Healthcare Education Directorate
The formation of the Academic Health Science Centre (AHSC) has given us the opportunity to develop an organisation in which healthcare education is regarded as a priority alongside clinical service and research. The aim is to develop a highly educated, skilled and motivated workforce and establish an internationally competitive programme of postgraduate and post-qualification healthcare education.
To achieve this we will:
• Create a learning environment to deliver safe and effective patient care
• Support the development of research skills in our workforce
• Create an environment in which innovation thrives
• Ensure adequate financial resources for education and accountability of the use of external funding sources
• Significantly enhance the profile of education
• Work with patients and the public to improve educational outcomes
• Develop partnerships and enhance our reputation as an education provider
The Education Directorate was developed at the time of formation of the AHSC in order to promote excellence in education, and create a supportive learning culture to enable the AHSC deliver the highest quality clinical research and patient care. The Directorate is run by a small team led by the Director of Education and Associate Director of Education and this section of our website explains our purpose and key working relationships.
The Healthcare Education Directorate’s mission is to deliver the Trust’s Education Strategy so that it is aligned to the AHSC strategy, other population responsive healthcare initiatives, and the emergent strategy for healthcare within London. Our team aims to position the AHSC to deliver excellence by adequate focus on educational governance and leading edge performance, and raise the profile of education within the AHSC, in London, nationally and internationally.
Heads of Education have been appointed within each Clinical Programme Group (our business units) who are responsible for education quality within their area. We support multi-professional education through the professional leads, educational governance structures and the Imperial College Health Science Academy (IC HSA).
Healthcare Education Directorate Structure
Quality assurance resources in healthcare education
Quality assurance is about setting, maintaining and improving the quality of healthcare education so that it matches the expectations of the public, employers and healthcare professional bodies and may include statutory requirements. The quality is then monitored to maintain the standards set and to make ongoing improvements. QA is multi-faceted and can be undertaken internally or via external agencies as described below:
| Process | Undertaken by |
| Internal quality assurance processes | The Trust and any relevant partner university / colleges / awarding bodies, including external examiners, and internal validation and review of programmes |
| Institutional-level quality review | Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) |
| Institutional-level quality review | Professional and statutory bodies |
| Research assessment | Funding bodies using peer review - the Research Assessment Exercise |
When developing and designing education programmes use this diagnostic tool to help frame QA requirements
Useful websites for QA and health professions educational standards
General Medical Council
• Undergraduate
• Postgraduate
• CPD
• Royal Pharmaceutical Society
• Health Professions Council Standards of Education and Training Guidance (2009)
NHS Litigation Authority
• Risk Management Standards
NHS London
• Education Commissioning
• Nursing & Midwifery Council
Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education
• QAA assuring standards and quality replaces codes of practice
• QAA Codes of Practice
Skills for Health
• Competences and National Occupational Standards