Universities make an essential contribution to the NHS by educating future healthcare professionals. The NHS and social care sector spend more than £5bn annually on staff training and development. Matching supply and demand between higher education and health services is one of the most important challenges for both sets of institutions in the coming decade. Planning to avoid future disruption or shortfalls of professionals educated with higher level skills is essential to the well being of universities, health services and the public they serve. This national conference for higher education and health service leaders and senior managers set out the new landscape emerging in higher education provision for health services. Listen to Ann Keen MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health Services at the Department of Health come under fire during a question and answer session dominated by the issue of funding. When and how will SHAs be held accountable for the money they have "plundered" from the education budget, asked one delegate. Ann Keen responded by giving her commitment to the new proposals but asked delegates to "...bear with us while we take you through some of this change..." which cannot be delivered, she said, "...unless the funding is there for you to prepare the people - and I know that."