In advance of the General Election on 4 July 2024, the Council of Deans of Health has joined with leaders from the higher education sector to ask the next Government for closer departmental alignment between health and education.
The Council has written a joint letter with key sector representative groups, University Alliance and Million Plus.
The letter calls for prime ministerial responsibility for the closer departmental join-up required for the NHS to have the homegrown workforce it needs. It emphasises our shared intention to work collaboratively with the next government to ensure the ambitions of the Long-Term Workforce Plan are fulfilled. It also expresses full support, whatever the result of the election on 4 July to work with the government to:
- Urgently tackle the shortfall in healthcare educators and researchers needed to sustain, and then grow, 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.
Ed Hughes, CEO of the Council of Deans of Health, said;
“Creating and supporting the health workforce of the future can only be achieved through effective joint working across the health and education sectors, underpinned by an integrated approach to policy-making which aligns the incentives for students, education providers, training placement settings and employers. Our members are ready to play their part in this, and to work with the next government to help realise the ambitions of the Long Term Workforce Plan for the NHS.”