Training for nurses has to be
improved in order to ensure more students complete courses, according to
research.
Two reports from watchdog
organisations reveal that one in six students training to become nurses,
midwives and other healthcare professionals do not complete their courses and
20 per cent do not take up posts after they have qualified.
The findings are outlined in the
Audit Commission’s study Hidden Talents and the National Audit Office’s report
to Parliament, Educating and Training the Future Health Professional Workforce
for England.
Other shortcomings identified in
the reports are that one third of NHS staff have not agreed training needs with
their managers in the previous 12 months and that there are glaring
inconsistencies in how much is spent on training staff by different NHS trusts.
Sir John Bourn, head of the
National Audit Office, said, “Educating and training increased numbers of
nursing, midwifery and other health professional students is a key way of
overcoming the shortage of staff in the NHS.
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“The NHS and higher education
institutions must continue working together to improve value for money, to
ensure more students complete courses, to reduce the constraints on providing
practical experience and to invest in new capacity where needed.”
