New HEPI and University of East London Report: Rethinking Placement: Increasing Clinical Placement Efficacy for a Sustainable NHS Future

The NHS faces a growing clinical placement crisis that threatens the future of its workforce. A new HEPI and University of East London report calls for bold, system-wide reform to ensure students get the real-world experience they need to deliver safe, high-quality care.

HEPI and the University of East London’s new report, Rethinking Placement: Increasing Clinical Placement Efficacy for a Sustainable NHS Future, which has been published with the support of the Council for Deans of Health, warns that the NHS cannot meet its ambitious workforce goals without bold reform of how students gain real-world experience. Co-authored by Professor Amanda Broderick and Robert Waterson of the University of East London, the report calls for a shift from simply creating more placements to delivering better ones—equitable, flexible, digitally enabled and aligned with the future of healthcare.

Drawing on innovation across London and beyond, the authors propose practical steps including simulation-based learning, new supervision frameworks and community-based models that can expand capacity without compromising quality. With over 106,000 vacancies across secondary care, the report urges policymakers, universities and NHS providers to act now to secure a sustainable, skilled and compassionate workforce for the next decade and beyond.

You can read the press release and access the full report here.