Efforts to get better value from the money spent on non medical education and training are being hampered by a lack of information. There is no price tag because the cost is unknown. The Audit Commission has suggested that the figure is: “more then 1b pounds”.Health Authorities and Trusts are set to launch local audits in the autumn of next year to find out what resources are being committed to education and training. 

A radical shift in public service culture has been signalled by the National Audit Office. The Modernising government White paper published in March 1999 described the aspiration of ministers that the deeply embedded risk averse culture would give way to a more innovative approach, but this is the first indication that change is actually on the way.The NAO has given a commitment that it will support well thought through risk taking and experimentation.