering 5 new Medical Schools.

A combination of the additional medical places this year and next, along with medical apprenticeship places, puts us on track to exceed current plans.

Through the allocation of places for 2026/27 and beyond, the Government and NHS England will work closely with partners including Medical Schools, NHS trusts and the General Medical Council to deliver ambitious reforms to medical education set out in the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan.

'Trailblazing' Councils Save Millions Working With Government Counter Fraud Squad

MINISTER Neville Rolfe has convened counter fraud experts representing 14 Local Authorities across the country to share best practice in the fight on fraud. It comes as data reveals the Local Authorities represented at the meeting saved taxpayers over £4m across the most recent reporting year:- 2022-23, through their work with the Public Sector Fraud Authority's National Fraud Initiative.

The National Fraud Initiative is a large scale counter fraud data matching service run by the Public Sector Fraud Authority, which compares data provided by public bodies, including some Local Authorities, to identify anomalies that may indicate fraud has been committed.

Local Authorities represented at the meeting include:- Hertfordshire, West Northamptonshire, and the City of London. They were invited in recognition of their significant work with the National Fraud Initiative.

The most notable areas of savings delivered were in relation to fraud prevented by removing ineligible individuals from social housing waiting lists and pension fraud where individuals have been obtaining the pensions payments of deceased persons.

The counter fraud experts also discussed further achievements, including:- the Shared Anti Fraud Service (SAFS) hosted by Hertfordshire County Council, who worked with the NFI to bring together data from 8 Councils across Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire using the NFI FraudHub service, to identify fraud or loss that could then be recovered.

Minister Neville Rolfe said there was more work to be done, and encouraged attendees to find even more ways to cooperate to identify criminals stealing taxpayer money.

The Minister also announced the expansion of the membership of the PSFA led Community of Practice as now open to all Local Authorities. The Community of Practice is a knowledge and advice sharing forum for counter fraud experts across central, and now, local Government, enabling greater collaboration and collective action in the fight against public sector fraud.

Minister Neville Rolfe, DBE CMG, said:- "It is essential that public sector organisations continue to work together to keep taxpayer money safe. Today's meeting allowed me to thank trailblazing local authorities setting the standard in fraud prevention and recovery. We need to share this best practice across local Government and deter and target criminals seeking to steal from the public purse."

Mark Cheeseman, OBE, said:- "Local Authorities are on the front line of the public sector's fight against fraud. But all too often, fraud remains a hidden crime. That's why the National Fraud Initiative is so important. It helps it helps a wide range of public bodies to proactively use their data to find and prevent fraud"

Councillor Bob Deering, Executive Member for Resources and Performance, Hertfordshire County Council said:- "Our Shared Anti Fraud Service works day in and day out across the county to ensure that public funds are not misused. Their stellar work with partners from across the public sector just last year resulted in millions of pounds being saved. I'm really pleased to see Councils working together with Government to identify areas where safeguards can be strengthened and where best practice and knowledge can be shared. Only by working together across the public sector and with residents and business can we bear down on those who seek to abuse taxpayers and the public's money."