Rt Hon. Stephen Barclay MP, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, came to the University of West London (UWL) in a visit coordinated by the Council of Deans of Health to mark the 75th anniversary of the NHS and the publication of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan.
The Secretary of State was joined by Ed Hughes, our new Chief Executive Officer, as well as Dr Charmagne Barnes, Council member and Pro Vice-Chancellor and Executive Dean of the College of Nursing, Midwifery and Healthcare at UWL. He was also joined by UWL’s Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Peter John CBE.
Mr Barclay covered the recently-published plan in a high-level discussion before meeting academic staff and students as he experienced cutting edge simulation-based education for himself. The Council thanks UWL for hosting an excellent visit and looks forward to the ongoing future engagement agreed with the Health Secretary.
Rt Hon. Stephen Barclay MP said:
“As we celebrate the achievements of the NHS over the last 75 years and look ahead to the future, I was delighted to see the next generation of health workers being trained using the latest technology and innovations.
“The high-tech training delivered at the University of West London and the Council of Deans of Health will help deliver the best care for patients for many years to come.
“Using AI embedded virtual reality headsets and real-life ambulance simulations are fantastic examples of ways we can better equip the workforce for the challenges they face while on duty.
“The NHS has published the first ever Long Term Workforce Plan, backed by over £2.4 billion government funding, to deliver the biggest training expansion in NHS history alongside measures to improve culture, leadership, and wellbeing so fewer staff leave the NHS over the next 15 years.”
Ed Hughes, Chief Executive of the Council of Deans of Health said:
“The Council of Deans of Health has worked closely on the development of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan. We were therefore privileged to coordinate a visit of the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to the University of West London to see the vital work they do educating the next generation of healthcare professionals and mark the 75th anniversary of the NHS. We had some crucial conversations on the challenges and opportunities for health education and training, and the Secretary of State was able to explore UWL’s simulation and virtual reality facilities, meet staff, and talk to students. I look forward to the next steps we have agreed to take together in delivering the plan.”
Professor Peter John CBE President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of West London said:
“I was delighted to welcome the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to the University of West London. We were able to have top level discussions on the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan and, importantly, introduce him to academic staff and students using our cutting edge simulated learning suite which he clearly enjoyed. The Council of Deans of Health has been pivotal to feeding in the views of members, like us at University of West London, into the plan and I look forward to continuing our work with them and Mr Barclay to deliver its implementation.”