INVESTMENT of more than £5m has been announced to secure the health service in Northern Ireland.
Health Minister Mike Nesbitt has confirmed a two-year funding package which is designed to expand student training places across the region.
“Our health and social care workforce are our greatest asset,” he said.
“Without their skill and dedication, there is no service,” he added.
“This plan is about stabilising the foundations of our system by investing in the people who will deliver care now and into the future.”
In 2025 Northern Ireland’s department of health will commission 505 allied health professional (AHPs) pre-registration training places alongside 165 nursing and midwifery places and 330 social work places, the Minister has confirmed
This expansion is part of an annual £160m investment in workforce commissioning across all professions.
The total cost of the expanded workforce commissioning package is £2.12m in 2025/26 and £3m in 2026/27, which the department has confirmed will be “met within existing budget baselines”.
“Despite the very real financial pressures we face, I have made it a priority to fund the expansion of our training pipeline over 2025/26 building upon the foundation of the sustained levels of investment over recent years which has delivered growth in the overall Health and Social Care Workforce of over 7000 whole time equivalents in the last 5 years – a 11.2% increase over the period,” Minister Nesbitt said.
“This will not only help us meet rising demand but support the transformation of services particularly in primary and community care where AHPs play a vital and growing role.”