Universities are ready to help with Labour¡¯s plans to fix the NHS but are being hampered by a ¡°broken¡± funding model, the chair of the body representing medical schools has said.

Steve Riley, newly elected chair of the Medical Schools Council (MSC), said the subsidy provided for healthcare subjects is ¡°insufficient¡± while universities¡¯ efforts to cut costs are showing signs of impacting medical training.

Labour released its 10-year plan for England¡¯s NHS in July, with ministers expected to lean on universities as part of plans to expand medical school places and ¡°overhaul¡± education and training curricula to ¡°future-proof the NHS workforce¡±.

Riley, also pro vice?chancellor of Cardiff University¡¯s College of Biomedical and Life Sciences, welcomed the proposals, saying medical schools are ¡°ready to play a leading role in delivering the new vision for the NHS¡±.?

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¡°It¡¯s an ambitious plan,¡± Riley said. ¡°We have a huge amount of experience¡­that can translate the 10-year health plan to prepare future medical students to drive that reform in the NHS.¡±

However, as both the NHS and universities face?mounting financial problems, supporting the government¡¯s ambitions is becoming harder, he warned.

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¡°Healthcare subjects are high-cost subjects to deliver. The subsidy that we get is insufficient to meet the needs of being able to train the highest-quality students,¡± Riley said, describing the current funding model as ¡°broken¡±.

With tuition fees frozen for most of the past 13 years and?research costs increasingly a drain?on institutions¡¯ finances, universities have been cutting back on staff and other costs.

¡°It¡¯s hard then to prioritise the government agenda, which is to improve the health of the nation, reduce the health inequalities, to improve the economy,¡± he said.

¡°So there is a bit of a circular argument here in being able to do all of the things that the government has the ambition to do.¡±

Riley¡¯s own institution, Cardiff, announced plans at the start of the year to?shut its nursing school?as part of a large-scale restructure, but the?university?eventually rowed back on the decision.?

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¡°What we¡¯ve actually managed to do is come up with a sustainable nursing programme that takes account of the numbers and the finances,¡± he said. ¡°There are innovative ways we can approach the problem, but it still needs support from government.¡±

During his three-year tenure as chair, Riley said he hopes to strengthen the relationship between the NHS and higher education.?

This includes advocating for clinical academics, doctors who combine clinical work with teaching and research. According to the MSC, these individuals are crucial to translating research into clinical practice, as well as training the next generation of doctors.?

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But, the?body has previously warned, the number of consultants holding clinical academic posts has declined in recent years, as has the number of early-career clinical academics.?

¡°As the funding crisis worsens both in the NHS and in the HE sector, it¡¯s about us being able to prioritise at least some of that money to develop and sustain the clinical academic workforce,¡± Riley said.

¡°It is important that we¡¯re able to support those clinical academics who are going to deliver the changes in medical education, but also translate the 10-year plan into objectives that can guide the way in which we research the needs of and change the way in which we deliver healthcare.?

¡°And that¡¯s why I think [the 10-year plan] is good because it does really focus the mind on reform, and will channel the thoughts of academics and senior leaders both in the [higher education] sector and in the NHS to really go hell for leather and deliver on it.¡±

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helen.packer@timeshighereducation.com