Majority of LETBs authorised with conditions by Health Education England

Nine of the 13 boards have been authorised by HEE with conditions setting out demands the national organisation expects them to meet.

All 13 boards, which will deliver workforce planning, education and training across England, have been authorised by HEE with some less serious developmental areas they need to address.

Kent, Surrey and Sussex is the only board to be given a restrictive condition, which will involve HEE monitoring board meetings to ensure it meets monthly and reports regularly.

A framework for board authorisation was agreed by the government in September and many of the conditions imposed by HEE reflect the relative-immaturity of the new arms-length bodies, which - while part of HEE - will operate independently in their local areas.

Conditions, imposed on the boards for Yorkshire and the Humber, Thames Valley, the North West and the North East, involve appointing senior managers to key roles such as director of education and quality, or finance.

A total of 11 conditions across the 13 boards relate to strategic plans and the memoranda of understanding which need to be signed off in the next few months. Two conditions require Kent Surrey and Sussex and Thames Valley to secure long-term accommodation.

All 13 boards, which include a greater opportunity for providers to influence workforce planning, are in the process of submitting revised workforce and investment strategies for the next five years.

This follows the confirmation of their allocations as part of Health Education England’s £5.5bn budget.

HEE is waiting for its final mandate from the government which is expected this month.

Nicki Latham, operations director at HEE said: “The whole system is in state of flux and needs time to settle down. This is a developmental process and we wanted the LETBs to be aspirational in what they are doing.

“Some of the conditions are to do with the transition into the new system and the time to do all of this has been pretty quick. We have been doing it at a pace and there are some areas where it has been more complex to unbundle.

“I am confident of a safe transition, I think we have demonstrated that and we have 96 per cent of staff in place now. We wouldn’t have authorised them if we weren’t confident they could do the job.”

Alison Crombie, director of education and quality at the Kent, Surrey and Sussex LETB said the conditions imposed by HEE reflected the early stage most LETBs were at in their development.

She said: “It looks worse than it is and I think we have more than met [the conditions] now.

“We are a new organisation and there will be a learning curve.

“I am confident in the LETBs ability to do its job but I am not naïve and it will depend on the resources that are made available and the ability of organisations to work together.”