As a result of the £4.5 million investment in the primary care workforce plan, will the Minister share any details from its evaluation, specifically in relation to the number of NHS employees who benefitted from professional development and training and those who took part in return-to-nursing courses?
The Primary Care Workforce Plan was supported by £4.5m funding for health boards to further develop the workforce. This included extending the range of professions practicing in primary care, including at cluster level, and upskilling members of the existing primary care workforce. The funding was merged with the main allocation to health boards from 2016/17 onwards.
Health boards continue to use their allocations from the national primary care fund, as well as their core funding, in a range of ways to develop the capacity and capability of the multi professional primary care team. Examples include upskilling primary care staff and a professional development nurse for district nursing in Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board. In Cwm Taf University Health Board, the development of primary care healthcare support workers, practice nurses and pharmacists has helped to alleviate GP workload. Development of the practice nurse workforce by enabling nurses to work in general practice as salaried nurses has been undertaken by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. In Hywel Dda University Health Board additional funding supported the recruitment and training of a number of different professionals in the Primary Care Support Unit. Powys Teaching Health Board has developed training programmes for registered nurses and practice nurses focusing on the skills needed in rural healthcare as well as developing the physician associate role.