Major fault lines are emerging between England and post-devolution Scotland in health and education, Sir Alan Langlands, Vice Chancellor of the University of Dundee and former Chief Executive of the NHS, will tell an invited audience in London on Wednesday (21 May).
Delivering the tenth Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Fellowship lecture for the Nuffield Trust, "Synchronising Higher Education and the NHS", Sir Alan will point to recent policy changes which will mean that divergent routes are taken by the NHS and higher education north and south of the border.
Two important fault lines are emerging the creation of Foundation Hospitals in England and the abolition of NHS Trusts in Scotland and the introduction in 2006 of a new Graduate Contribution Scheme (aka top-up fees) in England and the rejection of this policy by the major political parties in Scotland.
Taken against a backdrop of continuous organisational change, the challenges for synchronising higher education and NHS have never been greater. The link being made between the competence of government and the performance of domestic public services, the speed of advances in science and technology, changes in the burden of disease and the strains induced by balancing the tripartite mission of research, education and patient care all add to the "synchronisation challenge".
But in spite of the range of pressures Sir Alan is optimistic about the future: "Contrary to the expectations of some people I remain largely positive about the overall direction of travel. Higher levels of funding, improved information systems for patient care and research and the way in which more explicit service and professional standards now inform the education of doctors, nurses and the allied health professions are all very positive signs.
Universities and the NHS should spend less time looking upwards and more time working on solutions that meet the health and health service needs of the local population. With the drive to achieve better value for increasing investment in health it is reasonable to challenge the beneficiaries including medical schools to demonstrate the contribution they are making to better health and more effective services."
Widening the discussion even further and drawing on recent personal experiences Sir Alan also said: "Social accountability should not begin and end with medical schools discharging their local responsibilities. There is an urgent need for continuing effort to upgrade the skills and capability of healthcare professionals in the poorer countries of the world. The response from the developed world should not be to recruit from these countries but to provide support. In a world where one child dies from malaria every 30 seconds we cannot afford to sit back."
Sir Alan will suggest nine pointers for meeting the synchronisation challenge. These include building a common understanding of the context in which universities and the NHS are working; making time to look ahead; aligning national and local service priorities and the research portfolios of universities and taking advantage of the autonomy of universities and the devolution of responsibilities in the NHS to focus on local priorities.
Full text available on request from Carol Pope, Communications Director, Principal's Office 01382 348342
By Jenny Marra, Head of Press 01382 344910 j.m.marra@dundee.ac.uk