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 don’t complete their
courses and 20 per cent don’t take up posts once 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.
Others
shortcomings identified in the reports are that one third of NHS staff have not
agreed training needs with their managers in the last 12 months and that there
are glaring inconsistencies in the amount spent on training staff by different
NHS trusts.
Sir
John Bourn, the 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 such staff in the NHS. 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.”
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