NHS education leader joins Essex as Honorary Professor

NHS Regional Director of Workforce, Training and Education in the East of England has been appointed as an Honorary Professor at the University of Essex.

Phil Carver will engage with staff and students in the School of Health and Social Care and the wider University to share his knowledge and expertise in the healthcare sector.

The University of Essex, is a centre of excellence for health education and training, The School of Health and Social Care and the School of Sport, Rehabilitation and Exercise Sciences are delivering a portfolio of undergraduate courses including degree apprenticeships which are developing the NHS workforce of the future from nursing to physiotherapy with a range of postgraduate courses and CPD supporting the further development of existing NHS staff.

Phil’s portfolio covers the multi professional workforce agenda including medical education and training, quality, integrated planning, innovation, and people and culture. Phil is also the National Workforce, Training and Education Senior Responsible Officer for Cancer and Diagnostics, encompassing the National School of Healthcare Science, and Genomics.

Professor Victoria Joffe, Dean of Integrated Health and Care Partnerships at Essex, said: “We are delighted on the appointment of Phil Carver as honorary professor at Essex and are very much looking forward to working with him closely on workforce development and training for the future health and care workforce and in supporting the existing workforce. Our staff and students will greatly benefit from his substantial expertise and knowledge in the healthcare sector. We are entering a period of exceptional change in the NHS and we want to ensure the University of Essex is doing everything it can to meet the needs of the NHS in terms of education and workforce development. We hope Phil will also enjoy connecting with our many educators and researchers.”

Phil said: "I'm delighted to be joining the University of Essex as an Honorary Professor. This role will allow me to share my NHS experience and knowledge to further play my part in helping to train and develop the NHS workforce of the future."

The University of Essex is leading multiple innovative projects supporting workforce development including:

• The Centre for Healthcare Science is building on the excellent work already underway in the East of England to develop new courses in other areas of healthcare science, encourage school students to consider healthcare science roles through outreach activities, and support current NHS staff by offering additional Continuing Professional Development courses in new areas.
• Health, Wellbeing and Care Hub was established with the support of NHS England and in collaboration with our regional NHS Integrated Care Boards as a centre of excellence in health and care-related research, clinical practice and workforce development. The Hub offers a range of community-facing services, student placement opportunities, workforce development, training and research. The Hub offers face-to-face and online services to maximise accessibility and impact.
• The University of Essex is providing research training and engagement programmes as part of the National Institute for Health and Care Research’s £34.9m INSIGHT: Inspiring Students into Research scheme. The three-year scheme will support fully-funded Research Masters places to train-up those new to research. Essex is the lead organisation in the East of England and will offer 90 research training masters places across three years alongside partner institution, the University of Hertfordshire. They will work together to help students and those at early career stages to access the full range of research careers, from research delivery to academic.
• The University of Essex’s Institute for Public Health and Wellbeing (IPHW) has been awarded £2.5 million by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) to bolster research into mental health across Essex, Southend and Thurrock. The award covers a five-year project which will see the research team work with the local community and mental health care providers in the region to understand what improvements can be made.