Following the first budget of this new government, Ed Hughes, CEO of the Council of Deans of Health said:
“The additional funding for NHS England, and its consequentials for spending in the devolved nations, is a welcome first-step but considerable challenges remain for the longer-term. We hope there is scope from this investment to support the promotion of careers across healthcare to ensure the country gets the nurses, midwives and allied health professionals it needs.
Increasing the research budget of NIHR as well as protecting core R&D budgets is positive. The Council of Deans of Health asks that supporting research and researchers in nursing, midwifery and the allied health professions is prioritised, as these are under-resourced in terms of research funding opportunities but essential to delivering breakthroughs in patient care.
This budget also sets the scene for the longer-term, particularly Phase 2 of the Spending Review. The emphasis on taking a mission-led approach to the next phase of the Spending Review provides an opportunity to bring together the health and education sectors as well as addressing the specific challenges facing the sustainability of many higher education providers at the moment.
The government has said it will publish its 10-Year Health Plan for the NHS next year, this must support the ambitions of the Long-Term Workforce Plan and provide the investment in education capacity to deliver the highly skilled workforce needed for the future health system.
The cross-government mission to ‘fix the NHS’ must factor in the reality that the universities and colleges it relies upon to educate its future workforce are facing huge challenges that could undermine this key mission. Health and Education departments must work much more closely together to address this. The upcoming 10-Year Health Plan and the newly formed Skills England could play a big part in this.
With this in mind, we hope any future settlement for HE and FE will factor in the newly announced additional costs to employment. Our members already face major challenges in recruiting and retaining healthcare educators and researchers. They perform a vital public service but the increase in Employer National Insurance contributions will put further pressure on stretched budgets across the sector.
The budget statement recognised that a well-functioning NHS and education system are both critical to the economy. The Council of Deans of Health urges the government to seize this opportunity to set the NHS on a sure-footing by the end of this parliament through joined-up investments, and aligned incentives, enabling both sectors to work together effectively. Our members will be key partners in this task of renewal and change.”