The NHS doesn’t need more flashy targets about new nurses, it needs a proper plan

Nursing numbers were too low prior to the pandemic, Covid-19 simply amplified the scale of the problem. It is telling that the government thinks voters will view today’s statement as a credible solution, says Ian Hamilton

The government will provide £172m to train an additional 8,000 nurses through the apprenticeship scheme. (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

Today’s announcement by the health minister that the government will provide £172m to train an additional 8,000 nurses through the apprenticeship scheme is welcome. What it also highlights is how long it takes to plug staff shortages in the NHS. The 8,000 target is based on recruiting 2,000 people a year over the next four years, so these additional nurses will qualify anywhere between 2024 and 2028.

2024 is also the year that the Conservatives pledged to have 50,000 more nurses and this latest target falls far short of that ambition. So welcome as it is, it’s difficult to see how that promise will be met. Even the more traditional route of training nurses via a university degree takes three years. Although that shaves a year off the time taken to train an apprentice, some universities are already struggling financially.

Part of the reason we are short of nurses is the same reason we have limited capacity to train them. We have an ageing workforce of nurses and the lecturers that train new recruits. This demographic dip has been forecast for years so shouldn’t come as a surprise and certainly should have been planned for.