USW wins £20m Welsh health contracts

University of South Wales (USW) has won a multi-million pound contract to continue delivery of healthcare courses over the next ten years.

Starting in September 2022, this will add three new courses to USW’s existing care sciences portfolio: Operating Department Practitioner, Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy.

An invitation to tender for health education across Wales was issued by Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW) in November 2020, following a strategic review of undergraduate health professional education. HEIW has responsibility for ensuring that the people and healthcare professionals of Wales benefit from a cohesive, consistent approach to education and training, and to workforce modernisation and planning.

HEIW has undertaken its largest commissioning process to Higher Education Institutions for the delivery of modern healthcare professional pre-registration education that meets the future needs of NHS services and patients in Wales.

Dr Linda Evans, Dean of USW’s Faculty of Life Sciences and Education said: “The feedback we have received so far indicates that the quality of our submissions was high. This represents a significant development in our health portfolio and is a further step in realising our ambition to be a major provider of health education in Wales.”   

Chris Jones, Chair of HEIW said: “Thank you to everyone involved including stakeholders who helped shape the contracts and in turn the future of healthcare education. We’re looking forward to working with Universities and Health Boards to bring this modern approach to life and equipping students with the skills, knowledge and experience to embark on successful and fulfilling careers.”