A London project to recruit students from varied backgrounds has been held up as an example of how the NHS can meet recruitment targets.
The Queen Mary University of London has delivered a series of long-term projects designed to widen access to study subjects that can lead to careers in clinical settings.
Universities UK has said schemes like that employed by The Queen Mary University of London are crucial if the country is to meet the objectives of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan (LTWP), which was published in June to address staffing shortages across three key pillars, train, retrain and reform.
One of the university’s initiatives continues to recruit students from diverse backgrounds through the ‘Bridge the Gap’ programme. It provides school students living in the local community of East London with the opportunity to find out more about medicine, dentistry and other science/allied-health subjects. Running from year 9 to 13, the learnings and teachings build on that of the previous year.
Arunthati Mahendran, Director of the Institute of Health Sciences Education, at Queen Mary University of London, said: “We welcome and strongly support the recommendations made by Universities UK to transform healthcare education in this country. It’s a startling fact that 50% of schools in the UK have never had a student apply to medical school. This means that a significant part of society does not have access to medical education and therefore are excluded from developing careers in healthcare. At Queen Mary, we are changing that. We provide opportunities for learners from different backgrounds to actively participate in education, going on to flourish and trailblaze. By widening participation, Queen Mary provides the talent, expertise and cutting-edge technology needed for the NHS to thrive for decades to come.”
Tomiwa Adebowale, fourth year medical student at Queen Mary University of London, added: “The Bridge the Gap programme showed me what studying STEM looks like and how I could get there. It helped us prepare for interviews for degree courses such as medicine and it allowed us to make connections with people who would aid us in getting into our chosen career paths, for example with work experience. I appreciated how the programme followed you throughout your secondary school and sixth form journey and not just stop after a year, which I believe makes this programme really worthwhile. My plan for the future is to hopefully become a GP and one day open my own practice.”
Another example of where universities are driving innovation in healthcare training comes from Kingston University, which has two high-tech pharmacy laboratories enabling students to learn in a safe environment and simulate real-life healthcare settings. The simulation suites consist of a mock hospital ward, pharmacy dispensing suite and GP surgery, and are equipped with the latest technology including patient simulator mannequins students can administer drugs to and monitor pulses and breathing.
The hospital ward features six beds with drug cabinets and curtains, a nurse’s station and equipment to assess students’ bedside manner and debrief them on best practice. In the pharmacy dispensing suite, students can practice prescribing the correct medication for certain illnesses.
Professor Reem Kayyali, Head of the Department of Pharmacy at Kingston University, said: “There are some great examples of how we are using technology to transform healthcare training and to improve patient care. We are working closely with local partners to reach out far and wide to the next generation of talent and supporting healthcare students and staff, so the NHS has the workforce it needs to prosper for many years to come.”
Despite the work being done by universities in the region to contribute to the NHS’ plan, UUK says a number of challenges still need to be overcome to meet its objectives and prevent the talent pipeline from drying up. This includes a need for higher education to expand health education capacity, and for a culture shift to take place within the NHS to place more value on students and educators.
Concern about the NHS is now the public’s second biggest worry according to recent Ipsos research, while research also shows people’s top priorities for the health service are expanding and supporting the NHS workforce. The plan’s success however, hinges on a joint endeavour between education and healthcare providers, with universities both educating the next generation of healthcare professionals, and driving innovation that can improve health outcomes.
UUK is setting out a five-point plan to meet the objectives of the LTWP and support future and existing talent, including in London:
Boosting student recruitment
With applications to nursing, midwifery and allied health professional (AHP) courses declining, UUK is calling on government for a major national recruitment campaign produced in partnership with universities, colleges, schools and the NHS.
Increasing the numbers of educators
Shortages in clinical academic and teaching staff is a limiting factor for expansion. Currently 50% of healthcare educators are over 50 years old. An urgent review is needed of educator roles and careers, to attract different kinds of staff into roles. A cultural shift is also needed within the NHS towards students and educators to make space for them and ensure they feel valued.
Investing in new facilities and infrastructure including new technologies
Expanding capacity to boost learner numbers will require extending university and college facilities as well as opening new schools. This means additional teaching space, flexible space and exam facilities. There are opportunities to extend capacity through learning technology such as immersive environments, simulation and robotics, all of which requires capital investment.
Increasing placement capacity
The availability, quality and distribution of placements must continue to be a focus for government, the NHS and universities and colleges. Closer working between the NHS in England and universities is required to diversify placement capacity in community settings such as care homes and schools, as well as increasing hospital placements.
Improving learner experience and reducing attrition.
Many health courses experience high rates of attrition that continue into early careers. Common factors include cost of living pressures and travel and accommodation expenses. Additional wellbeing and mental health support, more regular check-ins, better coaching and mentoring support is necessary. Financial support should be inflation linked and students from low-income families should receive more help.
Higher education’s role in the delivery of the LTWP includes innovative approaches to education and training to identify future skills gaps, recruiting from more diverse communities, introducing new routes into the profession, new clinical roles and advances in technology.
Boosting the number of staff employed by the NHS in England from approximately 1.5 million in 2022 to around 2.4 million in 2036–37 is also a key ambition. By 2036-37, the objective is that almost half (49%) of public sector workers will work for the NHS, comprising one in 11 (9%) of all workers in England, compared with one in 17 (6%) in 2021–22.
To develop a well-staffed and efficient NHS, the UK Government must work closely with universities to fund the plan over the next 15 years, spanning both general elections and spending reviews.
Professor Alistair Fitt, Universities UK’s health policy lead, and Vice-Chancellor of Oxford Brookes University, said:
“With political consensus on the need to significantly increase the number of healthcare professionals over the coming years, now is a pivotal moment to protect the future of the NHS in England.
“To develop a well-staffed and efficient NHS, the UK Government must work closely with universities to fund the plan over the next 15 years, spanning general elections and spending reviews. We must take bold decisions to ensure the conditions are right for universities to train staff adequately, including on funding and capital investment, staffing and student recruitment.
“For the government’s ambitions for our national health service to come to fruition requires a step change in healthcare education.”
