- By Darryll Bravenboer, Director of Apprenticeships and Professor of Higher Education and Skills, Middlesex University.
We have all seen the media coverage with packed A&E departments, patients waiting for hours and being treated in corridors. Last week was the busiest for the NHS in England so far this year, with more patients in hospitals than at any other point this winter, and yet without action the situation will get worse.
The NHS currently employs around 1.5 million people, making it the biggest employer in Europe. However, the NHS clinical workforce is not enough to keep pace with demand. The population of England is projected to grow to 61.7 million by mid-2043, and we are living longer which often means more complex illnesses.
There are currently over 112,000 NHS vacancies, the population of England is projected to be 61.7 million by mid-2043, and when combined with demographic changes, a shortfall of between 260,000 and 360,000 health service staff by 2036/37 is predicted by 2036/37.
The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan (2023) has set ambitious clinical workforce commitments with the aim to significantly increase the number of health staff, including doctors, nurses and midwives by 2032.
To achieve this, employers and universities delivering degree apprenticeships need to work together and develop innovative programmes that benefit students, the public sector and ultimately the public.
The University Alliance (UA) represents leading professional and technical universities, educating around 30% of all nursing apprentices in England, plus a substantial number of allied health professionals and healthcare degree apprentices.
Several UA members* have formed the Health Education Consortium to coordinate and expand healthcare degree apprenticeships to meet the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan goals.
By collaborating, we aim to increase the number of apprentice starts, reduce duplication and pool resources, creating a joined-up programme for local, regional and national apprenticeship provision. The Health Education Consortium will work with NHS England to scale operations in partnership with NHS Trusts and Integrated Care Boards, co-designing programmes to meet their needs.
The key benefit for healthcare employers of a higher education collaborative approach is that by working together, we can increase training places while minimising costs.
- A comprehensive degree apprenticeship offer – working on their own individual universities are unlikely to have the resources to meet national employer needs. By joining forces, we can pool our funds and expertise and offer a broader range of healthcare degree apprenticeships to meet NHS requirements.
- Driving innovation: a commitment to share innovative practice is at the heart of the Health Education Consortium and ensures that we work as an innovation engine creating solutions to the growth barriers employers identify.
- Scalability and growth: working together means it is possible to scale up provision to meet the increasing demand outlined in the NHS Long-Term Workforce Plan.
- Towards a one-stop-shop for healthcare education: providing a ‘one-stop-shop’ for NHS, employers save time and money as they do not need to communicate and work with a range of universities.
The benefits outlined above make the case for a more collaborative approach to delivering higher education, which, at the same time, better meets the needs of NHS employers. This aligns with the government’s ambition for greater collaboration to drive efficiency and contribute towards economic growth.
At a time of financial challenge for the higher education sector, the significant growth of degree apprenticeships within the NHS, made possible through effective university collaboration, could address government expectations while contributing to the financial sustainability of providers in the sector.
*Middlesex University, Birmingham City University, Oxford Brookes University, University of Hertfordshire, Kingston University and University of Greenwich.