Dear Colleagues,
This is to give you a short update on policy developments related to funding of non-medical healthcare education and which have implications for the Transforming Learning Environment Project.
Healthcare Education Reforms: As you will recall the government has proposed that a range of pre-registration healthcare education programmes which currently receive tuition and bursary funding will move to payment by Student Loan mechanisms from September 2017. The government has recently released its response to the consultation on these proposed reforms. The full consultation response can be found here however the main headlines are:
- The proposed healthcare programmes in scope for moving to student funding remain as initially advised.
- The government will commit to providing all new healthcare students a £303 payment as a non-repayable grant to meet clinical placement activity expenses.
- There is extra childcare funding
- The government will, for a capped number of new students who commence part-time courses in 2017/18, continue to provide maintenance bursary support for the duration of their course.
- Further detail about how clinical placements will be supported and funded beyond 2017- 2018 to be advised.
- Post graduate programmes the government will, for the cohort starting in 2017/18 and for a capped number of students, provide a bursary for tuition and maintenance to meet the full costs of the course for postgraduate students.
- Small specialist courses - the intention is to undertake further work to develop proposals to mitigate these risks; more detail about these programmes is expected later in the autumn.
- For Dental Therapy and Dental Hygiene the government will fund a capped number of students for the 2017/18 cohort on the current system, this will be a transitional arrangement and the intention in the long term is for these courses to reform to fit the standard student funding model. Course providers are to begin developing options to reform their courses for cohorts from 2018/19 onwards.
- HEE will retain responsibility for commissioning the minimum number of placements for 2017/18, Universities will be free to create additional places on top of these in partnership with their local trusts and will have their HEE-funded placements maintained at existing levels.
- Monitoring impact; a new national group is to be established to help monitor, in detail, data regarding application rates, diversity statistics and workforce supply following the implementation of the reforms.
Please find here a letter which has recently been issued by HEE to education providers setting out some of the next steps for HEE in beginning to progress the implementation of the reforms with education providers.
Education Placement Management and Tariff: HEE is holding a series of listening events as part of a consultation exercise to consider and plan the best options for the future management of clinical placements. The full details are to be confirmed but the event for the North region will be held 23rd September in York. Places at these events will be limited and primarily aimed at LDA Leads, and Professional Education leads. We anticipate details about these events will be posted on the HEE website shortly.
HEE’s Quality Strategy: Plans are in progress for implementing HEE’s quality strategy which will drive a greater focus on multi-professional quality assurance, with the intention that this is fully in place by April 2017. HEE (NW) has recently confirmed the appointment of Dr Jane Mamelok as the new Post graduate Dean who will take up her post 1st October. Jane is committed to greater multi-professional quality assurance approaches.
Transforming Learning Environment Development Programme: There has been good feedback received about the approach and focus of the development programme, with all cohorts having completed the first master class in the programme on Transformational Learning. HEE (NW) commitment in providing this programme is significant and although given the potential implications of the healthcare education reforms and future clinical placement management arrangements will mean some changes, the programme should prepare participants well for how best to manage and respond. We will need to have the conclusions and outcomes of the Listening Events planned for September as above related to Clinical Placement Management to fully appreciate the fit and how we proceed with the TLE proposals, we will advise you further once we are more certain about this.
Transitioning Developments:
Mentorship: As part of anticipating some changes for how mentorship development and training is supported in the future to help meet the expected requirements for increased capacity, HEE has recently advised HEIs and local organisations of some opportunities to undertake some specific project work. We anticipate that some network members in the Cumbria & Lancashire and Cheshire and Mersey might be interested in responding with their organisations support to the expression of interest for undertaking a scoping project related to local demand, need and viable options for the delivery of non-credit bearing ‘Multiprofessional Support for Learning and Assessment in Practice’.
Healthcare Student Placement System In Cheshire and Merseyside: Please find here a briefing about a shared placement activity system which is being commissioned for use in the Cheshire and Merseyside area. HEE (NW) has offered some support for this, with the intention that the learning gained, and potential system commissioned might then have relevance for other HEIs. It is anticipated that the HEIs in Cheshire and Merseyside will be developing their plans to engage with key stakeholders to help support the implementation of the new system.
We trust this is helpful. If you need any clarifications on any the information shared please contact Victoria.MacMillan@nhs.net