Healthcare Strand

The Department of Health (DoH), Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) and HEFCE are jointly funding a programme of activity to widen access to the healthcare professions. The three funders are providing £1.8 million per year through Aimhigher partnerships to support projects that address access and diversity issues affecting entrants to the healthcare professions, who may include applicants from the existing NHS workforce. Area partnerships need to involve strategic health authorities in their plans for the healthcare strand.

The healthcare strand supports the aim that the healthcare professions should better reflect the wider population through widening participation. The opportunity to enter HE for the healthcare professions should be open to anyone who has the potential, regardless of their background.

The objectives are:

• To raise aspirations and motivation to enter HE relevant to the healthcare professions among young people in schools, further education and workplace learning, who are from under-represented groups and who have the potential for a career in healthcare.

• To raise the attainment of potential recruits to healthcare professions, who are from under-represented groups, so that they gain the academic or vocational qualifications and learning skills that will enable them to enter HE courses relevant to healthcare.

• To strengthen progression routes into HE via vocational courses, including Apprenticeships, whether they are delivered in schools, colleges or the workplace.

• To raise the aspirations and motivation of existing NHS employees to enter HE courses relevant to the healthcare professions.

The healthcare strand is currently funded to July 2010. HEFCE will be working with Aimhigher partnerships to develop high quality evidence of impact to inform decisions on any future funding beyond July 2010. Possible impact measures for the healthcare strand can be viewed in the below document.