On 10 January, the Department of Health and Social Care announced a new fund to help recruitment of nurse apprentices into adult social care.
The Adult Social Care (ASC) Nursing Apprenticeship Fund will provide a contribution for adult social care providers to fund the costs associated with facilitating additional nursing apprenticeship places over financial year 24/25.
The fund will be available to CQC-registered ASC providers who provide nursing care only. The fund will be available for registered nurse and nursing associate apprenticeships at the following amounts per apprentice:
- Registered Nurse Degree Apprenticeship - £40,000
- Registered Nurse Degree ‘top-up’ Apprenticeship - £20,000
- Nursing Associate Apprenticeship - £20,000
This fund is intended to cover elements to an apprenticeship such as recruitment, supervision and management costs that are not otherwise covered by the apprenticeship levy.
More information and details of how to apply for funding, as well as Expression of Interest (EOI) forms will be published on gov.uk soon.
The funding is intended to boost workforce capacity and help support retention of this part of the adult social care workforce. The Homecare Association has asked for more information about the provider eligibility criteria, and will update members when we hear further.
