A fundamental rethink of how the NHS trains its future workforce
is urgently needed, according to a new paper from the Higher
Education Policy Institute, Rethinking Placement: Increasing
Clinical Placement Efficacy for a Sustainable NHS Future
(HEPI Report 194).
The paper, written by senior leaders from the University of East
London (UEL), argues that the National Health Service (NHS)
cannot achieve its ambitious workforce goals without bold
system-wide reform of how students gain real-world experience –
the essential bridge between classroom learning and frontline
care.
The HEPI Report, which has been published with the support of the
Council for Deans of Health, sets out a blueprint for
transforming placement provision across the health and care
sectors. Drawing on best practice across London through UEL
partner organisations, it urges policymakers, universities and
NHS providers to move beyond the narrow goal of simply increasing
numbers and to focus instead on removing systemic barriers to
create placements that are equitable, flexible, digitally enabled
and aligned with the future of healthcare delivery.
Authored by Professor Amanda Broderick, Vice-Chancellor and
President of the University of East London, and Robert Waterson,
Executive Dean of UEL's School of Health, Sport and Bioscience,
the report highlights the growing strain on the system, with more
than 106,000 vacancies across secondary care and a shortfall of
placement opportunities for health students.
It also challenges ‘legacy assumptions' and outlines a series of
practical interventions to make placements more effective and
sustainable. These include greater use of simulation and digital
learning, new supervision frameworks that ease pressure on
clinical staff and community-based models that widen access to
diverse learning environments. It points to pioneering examples
across the UK – including UEL's own simulation-based and
telehealth placements – as proof that innovation can expand
capacity without compromising quality or safety.
Working hand-in-hand with NHS providers, universities can help
reimagine supervision models, expand simulation-based training
and pilot technology-led learning that mirrors the realities of
modern healthcare. The authors warn that without urgent reform,
student learning, workforce readiness and patient safety will all
be at risk.
Professor Amanda Broderick said:
‘Incremental adjustments will not be enough. We need bold,
innovative approaches that harness the full potential of
simulation, technology and new models of supervision, while
deepening partnerships between universities, NHS providers and
community organisations. Our goal is to shift the conversation
from “more placements” to “better placements”: placements that
are equitable, flexible, future-facing, and designed around both
workforce needs and student success.
‘By challenging old assumptions and reimagining what
placements can be, we can help build the confident, agile and
compassionate workforce the NHS requires to meet the challenges
of the next decade and beyond.'
OBE, HEPI Director,
said:
‘We all rely on the NHS, but the NHS can only cope with the
ageing population if it has a workforce to match.
‘This report reveals how to resolve the difficult blockages
in the training pipeline to unlock capacity and improve
quality.
‘I hope Ministers respond constructively.'
In a Foreword to the report, Ed Hughes, Chief Executive
of the Council of Deans of Health, writes:
‘Clinical placements are the foundation of health and care
education. They are where knowledge, skills and professional
values come together to shape the workforce our communities need.
Yet as this paper makes clear, the placement model that has
underpinned education for decades is under significant strain.
Capacity is stretched, supervision is challenged, and quality
cannot be taken for granted. …
‘We cannot simply expand the existing model indefinitely.
Changing this will require adaptation from both placement and
education providers, including the willingness to take decisions
which work in the interests of the system as a whole over
addressing issues for particular courses, and which place the
student interest at their heart. Placements must be designed to
reflect new ways of working, embed simulation and digital
learning at scale and develop supervision models that are
flexible, safe and resilient. …
‘Placements are not a peripheral issue; they are central to
the supply, confidence and competence of the future workforce. …
As the NHS and the wider health and care sector enter a decisive
period of reform, it is imperative that placement transformation
is aligned with national strategy and resourced
accordingly.'
Notes for editors
-
Professor Amanda Broderick has spent over
seven years as Vice-Chancellor and President of the University
of East London (UEL). She is Chair of British Universities
& Colleges Sport (BUCS), an HEA Principal Fellow and a
Council Member for the Association of Commonwealth.
Robert Waterson joined the University of East
London in 2020 and is Executive Dean of the School of Health,
Sport & Bioscience. He joined UEL from the London regional
team of Health Education England where he was the Nursing and
Midwifery Programme Manager. He is the Chair of London Higher's
London Healthcare Education Group, on the board of the Council
of Deans and was a 2022/23 Florence Nightingale Scholar.
