Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 24
24
Accepted
Department acknowledges workforce shortages, developing strategy to increase mental health and addiction professionals.
Conclusion
The Department acknowledged the fall in clinical psychiatrists and mental health practitioners and agreed that services needed access to the full set of professionals.54 The Department noted that it had already committed to securing an additional 800 mental health and clinical professionals in the drug strategy.55 It assured us it was working with Health Education England on a workforce strategy to set out training requirements and focus on attracting professionals back into these roles. The Department told us it would ensure it is training the right numbers of people but recognised that this training 47 C&AG’s Report, para 3.3 and Figure 12 48 C&AG’s Report, Figure 15 49 Qq 79, 100–101 50 Qq 108–112 51 Q 10; ATS0003 52 Q 2; ATS0003 53 ATS0003 54 Qq 103, 125 55 Q 27; HM government departments, From harm to hope: A 10-year drugs plan to cut crime and save lives, 6 December 2021 16 Alcohol treatment services takes a very long time.56 In the meantime, it said it was looking to make it easier for people to specialise in addiction psychiatry later on in their training by adding additional modules and was also looking to persuade former addiction psychiatrists to return to the profession.57
Government Response Summary
The government agrees to address workforce issues, committing to develop and publish a substance misuse workforce strategic plan, a national drug and alcohol treatment and recovery capability framework, and a workforce calculator by Autumn 2023. It also continues to support local authorities with workforce planning guidance and analysis.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
6.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Autumn 2023 6.2 The department is working with NHS Workforce Transformation and Education (NHS WT&E) to develop a substance misuse workforce strategic plan, with a target publication date of Autumn 2023. The department and NHS WT&E are also developing phase 1 of the national drug and alcohol treatment and recovery capability framework and a workforce calculator, both of which will be published in Autumn 2023. 6.3 The department continues to support local authorities to improve the capacity and quality of their workforce, including the provision of workforce planning guidance in March 2023, as well as detailed workforce analysis, to ensure their plans meet the ambitions of the drug strategy.