HEE makes early announcement of £50 million workforce development money for the NHS

Health Education England (HEE) has confirmed today that it will commit £50m of its 2019-20 workforce development budget in advance to NHS employers to enable them to put in place more effective plans for the upskilling of current NHS staff.

The announcement was made this afternoon by HEE Director of Finance Calum Pallister speaking at the HFMA Annual Conference.

It underlines a commitment made by HEE to increase the percentage of its overall budget allocated to workforce development.

Employers will be free to determine how the funding is used within a broad menu of options and HEE will write to all eligible organisations in January 2019 with details of the scheme.

Workforce development money is invested in NHS staff to give them new or different skills or sometimes to refresh skills.

Today’s announcement will provide early notice and more certainty for the NHS and allow earlier planning for the best use of the money to develop staff.

Calum Pallister said: ‘Employers have been asking us for earlier confirmation of this money. We haven’t been able to commit in advance before in this way and that has not helped Trusts with their planning.

‘The early notice we are giving this year will provide greater certainty for the system, allowing employers time to plan properly how they are going to invest the money, making the best, most effective use of what we are providing to develop staff in priority areas that will bring most benefit to patients.’