1. Changing funding arrangements for physiotherapy education in England
- with a particular focus on practice education
Dr. Sally Gosling
CSP Practice & Development –
Assistant Director

2. CSP Council-agreed position (Dec.2015)
CSP Council recognises the opportunity to grow the physiotherapy profession afforded by the planned shift to the tuition fee/student loan model in England.
Through working with others, we are strongly committed to safeguarding the following across the UK:
Entry to the profession from all parts of society
Supply to the profession to deliver high-quality patient care
The quality of education, including practice-based learning as a key part of students’ learning experience.

3. Key issues to address and risks to mitigate
Current:
Workforce commissioning and investment decisions - addressing the shortfalls in physiotherapy workforce supply; optimising physiotherapy’s potential as a workforce solution; ensuring security of workforce supply, including during transition
Under new arrangements:
Student finance/graduate employment arrangements that promote and enable entry to the profession from all parts of society
Upholding education quality – including practice-based learning capacity to sustain quality and increase workforce supply

4. Progression since the comprehensive spending review (CSR)
DH consultation exercise (April – June)
First-stage DH response (July)
Second-stage DH response (due in the autumn)
Allocation of funding to HEFCE to enable transition to new arrangements in 2017/18
Reference to healthcare subjects in guidance to HEIs re. access agreements

5. What we know now – positive elements of the DH consultation response
Student support:
Recognition of the particular demands of practice education
Recognition of the nature of postgraduate pre-reg. programmes
Confirmation healthcare students studying for a second undergraduate degree will be eligible for a second student loan
Confirmation of interim support for part-time students in 2017/18
Additional financial support for students with dependants
Wider issues:
Strong emphasis on the importance of monitoring and evaluating the impact of the new arrangements
Recognition of the value of achieving consistency in funding arrangements across different professional groups

6. Less positive/uncertain elements of the consultation response
Little focus on achieving/accountability for 10k student increase by 2020
NHS-funded Master’s places for 2017/18 to be capped at 2016/17 levels
Clarity on arrangements for pre-registration Master’s places for 2018/19 due to be in second-stage response in the autumn
HEE to be responsible for ‘placement commissioning’ for 2017/18, but lack of clarity re. how HEE will ensure ‘the minimum number of placements’
Lack of clarity re. practice education tariff arrangements from 2018/19
Stakeholder events now running in the autumn; clarity due in second-stage response

7. Outside the scope of the DH consultation and response
How HEFCE funding arrangements will work/how funding will be allocated (focus of costing exercise)
The potential impact of/interface of funding changes with the apprenticeship agenda
Broader ‘systems architecture’ issues – e.g. the impact for physiotherapy education of the teaching excellence framework (TEF) and future research excellence framework exercises (REF)
The publication of guidance on 2016/17 practice education tariff arrangements - 2% reduction, but emphasis on funding following students onto placements in any sector/setting

8. Emergent focuses
Ensuring a safe transition – 2017/18 as an interim year
Engaging with new funding arrangements - costing exercise for programme delivery/consideration of strategic investment funding for healthcare education
Taking account of broader context – e.g. apprenticeships, university sector developments, institutional strategies/plans, cross-border issues, HCPC standards update, referendum outcome, other country-specific developments
Managing uncertainty and optimising opportunities – including to safeguard student recruitment, education quality and workforce supply

9. Entry to the profession
Promoting
- Up-to-date image
- Career development
opportunities
- To key audiences at key
points
Widening participation/
promoting social mobility
Promoting physiotherapy as a career
Fair student finance arrangements
Difference modes of entry?
Engaging with
HEI-wide initiatives
Understanding the
impact/trends relating
to tuition fees and emergent
risks and issues
Reflecting the costs /
patterns of study of
physiotherapy students
Part-time routes?
Fewer postgraduate routes?
Degree-level apprenticeships?
‘Added value’ routes?

10. Managing education relevance, quality and capacity
CSP quality assurance & enhancement
role – optimising value, currency and
Influence
Changing HEI context
Increasing competition
Research [REF]
Learning & teaching [TEF]
Business/strategic plans
Optimising responsiveness to changing need
Positioning within HEIs
Resourcing
New providers/
provision
Practice education
Quality
Sufficiency
Diversity
HEIs
Practice education
Students
More providers?
Alternative providers?
Different types of provision?
Changing population & patient needs
New models of care
Changing workforce requirements

11. Workforce supply Addressing the current shortfall in workforce numbers
Minimising volatility
Realistic timelines
for applicants/programme
providers
Addressing the current shortfall in workforce numbers
Ensuring a safe transition
Moderating market forces
‘Pipeline’ challenges?
Upholding quality,
including through
regulatory requirements/
CSP expectations
Changes to programmes,
including length?
Aligning
supply with
demand
Apprenticeship agenda

12. Practice education as a specific focus
How can we develop and use CSP messages to
Achieve member and organisational engagement in educating future members of the profession/workforce?
Support collaboration/enact shared solutions across the membership
Ensure practice education is seen and valued as everyone’s business?