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The institution that wasn’t: the British National Health Service University

Taylor, S.; Bell, E.; Grugulis, I.; Storey, J.

Authors

S. Taylor

E. Bell

I. Grugulis

J. Storey



Abstract

This report presents a detailed account of a major educational initiative in the British health service, the organisation with the largest workforce in Europe. The initiative was to set up a ‘university for the National Health Service’, an aspiration that gave birth to ‘NHSU’. Work began in 2001, but the project ended abruptly in 2005. This paper is based on the analysis of a series of in-depth interviews with senior managerial staff and a review of policy documents. Our analysis explores both the political and the organisational aspects of NHSU. We conclude that two aspects of the initiative are key to understanding its demise: its politically-led nature and its challenge to the idea of a ‘university’. Finally, we attempt to draw conclusions from the experience of NHSU to inform other state-sponsored education and training interventions.

Citation

Taylor, S., Bell, E., Grugulis, I., & Storey, J. (2007). The institution that wasn’t: the British National Health Service University. [No known commissioning body]

Report Type Project Report
Online Publication Date Nov 30, 2007
Publication Date Nov 30, 2007
Deposit Date Jan 7, 2011
Public URL https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1608399
Publisher URL http://www.obhe.ac.uk/documents/view_details?id=23
Additional Information Journal Name: The Observatory on Borderless Higher Education Report.
Publisher: Observatory on Borderless Higher Education
Type: monograph
Subtype: project_report

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