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NHS Educator Workforce Programme
Supporting and developing educators for the NHS
Educators are the backbone of healthcare education and training delivering vital learning experiences in universities and colleges as well as across the frontline—in NHS hospitals, neighbourhood hubs, general practices, dental practices, community pharmacies, clinics and community services. Every day, thousands of dedicated educator colleagues work alongside the staff they train, combining clinical knowledge with educational expertise to deliver practice learning.
By investing in our educators and the environments they work in today, we're investing in the quality of patient care now and tomorrow. Their work shapes our current and future workforce, ensuring NHS staff receive the training, supervision and support they need to deliver excellent care to the patients and communities they serve.
About the programme
High-quality education and training are vital to delivering safe, effective patient care in today's NHS and will be even more critical for meeting tomorrow's healthcare needs. Our future NHS workforce depends on having enough skilled educators, in services and education institutions, in organisational cultures where they can thrive.
The Educator Workforce Programme (EWP) was created to deliver the Educator Workforce Strategy (published March 2023). The programme works to value, expand and develop the NHS educator workforce across all professions and settings. This includes building organisational cultures where educators have protected time, resources and recognition in workforce planning.
The programme encourages environments where educators can develop through clear career paths, build their capabilities, feel valued for their contribution and maintain their wellbeing. We want the NHS to be an inclusive workplace that welcomes diversity and innovation as well as grow and retain our talented educators.
This national programme is a key priority within NHS England's Workforce, Training and Education Directorate, supporting the 10-Year Health Plan for the NHS.
It brings colleagues together to strengthen healthcare education across England, working closely with many partners to ensure success, including:
- healthcare regulators
- professional councils
- education providers
- students and learners
- social care organisations
- NHS employer organisations
- professional bodies
- government departments
- partners across the UK
By collaborating across all healthcare professions and settings throughout England, we're building a stronger workforce for now and in the future.
While the NHS Educator Workforce Strategy focuses primarily on educators in NHS delivered services, the programme is also creating valuable partnerships with social care, universities and further education colleges. This will ensure there are expertise across all settings to create stronger connections between clinical and academic teaching environments.
What the programme aims to do
The Educator Workforce Programme will work to:
- ensure we have enough high-quality educators to train and develop our current and future NHS workforce
- ensure education and training is recognised as fundamental to safe, effective care, with educators integrated into NHS service planning and delivery
- build an educator workforce that reflects the diversity of healthcare professionals and the communities they serve
- increase visibility and understanding of the crucial contribution educators make across the NHS
- help NHS staff recognise and develop their educator skills
- create clear career paths for educators
- ensure educators have protected time and resources to teach and develop their skills
- promote wellbeing and equality, diversity and inclusion in healthcare education
- ensure that all educators feel included and are treated equitably
- support innovative teaching methods and technology
8 educator programme priorities
The programme focuses on 8 key priorities:
1. educator roles in planning - making sure educators are included in all workforce planning
2, protected time - ensuring educators have dedicated time and resources for their role
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career frameworks - creating clear career paths for all educators
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support and development - providing training and wellbeing support for educators
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educator principles - ensuring consistent standards for education are implemented across the nhs
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equality, diversity and inclusion - building a diverse educator workforce that represents our communities
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innovation - developing new teaching methods and digital learning approaches
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benefits and impact - demonstrating the tangible value that educators bring to the nhs
The term ‘Educator’
We use 'Educator' as an inclusive term encompassing all roles involved in healthcare workforce development across all settings.
This definition recognises that education and training occur in diverse environments including universities, clinical settings, and across both regulated and non-regulated healthcare professions, at pre- and post-registration levels.
While different professions use varied terminology (workplace supervisors, assessors, practice educators, clinical supervisors, faculty members, preceptorship leads, educational supervisors, etc.), all these individuals share a crucial responsibility: supporting healthcare workforce development through education, supervision, and assessment to ensure patient safety and high-quality care.
