Nurse and leadership training face ‘devastating’ cuts

Trusts are urging the government to exempt NHS-related roles from controversial plans to axe funding for higher-level apprenticeships.

The government announced plans in September to replace the existing scheme for funding apprenticeships with a “growth and skills levy”. The new levy is intended to support investment “in younger workers” and shorter schemes, which means national funding for “level 7” apprenticeships, the equivalent of a master’s degree, will be reduced.

Trusts typically use the level 7 apprenticeship levy to fund training for various advanced clinical roles, such as district nurses and advanced clinical practitioners.

The apprenticeships are also used by trusts to fund a range of leadership training programmes, such as the NHS Leadership Academy’s Elizabeth Garrett Anderson and Rosalind Franklin programmes.

In an open letter addressed to Wes Streeting, seen by HSJ, trust leaders said the proposed changes “risk devastating critical training pathways for NHS roles”.

The letter said employers would face “considerable financial barriers” if they had to cover the cost of the apprentice schemes, likely to lead to a “significant decline” in uptake. The proposals also threatened to “undermine” the NHS’s capacity to meet the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, it said.

It continued: “Without central support, the NHS cannot sustain these training pathways. The ripple effects will compromise workforce development, weaken healthcare provision, and exacerbate the already critical recruitment and retention challenges facing the NHS.”

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Source: HSJ, 3 February 2025