Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many nursing associates had begun apprenticeship courses by the end of April 2018.

Health Education England (HEE) reports that 1,018 nursing associates had started apprenticeship courses between January and March 2018. Figures for April 2018 onwards are not yet available.

According to HEE figures there were also 2,023 nursing associates recruited onto a pilot programme across 35 HEE pilot sites in 2017. The first of these pilot cohorts are due to complete their training and become qualified nursing associates in January 2019.

The latest figures provided by HEE show that there are currently just over 3,000 nursing associates in training.