NHS Future Workforce Plan Dentistry/Maxfax Discussion

Hey guys,

Wanted to just do a small recap on everything dentistry (and some medicine bits for those going into maxfax) on the new workforce plan.

Dentistry

1. Expand dentistry training places by 40% so that there are over 1,100 places by
2031/32. To support this ambition, we will expand places by 24% by 2028/29, taking the overall number that year to 1,000 places (currently 809 students a year based on 2022 intake)

2. Explore measures with the government such as a tie-in period to encourage dentists to spend a minimum proportion of their time delivering NHS care in the years following graduation (ridiculous)

3. Increase training places for dental therapists and hygiene professionals to more than 500 by 2031/32, and increase training places for dentists by 40% to more than 1,100 by this same year. In support of this, we will increase training places for dental therapy and hygiene professionals by 28% by 2028/29, with an increase of 24% for dentists to 1,000 places over the same period (currently 370 DHT students a year based on 2022 intake)

4. "We recognise the important contribution to dental care that the wider dental workforce makes, including dental nurses. While training of dental nurses is largely the responsibility of dental practices, we will work with dental practices and other stakeholders to support the wider dental workforce to meet NHS service delivery plans for dentistry"

5. Can't remember where I read this but if I recall correctly DHT professionals in the future will also take on significantly more responsibility in treating patients, ie increasing scope of practice

Medicine

1. Double the number of medical school training places, taking the total number of places up to 15,000 a year by 2031/32, with more medical school places in areas with the greatest shortages, to level up training and help address geographical inequity. To support this ambition, we will increase the number of medical school places by a third, to 10,000 a year by 2028/29. The first new medical school places will be available from September 2025

2. Introduce medical degree apprenticeships, with pilots running in 2024/25, so that by 2031/32, 2,000 medical students will train via this route. We will work towards this ambition by growing medical degree apprenticeships to more than 850 by 2028/29.

3. Increasing physician associate (PA) training places to over 1,500 by 2031/32. In support of this, around 1,300 physician associates (PAs) will be trained per year from 2023/24, increasing to over 1,400 a year in 2027/28 and 2028/29, establishing a workforce of 10,000 PAs by 2036/37 (people who aren't really doctors but are taking increasing responsibilities)

4. Support medical schools to move from five or six-year degree programmes to four year degree programmes that meet the same established standards set by the GMC, and pilot a medical internship programme which will shorten undergraduate training time, to bring people into the workforce more efficiently so that in future students undertaking shorter medical degrees make up a substantial proportion of the overall number of medical students. (just plain stupid)

5. Expand advanced practice training by 46%, so that 5,000 clinicians are starting
advanced practice pathways each year. This puts us on the path to increasing training places so that more than 6,300 clinicians start advanced practice pathways each year by 2031/32

6. Complete the planned increase in medical specialty training places by September
2024 to more than 2,000 over three years, as well as 1,000 additional specialty training places focusing on areas with the greatest shortages. This expansion is both supporting existing planned growth for mental health, cancer and diagnostic services, as well as elective recovery, urgent and acute care, maternity services and public health medicine.

7. Random allocation of F1 jobs with a random number generator = students not rewarded on the basis of merit, but there luck

There will be more points I have missed to if you see anything feel free to add to it, I will add my opinions on these below!