The First Minister has announced funding of £27 million to boost the number of people training to work in Scotland’s health service.
Nicola Sturgeon set out measures aimed at increasing access to education in the medical professions over the next five years during a speech at Queen Margaret University in Musselburgh, East Lothian.
These include funding of £3 million to train an extra 500 advanced nurse practitioners and more than £23 million to increase the number of medical school places by 50.
Alongside this will be a new entry-level programme for students from deprived backgrounds and a Scottish graduate entry programme in medicine that will offer to pay fees for students who work in the Scottish NHS after qualifying.
Ms Sturgeon also announced a £1 million support fund for nursery and midwifery students experiencing financial difficulties as well as committing to the continuation of bursaries for nurses and midwives.
The First Minister said investment in the workforce was crucial to ensure the health service was fit to cope with the pressures it is under and successfully deliver the integration of health and social care.
She said: “We need to make sure that we are training the right numbers of professionals – in and across different specialities – with the skills they need for the health service of the future.
“That’s why this additional funding of £27 million is so crucial in ensuring in ensuring the NHS in Scotland remains robust, resilient and ready for the challenges of the 21st century.
“We’ve already invested heavily in the health and care workforce in the last nine years. For example, the NHS Scotland workforce has increased by more than 10,000 since 2007. But we need to build on that success.”