Joint Faculty named a preferred bidder to train nurses and physiotherapists by NHS London

Joint Faculty named a preferred bidder to train nurses and physiotherapists by NHS London 

27 January 2012

The Faculty of Health and Social Care Sciences has been chosen by NHS London as a preferred bidder to train adult nurses and physiotherapists. The Faculty – run jointly by Kingston University and St George’s, University of London – is one of a group of preferred bidders selected to provide education in line with new improved standards.

The announcement comes after a competitive tendering process. Bidders had to prove their ability to meet new quality measures introduced by NHS London last June to ensure high standards of training.

Discussions between the Faculty and NHS London are now taking place to finalise the contract. They are expected to be completed by the end of March.

In a joint statement, St George’s principal Professor Peter Kopelman and Kingston vice-chancellor Professor Julius Weinberg said: “The decision is a tremendous endorsement of the quality of our programmes and our contribution to educating a highly skilled health professional workforce to meet the ever-changing needs of the NHS. 

“At a time when nursing is coming under increasing public scrutiny, it is extremely encouraging to know that our high standards of teaching and training, and the care provided to patients, have been recognised in this way.”

They also congratulated Faculty dean Professor Fiona Ross and her team for “the enormous amount of hard work that went into achieving preferred bidder status”.

NHS London is the country’s first Strategic Health Authority to introduce new standards for nursing and physiotherapy training. Over the past three years, it has monitored closely the performance of health education institutions and other education providers in the capital. It also monitors how much value for money it receives for the total £1.1 billion invested in healthcare education in London every year. In total, NHS London spends £61 million annually on training adult nurses and physiotherapists.