The Institution That Wasn't: The birth, short life, and death of the British National Health Service University

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.