Health Care Education: The Challenge of the Market

Sometime in the 1980s, Norbert Singer, the then Director of Thames Polytechnic, became interested in the idea of becoming involved in nurse educa­ tion. Project 2000 had been published. In those days, there were three qualified nurses in the Polytechnic: all in the School of Post Compulsory Education and Training, and all involved in the training of nurse tutors. Knowing this, he tele­ phoned the Head of School: 'Take an interest in this', he said, 'Let's see how far it can go'. Singer had perceived the possibility of a new market - a major oppor­ tunity for his institution. Whereas we had been active in various minor collabor­ ations before, after that telephone call the development of health care education became a strategic priority. Now Thames Polytechnic is the University of Greenwich. We have a Faculty of Health with P2000 and 100+ staff; a major interest in physiotherapy training through a national agreement with the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy; the UK's first operational ENB Higher Award with Princess Alexandra and Newham College of Nursing and Midwifery and 1000+ students working for Greenwich awards through Nursing Times Open Learning. These developments are indicative of the scale and scope of recent changes in health care education.