Proposed cuts to Level 7 apprenticeship funding could majorly impact specialist nurse training and undermine the long-term workforce plan, nurse leaders and educators have warned.
In September, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced plans to move Level 7 apprenticeships outside the scope of levy funding, with individual businesses now being required to fund more of their Level 7 apprenticeships themselves.
This is part of government efforts to shift apprenticeship funding towards more entry-level qualifications and training.
Liz Gorb, director of apprenticeships at Manchester Metropolitan University, said funding cuts could significantly impact the Level 7 advanced clinical practitioner (ACP), specialist community public health nurse (SCPHN) and district nurse apprenticeships that the university currently offers.
She said: ‘Potential cuts to the funding of these programmes would lead to a steep decline in the number of nurses trained via this route.
‘This could potentially derail the recruitment and training needed to meet the goals laid out in the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan and the emphasis on these vital roles in the community.’
In June 2023, the Conservative government released its NHS Long Term Workforce Plan in June 2023 – committing to increasing adult nursing training places by 92% by 2031/32.
It outlined ambitions to expand training places for health visitors by 74% by 2030/31, and also pledged to grow training places for school nurses by 28%.
Level 7 apprenticeships, which are equivalent to a master’s degree, are often accessed by older people or those who are already hold other qualifications.
Level 7 qualifications currently cover the following specialisms:
- Adult Social Care Nursing
- Community Children’s Nursing
- Community Mental Health Nursing
- District Nursing
- General Practice Nursing
- Inclusion Health Nursing
- Health and Justice Nursing
- Community Learning Disability Nursing
- Palliative and End of Life Care Nursing
Professor John Unsworth is deputy faculty pro vice-chancellor for the department of nursing, midwifery and health at Northumbria University, which offers Level 7 apprenticeships including a specialist community public health nurse course.
He explained that the funding of specialist community and advanced practice courses is a ‘key element’ of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan and said employers ‘depend heavily’ on the existing levy to fund these courses.
‘The government committed to increasing the number of district nurses and health visitors in the pre-election period, and any decision to end Level 7 apprenticeships will significantly impact their ability to achieve this and to meet the commitments made as part of NHS modernisation,’ Professor Unsworth said.
The Department for Education and Department for Health and Social Care declined to comment on the concerns raised in this piece but explained that any Level 7 apprenticeships that are no longer eligible for government funding will still have their standards available for employers to fund.
Last month, Nursing in Practice reported that the government is developing a new long-term workforce plan for the NHS that will be published next summer.
