Summary: Higher Education Commission Evidence Session Three: Educational Innovation and Workforce Readiness 

On 25 February the Higher Education Commission held the third and final evidence session of its inquiry into healthcare workforce development, hosted at the University of Greenwich. The afternoon evidence session followed a morning programme showcasing the University’s Learning and Simulation Centre, giving attendees the opportunity to experience simulation-based training first-hand ahead of the discussion. The session examined how digital learning, simulation and new pedagogical approaches can expand capacity and improve workforce readiness while maintaining quality, alongside assessment methods, student and educator experience, and the barriers to scaling proven innovations across healthcare education. 

Chaired by Professor Jane Harrington, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Greenwich, the session opened with an inquiry update from Rhiannon Tuckett-Jones of Policy Connect and remarks from Kevin McKenna MP, Inquiry Co-Chair and Labour MP for Sittingbourne and Sheppey. Nick Davis, Director of Health and Adult Social Care at the Royal Borough of Greenwich, was unable to attend; his written submission was read out, highlighting local workforce pressures and the borough’s integrated care and apprenticeship models. 

The structured discussion panel comprised: 

• Barbara Coen, Chief Product Officer, iheed 
• Henrietta Mbeah-Bankas, Head of Blended Learning, NHS England 
• Clare Owen, Director, Medical Schools Council 
• Claire Hall, Programme Manager, Health Education Improvement Wales 
• Student representatives, University of Greenwich 

This was followed by an extended open discussion involving a wide range of attendees, including resident doctors, medical and nursing students, university and college leaders, and representatives of royal colleges and professional bodies. 

Panellists shared examples of how innovation is being applied in practice across their organisations. This included embedding digital and AI literacy into curricula from the outset rather than as an add-on, and integrating blended learning fully into programme design, with evidence that a minimum level of in-person teaching is needed to sustain student satisfaction and outcomes, alongside improved access for mature and disabled students. Panellists also highlighted the growing proportion of trainers reducing their teaching commitments due to capacity pressures, and called for clearer accountability for education funding and stronger career pathways for educators. Student contributors raised concerns about financial precarity, the difficulty of combining paid work with demanding placement schedules, and limited job security for newly qualified staff. 

The open discussion raised a broad range of further themes, including: 

• Simulation as a complement to, rather than a replacement for, workplace-based learning, valued for building both technical competency and empathy, but requiring careful application in higher-risk clinical areas. 
• The case for greater alignment between regulators, professional bodies and government departments, with current fragmentation and administrative burden seen as slowing the adoption of proven innovations. 
• Concerns about postgraduate and foundation programme allocation processes, with several contributors describing the impact of geographic allocation on students and doctors with caring responsibilities or established local ties. 
• The scale of mental health related staff absence across the NHS, with calls for renewed investment in staff wellbeing and occupational health provision. 
• Barriers to expanding apprenticeship routes, including the removal of Level 7 apprenticeships and funding structures that do not account for backfilling support worker posts. 
• Opportunities to expand placement capacity through interdisciplinary teaching, community and primary care settings, and collaborative national placement models. 
• Calls for greater involvement of students and early career professionals in policy development and regulatory decision-making. 

Closing the session, it was noted that many of the challenges raised, including pressures on accelerated programmes, debates over practice hours, and limited public understanding of some professions, have persisted for a considerable period, and that the Commission’s task is to identify how long-standing barriers of this kind can be overcome. 

For further information, please contact Rhiannon Tuckett-Jones (rhiannon.tuckett-jones@policyconnect.org.uk) 

This inquiry is generously sponsored by ACCA, iheed, Cambridge Education Group and the University of Derby.