Commentary on Sections Part 3 - Health National Functions Section 98 – Ensuring sufficient skilled health care workers for the health service
603.This section places a duty on HEE to ensure that there is a sufficient number of healthcare workers with the skills and training to provide health services in England. For example, HEE will need to ensure that sufficient nurses are trained nationally to meet anticipated demand for future NHS service provision.
604.HEE has direct control over the investment in education and training for health professionals funded through the education and training budget. This budget totalled approximately £4.9 billion in 2013/14 and is invested in a wide range of undergraduate programmes, post registration and postgraduate training programmes and in NHS student support arrangements. Where necessary, HEE will work closely with other bodies to influence investment. For example, HEE will work with the Higher Education Funding Council for England, and universities across England who deliver healthcare related training programmes, to ensure that their funding is invested in the right areas and suitable training opportunities are available in the right places and in the right numbers.
605.Subsection (2) gives the Secretary of State the power to specify in regulations in relation to which healthcare workers the duty to ensure sufficient skilled workers should apply.