Health Education England (HEE) is working with NHS England and Improvement to expand the psychological professions workforce by approximately 10,500 posts by 2024.
The move is aimed at providing expanded mental health services to the public and meet goals set out in the NHS Long Term Plan.
HEE is also investing in paid experience schemes for psychology graduates and in the leadership of equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) change programmes for ethnic minority aspiring clinical psychologists.
“This will create additional consolidation of skills, stability in the workforce and ultimately support the delivery of essential mental health services and high-quality patient care.”
Besides, HEE has agreed to delay the policy change in NHS funding for psychological professions training as it requires further discussions.
It has undertaken to fund trainees in psychological professions commissioned professional training based on them having completed two years of qualified practice after finishing NHS funded psychological professions training.