Apprentices key to NHS staff shortfall - minister

MP for Pendle Andrew Stephenson met NHS staff at Addenbrooke's Hospital on Tuesday

A health minister has told hospital staff he wants to "dramatically expand" the number of apprentices joining the NHS.

Conservative MP Andrew Stephenson visited Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge on Tuesday to mark National Apprenticeship Week.

NHS England, the country's biggest employer of apprentices, wants to triple the number it trains by 2030.

It said it would help to reduce the high number of staff vacancies, which last year stood at 112,000.

"Historically the NHS hasn't had many people joining the service via the apprenticeship route but we are really keen to expand the number of people taking an apprenticeship and starting their career," Mr Stephenson said.

"We were fascinated today to talk to the apprentices here to find out how they found out about the apprenticeships on offer. It shows there's clearly a lot more work to be done."

Hussain Ahmed started a four-year degree apprenticeship in audiology last year

Eighteen-year-old Hussain Ahmed from Leicester started a four-year degree apprenticeship in audiology at Addenbrooke's Hospital last year.

He said his experiences had so far been positive.

"Cambridge has got a reputation as being quite an expensive and pricey city but being paid for working in the department does have its perks.

"A lot of my other friends are at university and they're going to finish with a £40,000 debt, but with me, I'll be debt-free."

The NHS in Cambridge said it would need to recruit a lot more staff in the coming years to prepare for the new Cambridge Children's Hospital and Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital.

Andrew Stephenson was shown where the new Cambridge Children's Hospital would be built

Rob Heuschkel, the clinical director for Cambridge Children's Hospital, said they were already looking at ways to recruit staff.

"We've started planning already if we want to be open by the end of 2028," he said.

"We've already started talking to staff to build our workforce plan and each of our recruitment events now involves the attractive prospect of working in a children's hospital."