Along with the Council of Deans of Health and Million Plus, University Alliance has written to the next government, urging them to establish ‘closer departmental join-up’ to deliver the NHS Long-Term Workforce Plan.
University Alliance and our colleagues are calling on the incoming government to encourage closer working between educators and departments on issues such as student recruitment, retention, placement provision and employment.
As educators of the overwhelming majority of nurses, midwives and allied health professionals, together we are calling for the next prime minister to take responsibility for the closer departmental join-up required for the NHS to have the homegrown workforce it needs.
In our letter, we argue that “Active Secretaries of State and ministers working together remain crucial to delivering the workforce plan, but progressing to the next level will need the coordinating power of a Prime Minister for a whole-of-government approach to this essential mission”.
We propose that a joined-up approach would help to:
- Urgently tackle the shortfall in healthcare educators and researchers needed to sustain the domestically educated NHS workforce.
- Reverse the significant decline in student applicants for many healthcare courses.
- Ensure join-up between NHS trusts and university and FE College education providers locally, regionally and nationally to provide clear pathways, with high-quality placement provision through education into employment.
- Bring together the multiple health and education regulators to deliver a streamlined regulatory regime needed to deliver the workforce plan.
Vanessa Wilson, CEO of University Alliance said “Our universities are key to delivering the healthcare workforce the country needs. That’s why we are seriously urging the next government to adopt a collaborative cross-departmental approach to drive this imperative national mission.”
Read our joint letter to the incoming government.
