Education outcomes framework

The Department of Health (DH) has responsibility for setting the education and training outcomes for the system as a whole.

Health Education England is responsible for setting up a new system that can produce the flexible workforce we need to address future challenges, that aspires to excellence in training as well as a better educational experience for all staff (including trainees and students), and is supported by a fair and responsive funding system.

The Education Outcomes Framework and HEE's approach to quality will directly link education and learning to improvements in patients' outcomes. By providing a clear line of sight and improvement to patient outcomes, it will help address variation in standards and ensure excellence in innovation through high quality education and training.

Work is currently underway to develop indicators which will help measure delivery against these outcomes.

The five high level domains of the Education Outcomes Framework are identified in the guidance document From Design to Delivery published in January 2012, and outlined below:

Excellent education: Education and training is commissioned and provided to the highest standards, ensuring learners have an excellent experience and that all elements of education and training are delivered in a safe environement for patients, staff and learners.

Competent and capable staff: There are sufficient health staff educated and trained, aligned to service and changing care needs, to ensure that people are cared for by staff who are properly indcuted, trained and qualified, who have the required knowledge and skills to do the jobs the service needs, whilst working effectively in a team.

Adaptable and flexible workforce: The workforce is educated to be responsive to innovation and new technologies with knowledge about best practice, research and innovation, that promotes adoption and dissemination of better quality service delivery to reduce variability and poor practice.

NHS values and behaviours: Healthcare staff have the necessary compassion, values and behaviours to provide person centred care and enhance the quality of the patient experience through education, training and regular Continuing Personal and Professional Development (CPPD), that instils respect for patients.

Widening participation: Talent and leadership flourishes free from discrimination with fair opportunities to progress and everyone can participate to fulfil their potential, recognising individual as well as group differences, treating people as individuals, and placing positive value on diversity in the workforce and there are opportunities to progress across the five leadership framework domains.