Health Secretary Humza Yousaf MSP has officially launched the new NHS Scotland Academy, backed by £9 million of investment over the next three years to accelerate training and build the country’s health workforce.
With additional capacity for training and education, the NHS Scotland Academy will provide accelerated training programmes as well as responding to evolving and emerging workforce needs. It will also address recruitment gaps and offer solutions to existing training needs, to ensure Scotland’s health and social care workforce is fully prepared for the challenges of the ever-changing needs of patients across the country.
There will be a mix of residential, distance and virtual reality learning, with a range of training programmes linked to recruitment, career progression and redesign of roles.
Kenneth Gibson MSP said:
“The NHS Scotland Academy is part of the SNP Government’s wider £1 billion commitment to health through the NHS Recovery Plan which will increase capacity, deliver reforms, and get everyone the treatment they need as quickly as is possible.
“The Academy will also play a vital role in supporting National Treatment Centres, including the one that is being set up in Ayrshire, to ensure NHS Scotland can meet the needs of Scotland’s ageing population through our overall commitment to recruit at least 1,500 additional staff.
“This will also broaden opportunities for young people – in support of our Young Person’s Guarantee, alongside those who may be seeking a career change. This will enable them to receive on-the-job clinical training and a route to future career progression.”
The Academy has already started providing vital support and training to meet high demand health programmes. This includes a pilot perioperative nurse training programme which qualifies graduates to work in a theatre environment in just six months – when previously it would take a year.
Community pharmacists are being trained to support primary care services, by issuing prescriptions for specific conditions without the need for patients to see a GP.
For more information, including details of existing courses and access routes, please visit www.NHSScotlandAcademy.co.uk and follow on Twitter @NHSScotAcademy.
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