Britain outlines new workforce plan for strained health service

Britain outlined a new workforce hiring plan for the state-run National Health Service (NHS) in England, an unprecedented attempt to get to grips with a staffing crisis following one of the service's toughest ever winters.

A beloved institution at the centre of Britain's post-war national identity, the NHS has endured a winter of crisis, and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made cutting patient waiting lists one of his five priorities for the year.

"This government is making the largest single expansion in NHS education and training in its history," Sunak said in a statement. "This is a plan for investment and a plan for reform."

The NHS currently has about 112,000 vacancies, a gap that could more than triple by 2037 without action, it said, outlining US$3 billion (about RM14 billion) of government investment over five years.

By 2031, the NHS aims to double medical school training places to 15,000, increase by 50% the number of doctor training places and nearly double the number of adult nurse training places.

After the Covid-19 pandemic where NHS staff were applauded for their work treating the sick, doctors and nurses have been striking over poor pay amid discontent over inadequate staffing that many say hinders their ability to do their jobs.

The workforce plan tries to address some of those problems after a winter crisis caused by backlogs in treatment following the Covid pandemic, staff absences, and delays in discharging patients, resulting in ambulances queuing outside hospitals.

Alongside other staff retention measures, the plan will help give the NHS an extra 60,000 doctors, 170,000 nurses and 71,000 allied health professionals by 2036/37, it said.

"This is a truly historic day for the NHS in England," NHS Chief Executive Amanda Pritchard said. "Our first-ever NHS Long Term Workforce Plan now gives us a once in a generation opportunity to put staffing on sustainable footing for the years to come."

Sunak has admitted that overall waiting lists for treatment will continue to rise into the second half of 2023, though he has said the number of people waiting over 18 months for treatment has fallen, and ambulance response times have also improved.