Health Education England (HEE) and the NHS Leadership Academy have launched a new pilot scheme for graduate trainee placements in urgent and emergency care systems.
The pilot, which launched last week, saw four graduates from the Leadership Academy’s Graduate Management Training Scheme (GMTS) start a two-year long programme on 13 September.
The programme – as part of which the graduates will work in ambulance trusts and emergency departments in the North West and Yorkshire and Humber regional health systems – hopes to develop the right level of leadership needed in the ambulance service and improve patients’ experience.
According to HEE, graduates will embark on three placements during the scheme, lasting two, 10 and 12 months respectively.
During this time they will go through a 20-day orientation into the NHS local health economy, and a two-month placement in areas such as the police or local government, among other elements.
HEE chief executive Professor Ian Cumming said: ‘I am delighted that Health Education England and the NHS Leadership Academy are at the forefront of this new pilot scheme. The programme is a fantastic opportunity for graduates who demonstrate the leadership values and commitment associated with providing outstanding patient-centred care.’
He added that the graduates will be fully supported in their studies and career progression.
The Leadership Academy’s GMTS, which has been running since 1956, ranked 7th in the 2018/19 edition of The Guardian’s annual survey of the 300 employers most popular with graduates, just a few months after it was announced that it would be increasing its list of graduates from 150 to 200 this year, with the aim of hitting 500 by 2020.
The new scheme came out of NHS Improvement’s Ambulance Improvement Programme, a joint effort between NHS Improvement and NHS England.
The initiative has the support of partners including NHS Employers, NHS Providers, Health Education England and the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives.
Mark Radford, director of nursing for NHS Improvement said the new pilot is an ‘opportunity to develop leadership talent and innovation from the ground up’.
