Embed education, training and research at the heart of the NHS 10 Year Workforce Plan – joint letter

MillionPlus, the Association for Modern Universities, has joined with organisations across the education and health sectors in a joint letter to Wes Streeting MP, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, and Karin Smyth MP, Minister of State for Health, calling for a ministerial taskforce that would embed education, training and research at the heart of the NHS 10 Year Workforce Plan.

The letter - also signed by representatives from Universities UK, the Russell Group, the Council of Deans of Health, GuildHE, the University Alliance, London Higher, the Medical Schools Council, the Dental Schools Council and the Pharmacy Schools Council - welcomes the Government’s ambition to adopt a system-wide, long-term workforce strategy for the NHS, emphasising the need for education, training and research to be fully embedded in the forthcoming 10-Year Workforce Plan, so that the workforce is well-equipped for shifts: from hospital to community, analogue to digital and from treatment to prevention.

Universities are already adapting curricula and training in partnership with the NHS to meet future needs, however the recent call for evidence did not allow for a full discussion of the role of higher education.

The key ask is for the government to convene a joint ministerial taskforce to co-ordinate: expanding student recruitment, increasing clinical placement capacity, supporting degree apprenticeships and strengthening workforce retention.

Rachel Hewitt, Chief Executive of MillionPlus, said:

"MillionPlus is pleased to join colleagues from across the higher education and health sectors in signing this joint letter to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and the Minister of State for Health.

"Modern universities play a vital role in training the nurses, midwives, and allied health professionals who form the foundation of our NHS. The letter highlights the importance of embedding education, training and research at the heart of the NHS 10 Year Workforce Plan to ensure a sustainable and adaptable workforce for the future."

NHS Workforce Plan joint letter

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