Jeremy Hunt to announce 14,500 nursing apprenticeship places by 2019

HEALTH Secretary Jeremy Hunt will announce 14,500 places for apprentices to become registered nurses by 2019 in his conference speech later in a bid to “jump start” recruitment.

The extra training places mean instead of going to university and taking out loans, nurses can "earn as they learn" on the job.

Nursing "associates" offer a new route for people put off by a full time degree getting their education covered by hospitals and qualifying over four to five years.

A two year apprenticeship gets beginners from porter to nursing associate while a further two years takes them to registered nurse.

Unveiling a package of reforms in Manchester he will also announce a record 5,000 more nursing degree places for next year.

They also include revamped flexible working arrangements, staff bank system and a scheme to give NHS workers first refusal on affordable homes built on surplus NHS land.

He is expected to say: “The NHS will be looking after a million more over 75's in just a decade, so we need to jump-start nurse training.

“This represents the biggest increase in nurse training places in the history of the NHS - and we will make sure that many of the additional places go to healthcare assistants training on hospital sites, allowing us to expand our nurse workforce with some highly experienced people already working on the NHS frontline.

“We will also improve retention rates among our current workforce with new flexible working arrangements to be made available to all NHS staff, and a new right of first refusal for affordable housing built on NHS property.

“Combined with the 25 per cent increase in medical school places announced last year, this will transform the ability of our NHS to cope with the pressures ahead.”