This report is an adjunct to, and complements, our update of The Clinical Co-Dependencies of Acute Hospital Services report.
Service delivery can never be considered in isolation. Education, training, and research are integral to delivery of quality services and by extension to service change and reconfiguration. This report comes at a time when the NHS has undergone profound changes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and is both recovering and restructuring whilst also responding to significant workforce challenges. We are heavily indebted to those who have contributed to the report’s preparation and review. They have reminded us of the importance of workplace-based learning to diminish the gap between theory and practice, the crucial importance of linking training, education and research to service delivery, and the significant gaps that exist in time, resource, and facilities to support these essential activities. I strongly believe that implementation of recommendations within the report will help address these gaps for the future.