Council of Deans of Health unveils key findings on educator challenges and opportunities

The Council of Deans of Health has published two Academic Educator Workforce Survey reports following extensive research undertaken in August 2024 into the state of the academic educator workforce across nursing, midwifery and the allied health professions (AHPs) in the UK’s universities and colleges.

The Council of Deans of Health represents the UK’s strategic academic leaders in healthcare education and research.

The two reports present a comprehensive analysis of the challenges and opportunities shaping the future of the educator workforce in these critical fields. Drawing on the experiences of university educators across nursing, midwifery and the AHPs, the reports identify challenges, barriers and facilitators in recruitment, retention and career development.

The findings reveal several key factors affecting the educator workforce, including wider sector financial sustainability challenges, pressures to increase student and apprenticeship numbers, team profiles and skills gaps. The reports explore how these factors are impacting curriculum delivery, the administrative workload and shortfalls in educator recruitment.

In addition to recruitment, the reports examine staff retention and career development, highlighting the implications for staff retention and a loss of experience, at a time when health education is becoming ever more complex. They examine leadership profiles and their impact on programme planning and support, as well as opportunities for career progression.

The reports set out strategic actions aimed at improving educator capacity and embedding a sustainable academic educator strategy across the sector. These recommendations are designed to be scalable and adaptable, offering a practical roadmap for institutions and stakeholders to address workforce challenges collaboratively and effectively.

Key recommendations include: 

• Promote the diversity of opportunities and roles for academic educators in health care and highlight success stories of academic leaders to attract more health professionals to careers in education.
• Encourage universities to provide structured pathways for career progression, ensuring that educators have clear opportunities for advancement and professional growth.
• Support partnerships between universities and practice partners to co-produce solutions to enable more flexible contracts and working arrangements for staff in academia and clinical practice.
• Provide clear guidance on workload management and set realistic expectations for both students and staff.

Ed Hughes, CEO at the Council of Deans of Health, said: “A sustainable and properly supported academic workforce is essential to providing the health care professionals of the future. Our research, based on extensive feedback from our members, highlights the pressures which they face in recruiting, retaining and supporting academic staff in nursing, midwifery and the allied health professions. It’s vital that we work together with health and education system leaders, employers and funders to address these challenges.

Our recommendations point towards a joined-up approach to align the incentives to attract and retain academic educators. We will continue working with our members to support them to educate the next generation of health professionals, equipping students to work in new ways in a rapidly changing world.”