Increase in health education and training budget for 2019/20
Responding to the Welsh government’s announcement that £114m will be invested in 2019/20 to support a range of education and training programmes for healthcare professionals in Wales, the RCP’s regional adviser for south east Wales, Dr Vivek Goel said:
‘Today’s announcement is a welcome boost to the medical profession and our colleagues working across healthcare. It’s reassuring to see that the health secretary has recognised the importance of investing in the NHS workforce, ensuring that all staff are able to access excellent training and support to improve their skills.
‘Now we need to make sure that this funding goes towards helping doctors and their colleagues change the way they work. We need to break down barriers between hospitals and our local communities, and work more closely with our colleagues in social care. Many hospitals in Wales are under increasing pressure, with too many rota gaps and not enough doctors – in my experience, the system is often disjointed and under resourced. In our last census, the RCP found that almost three quarters of senior trainees in Wales say there are ‘frequent’ or ‘often’ rota gaps when they are on acute duty – it is clear that many junior doctors in Wales still feel overworked and understaffed. (1) This is why we support the Welsh government’s public commitment to an increase in medical school numbers and I’m delighted today to see this new commitment to funding excellent health education in Wales.’
(1) Focus on Physicians 2017-18 is the Royal College of Physicians, Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow’s most recent census on the consultant physician and higher specialty trainee workforce in the UK. This year’s census revealed ongoing problems with rota gaps, unfilled posts and high levels of reported sickness absence. More information is available on our website.
(2) The Royal College of Physicians plays a leading role in the delivery of high quality patient care by setting standards of medical practice and promoting clinical excellence. We provide physicians in Wales and across the world with education, training and support throughout their careers. As an independent body representing more than 35,000 fellows and members worldwide, including 1,300 in Wales, we advise and work with government, the public, patients and other professions to improve health and healthcare
