Mr. Peter Hughes:

There are a sufficient number of people applying for the undergraduate programme but they may be using it as a route out rather than a route in. They qualify and then get to see what it is about and the lack of progression within the service. For instance, we have approximately 20 advanced nurse practitioner posts for the whole of the mental health service, and clinical career progression is stunted. At 18 or 19 years of age people, might believe this is the career for them, but sometimes it is difficult to retain them in the service. We retain some but we need to create an environment that retains them, that is, we need to create an environment in which units are fully staffed and not overcrowded, practitioners are given the resources to treat their patients with dignity, and community services are there as an alternative to admission to hospital.