The National Health Service in England will get more than 300,000 staff under a new plan announced by the government on Friday to deal with a chronic shortage of doctors and nurses.
The publicly-funded NHS, which marks its 75th birthday on Wednesday, is facing an estimated workforce shortfall of 360,000 by 2037 due to an ageing population, a lack of domestically trained health workers and difficulties retaining existing staff.
The government’s long-term workforce plan would include reducing the time doctors spend in medical school and training more homegrown staff.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “On the 75th anniversary of our health service, this government is making the largest single expansion in NHS education and training in its history.
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In the coming years we will train twice the number of doctors and an extra 24,000 more nurses a year, helping to cut waiting lists and improve patient care.
“We will do more to retain our brilliant NHS staff and reform the way the health system works to ensure it is fit for the future,” he added.
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NHS England currently has 112,000 vacancies as it struggles to fill the large number of workers leaving the service.
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