CNO Safe Staffing Fellowship Academic Partner

Tender description

NHS England designed the Chief Nursing Officer's (CNO) Safer Staffing Fellowship, a Masters Level workforce planning, delivery and assurance programme currently accredited by Birmingham City University, to support our vision of embedding a sustainable, consistent approach to safer staffing in our NHS in England. Ensuring evidence-based decision-making and governance on safe and effective staffing is fundamental for all NHS organisations. Strong support to Trusts and Executive Directors in achieving this is essential. The CNO Safer Staffing Fellowship is a robust educational programme to provide this support to NHS organisations and is taught to Masters level by expert academics and practitioners. As our contract with Birmingham City University ends on 31 March 2026 (BC-15783), this business case concerns the procurement of academic partnership services by an appropriate institute of higher education so that the Fellowship can continue to educate and support senior nurses and midwives on safer, sustainable, effective and productive staffing. In accordance with the academic timelines of this programme, NHSE CNO safer staffing faculty will commence recruitment to the new cohorts in July 2025. This recruitment process requires completion of the tender process and confirmation of an academic partner, which can only begin after approval of this business case. A Gantt chart detailing the programme timeline is attached, which highlights the time constraints regarding this process. The risk of not continuing with an accredited fellowship, is that the current fellows/ senior nurses & midwives who have started the programme will not be able to progress further. We would also not be able to meet the CNO ambition of having a safer staffing fellow in each Trust in England. This is a highly valued and recognised programme within the NHS, with a high level of applicants each year. To not continue the accredited programme would mean the loss of this network of existing safer staffing experts established over 6 years, no further educational provision for senior nurses & midwives supporting Board Directors to ensure safe and effective staffing processes within organisations and potential reputational damage to NHS Trusts across England