Request
Health
Visitors
1.
What was your 2008/09 budget for health visitor
training?
2.
What is your 2009/10 budget for health visitor training?
3.
How many new health visitors were trained during the FY
2008/09?
4.
How many health visitors received training to update their
skills
during FY
2008/09?
5.
How many new health visitors can you train within the
projected
budget for FY
2009/10?
***************************************************
Our Response
Freedom
of Information
I refer to your
email requesting information in respect of Health
Visitors.
I can confirm in
accordance with S.1 (1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 that
we do hold some of the information that you have requested but not
in the format required. This is because the East Midlands
Healthcare Workforce Deanery (EMHWD), which is the part of NHS East
Midlands which co-ordinates the commissioning of education and
training for the region, does not commission set numbers of the
learners that you are asking about. However, the EMHWD has
made available sufficient funds to ensure all NHS provider
organisation requests for these programmes can be met by local
universities.
The skills for
these learners have been modularised to create flexibility; this
means that NHS provider organisations can select single
competencies (stand-alone modules) or a whole course (comprising 6
to 8 modules) to meet their needs.
The EMHWD invests
significant funds each year (a cumulative allocation of £7m for
2009-10) in the Learning Beyond Registration programme to support
continuing professional development for non-medical professional
staff (including specialist community practice staff). This funding
has been made available to local universities for the delivery of
an agreed portfolio of education in response to the requirements
identified by NHS provider organisations. The competencies for
health visitors are funded by EMHWD and are available, as
individual modules or full courses, to NHS provider organisations
across the East Midlands.
This funding
process has been developed in collaboration with service workforce
planning leads as there is a recognised need not only to provide
trained individuals such as health visitors, but also to develop
teams that deliver other services (like public health teams). As
well as complete courses, there are many individual modules that
have been delivered that contribute to the delivery of these
services.
However, the way
that EMHWD commissions these programmes means that whilst funding
is available for NHS provider organisations to access these
courses, the EMHWD does not routinely monitor up-take against these
programmes. NHS provider organisations are increasingly
obtaining the skills they need by putting together a range of
individual modules to create bespoke training rather than taking a
full course.
However, we have
gathered the intelligence that we do hold in respect of your
request, which is as follows:-
1.
What was your 2008/09 budget for health visitor
training?
Part of £7m Learning Beyond Registration budget
2.
What is your 2009/10 budget for health visitor
training?
Part of £7m Learning Beyond Registration budget
3.
How many new health visitors were trained during the FY
2008/09?
58
4.
How many health visitors received training to update
their skills during the
FY 2008/09?
We do not hold this information
5.
How many new health visitors can you train within the projected
budget for FY 2009/10?
As many as service provider organisations are able to
release.
We can advise you
that the number of health visitors trained over the past three
years is as follows:-
2006-7
32
2007-8
40
2008-9
58.
In the event that
you require further information in respect of your questions you
should email the Deputy Director of Workforce as
follows:-
Trish.Knight@eastmidlands.nhs.uk
Should you decide
that you need additional information from any of the PCTs in the
East Midlands, you can do this by following the link below to our
website:
http://www.eastmidlands.nhs.uk/the-local-nhs/nhs-organisations
I do hope that
this information is of use to you. However, please note that
if you are dissatisfied with the way in which we have dealt with
your request you can complain in writing to:-
Mr Kevin
Orford
Deputy Chief
Executive and Director of Finance
NHS East
Midlands
Octavia
House
Interchange
Business Park
Bostock's
Lane
Sandiacre
Nottingham
NG10
5QG
If at the
conclusion of any review you remain dissatisfied you may complain
to the Information Commissioner who can be contacted
at:-
The Office of the
Information Commissioner
Wycliffe
House
Water
Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9
5AF
