HEE and NHSE/I developing new, innovative imaging and endoscopy academies

Health Education England (HEE) and NHS England and Improvement (NHSE/I) have been working across the Midlands during 2021/2 to develop new, innovative imaging and endoscopy academies.

The Academies will provide multi-professional environments where training and education of the future workforce is the primary focus, maximising the expertise of experienced educators and supervisors across a broad patch. The overall aim is to increase the number of learners transitioning to the workforce, utilising the Academy model to:

• increase training capacity;
• provide a high quality and enhanced training experience; and
• accelerate learning to independent practice.

The pace of Academy development has been rapid and following a successful procurement exercise we have identified the systems and trusts who will work with us to implement the academies. This procurement built on the model identified by colleagues for a ‘hub and spoke’ delivery in Autumn 2021, where ‘spokes’ provide a support network across the whole region to a centralised ‘hub’. HEE and NHSE/I are providing investment and support over the coming months to install the infrastructure needed for the academies to succeed.

Imaging Academies

• DREaM Academy hubs will be based in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.
• Imaging Academy hubs will be based at University Hospitals North Midlands/Keele University and Birmingham City University
• Imaging Academy spokes will be based at University of Derby and University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire

Endoscopy Academies

• Endoscopy Academy hubs will be based at Royal Wolverhampton Trust and Nottingham University Hospitals and Sherwood Forest Hospitals
• Endoscopy Academy spokes will be based at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital, Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust, George Eliot Hospital, Kettering General Hospital, and University Hospitals Leicester.

The successful bids demonstrated a mix of existing and planned innovative practice, a commitment to multi-professional learning, a roadmap to delivering immersive training and a drive to creating necessary positive impact on the cancer and diagnostic workforce.

The academy model will be inclusive of all staff roles, from administration, nursing and medical, and is flexible enough to incorporate any innovative new roles developed.

We look forward to working with these sites in the immediate future, and other sites across the region as the academy model develops.

We realise that, to succeed, the Imaging and Endoscopy Academies requires great leadership and we are currently seeking academy leads to work with us. These roles are currently advertised for Imaging and Endoscopy, with a closing date of Thursday 24 March.