What the New NHS Educator Development Guide Means for You
NHS England has published a new framework setting out 9 core capability areas for anyone with an educational role in healthcare. Here's what it covers, who it's for, and what educators in universities, trusts and colleges need to know.
In August 2026, NHS England published Educator Development Fundamentals, a guide designed to bring a consistent structure to how educators across the NHS workforce are developed, recognised and supported.
The guide responds to a problem many educators will recognise: the breadth of an educational role in healthcare, whether that's teaching, supervision, assessment, preceptorship or mentorship, often goes unrecognised. Educator Development Fundamentals sets out to change that by describing, in practical terms, what good and excellent educational practice looks like.
It was developed by NHS England working with partners, and applies across all professions, settings and career stages, from those newly stepping into an educational role through to established leaders in education.
What is Educator Development Fundamentals?
Educator Development Fundamentals is a framework published by NHS England on 20 August 2026, setting out 9 core capability areas for anyone with an educational role in healthcare. It applies across all professions, settings and career stages, covering roles such as teaching, supervision, assessment, preceptorship and mentorship.
For each area, it describes the behaviours expected of an effective educator and those that mark out excellent practice. It is designed to support reflection and development rather than serve as a compliance checklist, and is intended to be used alongside existing professional standards.
What the Guide Covers
At its core, the guide describes 9 capability areas that span the full scope of an educator's role:
For each area, the guide sets out two tiers of behaviour: those expected of an effective educator, and those that mark out an excellent educator. Behaviours most relevant to those new to an educational role are also flagged separately, giving early-career educators a clear starting point rather than the full breadth of an area at once.
Importantly, NHS England is explicit that the 9 areas are not a checklist. They're designed to support reflection, discussion and development, and the ordering doesn't reflect priority. Educators are encouraged to identify which behaviours are most relevant to their current role rather than working through the guide sequentially.
Who the Guide Is For
The guide is written for anyone with an educational role in healthcare, across all professions and settings. NHS England highlights three groups who can put it to use:
- Educators, to identify development areas, structure their educational role and evidence their contribution to education and training.
- Employers and providers, to support workforce development, recognise good practice, and identify development opportunities for staff with educational responsibilities.
- Commissioners, to inform service specifications and performance measures that recognise the role educators play.
The guide is designed to sit alongside existing professional standards, not replace them. It also points to a broad range of evidence educators can use to demonstrate the behaviours in practice, from learner surveys and 360-degree feedback to CPD records and case studies of supporting learners who needed additional help.
Why This Matters for Educators Now
Two of the 9 areas will be of particular interest to anyone delivering simulation-based education. Area 4 (teaching and facilitating learning) explicitly names simulation as a technology-enhanced learning tool educators should be able to integrate into practice, while Area 9 (digital skills and capabilities) sets out expectations for using digital tools and platforms confidently, and for excellent educators, designing and delivering training using virtual reality and simulation models.
For universities and NHS Trusts managing large cohorts of medical, nursing and allied health professional students, the guide offers a shared language for educator development that can inform appraisal conversations, workforce planning, and how educator contribution is recognised and valued.
Elsewhere in the UK
Educator Development Fundamentals has been published by NHS England and applies to healthcare education in England only. Other nations across the UK don't currently offer a direct equivalent to this new guide, though each has relevant work underway:
- If you are a health educator in Wales: HEIW's Education Strategy sets out Wales's approach to developing its healthcare workforce, with a dedicated education strategy in development.
- If you are a health educator in Scotland: NHS Education for Scotland is repurposing Turas Learn educational resources to widen their reach across the health educator workforce.
- If you are a health educator in Northern Ireland: the Clinical Education Centre (CEC) is the relevant body for clinical education and training.
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Read the Full Guide
Educator Development Fundamentals is available in full on the NHS England website, including detailed behaviours for each of the 9 capability areas.
NHS England. (2026). Educator Development Fundamentals. August 2026.
Health Education and Improvement Wales. HEIW Education Strategy.
NHS Education for Scotland. Repurposing Turas Learn Educational Resources for Social Care.
Clinical Education Centre. Clinical Education Centre — Northern Ireland.
