Dr. Breda McTaggart:

I concur with everything my colleagues said. We have only a small cohort this year. The reason we cannot increase the number is that we get one placement in every three agencies we contact. They are enthusiastic. They have been nothing but supportive in the north west but the reality is that they cannot take the students on placement and it is usually related to the work caseload. My colleague looks after that activity. There is a genuine interest and a commitment but they simply do not have the capacity to do it within their teams at this time. There is clear guidance on what kind of person can look after a student on placement and how long they have to be in post, so it is self-perpetuating, it goes around and around. I come from the nursing profession. We never had this problem because there were designated learning and teaching spaces. Apart from the practice teachers, as Professor Norris rightly said, there is no requirement and it is done on the basis of voluntary capacity. I can speak about what happens in the north west, and they are doing their best to try to accommodate us but they cannot do so. I confirm and support what my colleagues said.