HEE supporting returners to work in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic

Health Education England today pledges its support in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. The NHS is about to face the greatest global health threat in its history and will need as many qualified staff as possible to come back to help care for patients. As well as contributing to efforts for former registered nurses and others to return, HEE is supporting the “Your NHS Needs you” campaign in a number of other ways:

• We have agreed to immediately release all of our amazing Nursing and AHP colleagues at HEE who are able to contribute to the pandemic response and offer their skills and expertise to the frontline
• HEE has encouraged trainees working in academic or research to come back to support the clinical frontline, and all those involved in research have committed to reducing the impact on individual academic work
• Working with our medical trainee doctors so they can provide as much assistance as possible
• Developed a programme of e-learning resources for the NHS specifically in response to the pandemic
• Simulation centres will be made available to support staff building capability across a range of areas, including use of PPE and airway management

These plans are part of the extensive work to date to prepare the NHS to provide expert care for the likely health effects of the Covid-19 pandemic

Professor Wendy Reid, Director Quality and Education and Medical Director said:

“HEE is working with partners including the devolved nations, GMC, NMC, NHSE&I and Universities to ensure we are doing everything we safely can to maximise the contribution current students and trainees can and will make to frontline services and dealing with the COVID-19 outbreak. We recognise and value the significant contribution all our healthcare learners, including doctors in training, make to the delivery of care for patients. We recognise and value the significant contribution all our healthcare learners, including doctors in training, make to the delivery of care for patients. I I pledge my sincere thanks and support to all NHS staff and our learners all over the upcoming weeks and months.”

Mark Radford, Chief Nurse, Health Education England said:

“I am so proud of the nursing and midwifery teams across England who are now facing a huge challenge in response to the pandemic and we will do all that we can to support our trainees strengthen the frontline. I want thank our amazing nurse and AHP colleagues across HEE who will immediately be released to volunteer and support the NHS at this time with their skills and expertise.”

HEE will be monitoring where trainees are needed to support outside of their trainee role and will liaise closely with our education providers.  We will do everything we can to reduce the impact on learning and training progression.

Further detail can be found here https://www.hee.nhs.uk/coronavirus-covid-19

e-learning resources - www.e-lfh.org.uk/coronavirus