TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT
Places for trainee nurses in Lon- don have been cut from 2,000 to 1,580 a year. The NHS suggests this is to raise standards of teach- ing, by focusing on quality, not quantity.
The training shake-up comes af- ter damning reports indicating that some nurses lack ‘funda- mental attitudes to care’. David Cameron has ordered a review of nursing care and universities have been ordered to implement higher standards on nursing courses.
NHS London chief nurse Profes- sor Trish Morris-Thompson said: “Unfortunately, there are exam- ples where some nurses lack the fundamental attitudes to care. Whilst reassuringly this is the ex- ception and not the norm, it will not be tolerated and is concerning enough for us to have taken this action.
“Making these changes will im- prove the quality of nurses who
However, the Royal College of Nursing voiced concerns about the reduction in nurse training places. RCN chief executive Dr Peter Carter said: “The nursing workforce has grown in recent years, but only just enough to keep up with rising demands on healthcare.
“It is vital to avoid a return to the chronic
shortages of the early
1990s and the old boom-and-bust cycle of NHS workforce planning. NHS London needs to produce a robust plan guaranteeing contin- ued investment in nurse training and education.
move into the NHS. I firmly be- lieve this will significantly improve patient care, and that has to be a good thing.”
An NHS spokesman said: “This is not about making savings. We
are spending the same amount – £1.1bn – as we did last year on training doctors and nurses in London, but we are doing this in a different way to increase the num- ber of nurses where they’re most needed.”
“The vast majority of newly-qual- ified nurses are dedicated pro- fessionals, who are committed to providing the highest possible standards of patient care.
“Having the right numbers and mix of healthcare professionals is pivotal in enabling these nurses to provide this high-quality care.”
76 | national health executive Jan/Feb 12
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