The Tories have cut hundreds of millions of pounds from NHS training – as the service faces a desperate shortage of nurses.
Spending has plummeted by more than half from £205million a year in 2014 to just £83.5million today.
Some cash was diverted to a scheme to recruit 3,000 nurses, but the NHS still faces a shortage of 40,000 nurses amid a total shortfall of 100,000.
Labour ’s Shadow Health Secretary Jonathan Ashworth said last night: “The Tories undermine our NHS staff at every turn.
Royal baby: 7 bits of bad news that got buried by Archie fever
“No wonder our NHS is facing desperate shortages when training budgets are slashed following years of pay restraint.”
He blasted Health Secretary Matt Hancock – tipped as a replacement for Tory PM Theresa May .
“Instead of preening for the Tory leadership, the Health Secretary needs to get on with his job,” he said.
Paralysed dad-of-three makes desperate five-word plea using eyes to spell words
The news comes after a leaked report revealed the NHS is set to recruit 5,000 foreign nurses a year for five years to plug the recruitment gap – caused by a failure to plan for Britain’s ageing population and resignations by overstretched staff.
The Philippines, India, Ireland and Australia will be targeted.
Putin's anti-vaxx trolls and the dark war on vaccines which snuffs out children's lives
Baroness Harding of Winscombe, chairman of NHS Improvement, said in the report that “shortages in nursing are the single biggest and most urgent” problem facing the health service.
A health department spokesman said there were 16,900 more nurses on wards than in 2010, staff had seen “a significant pay rise” and there were 25 per cent more training places for doctors, nurses and midwives.
“This year we provided £4bn for Health Education England to develop our existing staff and support the 160,000 people in training,” he added.
