§ Mr. SternTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what action is being taken to expand post registration training opportunities for nurses in high technology care.
§ Mr. MellorTo assist health authorities to expand their post-registration training opportunities for nurses in high technology care we created a central fund of £3 million and invited authorities to submit bids against this fund. Allocations have now been made as follows:
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Regional health authority £ Northern 202,000 Yorkshire 190,000 Trent 242,000
Regional health authority £ East Anglia 123,000 North West Thames 162,000 North East Thames 238,000 South East Thames 265,000 South West Thames 200,000 Wessex 152,000 Oxford 128,000 South Western 163,000 West Midlands 353,000 Mersey 150,000 North Western 202,000 London Post Graduate SHA's 142,000 Total 2,902,000 We have also allocated £100,000 to the English national board to fund five additional nurse tutor posts.
The purpose of the additional funds is to provide start-up costs, additional tutors and some student salaries for courses in high-technology care. Detailed decisions on allocations will be for regional health authorities, but we shall be asking them to expand student numbers in courses which are already running, to start extra courses and develop new types of courses in critical care nursing.
We are separately providing £400,000 to the English national board to undertake a review of all post-registration nurse education and training.