HEE launches new lecture series

Health Education England (HEE) has kicked off the first in a series of thought leadership lectures aimed at providing expert commentary around training and developing the healthcare workforce for patient needs now and for the future. The series is aimed at establishing the organisation’s senior staff as leaders in their respective fields.

In the inaugural lecture ‘The challenges facing today and tomorrow’s health workplace’ run in partnership with the Royal Society of Medicine, HEE’s National Director of Education & Quality and Medical Director, Professor Wendy Reid (pictured with RSM President Mr Babulal Sethia) addressed an audience of nearly 200 students, doctors, policy professionals and members of the public, reflecting on how the medical profession has changed over the last 30 years and some more radical steps that could be taken to promote better flexibility in training.

Professor Reid cited the European Working Time Directive as one of the greatest challenges of her time and called for an end to offering young doctors jobs simply to ‘fill rotas’ so that those outside CCT training programmes feel more valued. She also called for training programme directors or other leaders to promote a more human way of developing professionally – so that doctors can pause, gain experience, reflect for periods of time without there being a ‘myriad of rules and regulations’ and provided the service to patients is maintained.

The recording of the first lecture is now available on HEE’s YouTube channel, while a personal blog from Professor Reid is also available on the HEE website.

Dates for future lectures will be announced shortly on HEE’s website.