As we move to the new academic year, our focus @councilofdeans continues to be on ensuring high quality education outcomes for #healthcare students. This is in the context of government priorities for growth, a pandemic and winter pressures.

Five key asks we are discussing with ministers and wider university sector colleagues this week:
1. Capital investment in university infrastructure, digital innovation and academic staffing to include joint posts between academia and service.

2. Regulatory flexibility around hours and stronger focus on education outcomes. Short term plan: focus on simulation and examples of best practice. Long term plan: tranform education from hours and process to competence and outcomes.

3. Continuing to monitor placement capacity expansion via local intelligence. I very much welcome collaborative work nationally with @MRadford_HEECN Huge amount of work put in this area from all parties, universities and their placement partners.

4. Looking at placements differently. Beyond just the NHS. Eg. Offering opportunities for students to use education and research placements to learn. This will also help us get more people into education and research posts earlier in their careers.

5. Secure sustainable funding for #healthcare programmes. They are high cost subjects and must be funded appropriately. Over this period of growth, we must agree to protect healthcare course funding from any cuts to tuition fees or teaching grant subsidies.

A lot of these principles apply across the UK and across professions, and in a commissioned environment. We must however stress the need to prioritise allied health programmes where needed to ensure we get the right balance in the workforce.

I am grateful to the partnership with university sector colleagues from @UniversitiesUK and mission groups.