Education and training are vital to delivering the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan – delivering a sustainable pipeline of skilled health professionals requires strengthened collaboration between the health and education sectors. 

Cross-party think tank Policy Connect and the Higher Education Commission, in partnership with the All-Party Parliamentary Health Group, have launched a new inquiry on the role of education and training in the NHS, to develop an ambitious policy agenda that improves how post-16 education systems support the recruitment, retention, and development of NHS staff.  

The Health Education and Training inquiry will be co-chaired by Kevin McKenna MP, Lord Philip Norton of Louth, and Professor Kathryn Mitchell, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Derby. Experts from further and higher education, the NHS, regulators, and professional bodies are included in the inquiry’s steering group, with the University of Derby, ACCA, and iheed sponsoring the inquiry.  

Amidst the many pressing and persistent challenges facing the UK’s health and social care system, workforce shortages now represent one of the most serious threats to the delivery of high-quality healthcare. Years of constrained funding, growing service complexity, and staff burnout have produced severe staff shortfalls, with just 3.2 doctors per 1,000 people in England, compared to an OECD EU average of 3.9, and 25,632 vacancies within NHS England’s registered nursing workforce.  

These workforce shortages are closely linked to challenges within the post-16 education system, with mounting operational, financial, and staffing pressures threatening the ability of higher education institutions and further education colleges to meet NHS workforce needs.  

Both the Government’s Spending Review and NHS 10-Year Plan feature explicit commitments to expanding GP, nursing and AHP education, but there remains a clear need for practical detail and implementation mechanisms to translate goals into delivery, with coordinated action across education, health and regulatory systems.   

The Higher Education Commission’s inquiry will produce evidence-based policy recommendations that support education and training pathways to address workforce shortages and equip the health and care system for future challenges – identifying what is needed to deliver sustainable, system-wide change. 

It will explore the following important themes: 

• Strengthening collaboration between education sectors, the NHS, and other providers.
• Tackling retention challenges.
• Aligning education and training with NHS service needs.
• Resourcing and sustainability.  

Professor Kathryn Mitchell, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Derby, comments: 

“The University of Derby recognises that fostering a passion for health education must begin well before post-16 pathways. Early engagement, starting as young as age 7 or 8, is essential to shaping long-term aspirations and diversifying the future health and care workforce. Pre-16 education plays a pivotal role in addressing persistent shortages across nursing, midwifery, and Allied Health Professions (AHPs), and must be embedded within long-term workforce planning. Our commitment to widening participation ensures that all learners, regardless of background, can envision a future within health and care professions. 

While the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan (LTWP) outlined ambitious goals, it has since been sidelined in favour of a new strategy that has introduced uncertainty. Funding challenges and regulatory barriers continue to impede progress. Greater clarity and integration are needed for apprenticeships and independent sector providers to contribute effectively to workforce development. Aligned with the University of Derby’s vision, innovation must prioritise skills-based education models that reflect the evolving needs of the NHS, moving beyond task-based roles to cultivate adaptable, future-ready professionals.” 

Lord Philip Norton of Louth, Chair of the Higher Education Commission, notes: 

“The Higher Education Commission undertakes in-depth inquiries into issues in higher education designed to identify ways of improving the quality and delivery of HE to the benefit of students, the wider public and the economy.  It has produced recommendations, as on disabled students, that have had a practical impact.  Undertaking an inquiry, in conjunction with the APPG on Health, on the role of education and training in supporting the NHS’s long-term goals provides an opportunity to bring together knowledge and experience from both providers and users to ensure that higher education is maximising its potential to deliver efficient, effective and targeted courses to the benefit of the nation’s health service.” 

Rhiannon Tuckett-Jones, lead researcher, says:  

“I am delighted to be leading this inquiry at such a critical moment for both the health and education sectors. Recent government plans have set out bold visions for the future of the NHS, from expanding the workforce to reshaping how and where care is delivered. But achieving these ambitions depends on whether our education and training systems are equipped to deliver the skilled professionals needed. Too often, the focus has been on targets without the practical steps to get there. This inquiry will examine how policy, partnerships, and practice can work together to secure a sustainable pipeline of health professionals. By drawing on expertise from across education, the NHS, and regulators, we aim to develop evidence-based recommendations that strengthen recruitment and retention and ensure education is aligned with the future needs of the health service.” 

Inquiry Steering Group 

Professor Jane Harrington – Vice Chancellor, University of Greenwich  

Rebecca Patterson – General Manager, Iheed 

Daniel Green – Policy Director, FAB 

Daniel Pedley – UK Government and Relations, Pearson 

Professor Patrick Callaghan – Professor of Mental Health Science, LSBU 

Melanie Venables – Director of Policy and Communications, PSA 

Vanessa O’Donnell - Head of Public Affairs, MillionPlus 

Peter Kunzmann – Head of Policy and Public Affairs, Royal College of Anaesthetists 

Joe Fitzsimons - Regional Lead Policy and Insights, ACCA 

Ann French – Dean, Teesside University  

Notes to Editors 

For further information about the inquiry, please contact rhiannon.tuckett-jones [at] policyconnect.org.uk. 

For any comms enquiries, please contact james.taylor [at] policyconnect.org.uk (james[dot]taylor[at]policyconnect[dot]org[dot]uk). 

This report is kindly sponsored by the ERA Foundation. 

About Policy Connect 

Policy Connect is a cross-party think tank. We specialise in supporting parliamentary groups, forums and commissions, delivering impactful policy research and event programmes and bringing together parliamentarians and government in collaboration with academia, business and civil society to help shape public policy in Westminster and Whitehall, so as to improve people’s lives. 

Our work focusses on five key policy areas which are: Education & Skills; Industry, Technology & Innovation; Sustainability; Health; and Assistive & Accessible Technology. 

We are a social enterprise and are funded by a combination of regular annual membership subscriptions and time-limited sponsorships. We are proud to be a Disability Confident and London Living Wage employer, and a member of Social Enterprise UK. 

About the Higher Education Commission 

Policy Connect’s Education and Skills team run the Higher Education Commission. The Commission is made up of leaders from the education sector, the business community, and the major political parties. Established in response to demand from Parliamentarians for a more informed and reflective discourse on higher education policy; the Commission examines higher education policy, holds evidence-based inquiries and produces written reports with recommendations for policymakers. 

About the All-Party Parliamentary Health Group 

The All-Party Parliamentary Health Group (APHG) is an all-party forum dedicated to disseminating knowledge, generating debate and facilitating engagement on health issues amongst Members of Parliament.  

The APHG aims to provide a cross-party forum that brings together parliamentarians and senior health leaders to discuss key issues on the NHS, health reform and future trends.