Our @councilofdeans position on #healthcare education provision and student placements
https://councilofdeans.org.uk/2021/01/codh-statement-on-student-placements/

We recognise that health systems across the UK are under pressure. Our #healthcare students and academic staff have demonstrated resilience, flexibility and bravery during this pandemic.

Many students are already on placement, some work as healthcare support workers in their own time. Our priority is to ensure that students progress through their courses and qualify on time as competent professionals.

Any policies that may disrupt student progression should be implemented only as measures of last resort. Student progression is important for the health and social care system in the longer term.

Regulatory flexibility required to keep programmes running. We @councilofdeans welcome the additional flexibility by @nmcnews this week on supervision and assessment. We continue to work with @The_HCPC on flexibility for AHP programmes.

Though pressure is being felt across the UK, there is national and regional variation in the incidence of #COVIDー19. Arrangements should be sensitive to these variations and provide flexibility for healthcare education to respond.

It is #universities that are ultimately accountable to regulators for the delivery of healthcare programmes. Universities already work closely with health and social care partners so are well placed to respond to providers’ needs.

The @nmcnews has been asked by @MattHancock to introduce emergency standards to allow final year nursing students to enter paid placements. The decision to use this provision will be a matter for national governments.

In England, #universities will work with service partners to decide whether paid placements should be introduced for their students. Where this is implemented locally, students will be given the choice to opt-in or retain supernumerary status.

We fully support the decision to give individual universities oversight of these arrangements.