Today (Monday 24 March), the University of Derby and University Alliance hosted a roundtable of national health and education leaders, with the aim of identifying ways to ensure the goals originally set out in the NHS Long-Term Workforce Plan (2023) can be met.
With over 100,000 vacancies in the NHS in England overall (including 27,452 in nursing), the roundtable took place ahead of an expected ‘refreshed’ workforce plan to be published by the government this summer, alongside a new 10 Year Health Plan.
Meeting at the University of Derby, representatives from NHS England, NHS Employers, the Royal College of Nursing, the Nuffield Trust, and the Council of Deans of Health attended the roundtable to discuss barriers and potential solutions to expanding the number of healthcare apprenticeships in the NHS.
Chaired by the University of Derby’s Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Professor Kathryn Mitchell CBE DL, attendees discussed the role that apprenticeships – including level 7 apprenticeships – should play in expanding and improving the nation’s healthcare workforce.
The roundtable follows research by the University of Derby and University Alliance, jointly released in a report in February, which closely examined the barriers and enablers of delivering healthcare degree apprenticeships.
Based on extensive research conducted by the University of Derby, discussed further at the roundtable, the report highlighted the shared challenges faced by apprenticeship providers.
In turn, the roundtable’s discussion centered on four of the report’s themes: financial barriers and enablers; employer-provider relationships and partnerships; capacity and resources; shifting the perceptions and awareness of apprenticeships.
The report also provided targeted policy recommendations for employers, universities, policy makers and government to overcome these barriers.
Monday’s roundtable was followed by a tour of the University of Derby’s Clinical Skills facilities and campus.
Dr Denise Baker, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean of the College of Health, Psychology and Social Care, and Chair of the University Alliance Deans of Health Network, said:
“It was a pleasure to host this constructive roundtable with health education leaders. It was a thoroughly productive roundtable discussion, in which the challenges of creating the right workforce for health and social care were discussed.
“It was particularly useful to discuss and expand upon the challenges identified in our recent report with University Alliance, including the financial disincentives and constraints experienced by providers, alongside challenges with capacity and resourcing, and the need to shift public perceptions and awareness of apprenticeships.
“Likewise, we were keen to emphasise there are practical solutions that employers and higher education institutions can take in order to ensure improved outcomes and dedicated support for apprentices during their studies.
“All stakeholders resolved to work together closely to identify and implement solutions, and to call for changes to the benefit of the expansion of the health and social care workforce.”
Vanessa Wilson, CEO of University Alliance, said:
“University Alliance and our members educate 1 in 3 of the country’s nurses and a considerable proportion of the country’s allied health professionals. As leaders in degree apprenticeship provision, our members are acutely aware of the scale of the challenge in terms of delivering a significantly expanded NHS workforce.
“Today’s roundtable at the University of Derby was an important step in addressing the current workforce crisis in the NHS. By bringing together leaders from across health and education sectors, we are committed to finding workable solutions to expand the country’s healthcare workforce.
“The discussions highlighted the critical role of apprenticeships, including level 7 apprenticeships, in meeting the goals of the NHS Long-Term Workforce Plan.
“We resolved to work collaboratively with our key stakeholders to overcome financial, capacity, coordination, and perception challenges to ensure we sustain a robust pipeline of healthcare professionals the country needs.”
Read the University of Derby and University Alliance’s report ‘An exploration of barriers and enablers to the expansion of healthcare degree apprenticeships’ here.
