Workforce Development
Supporting your team to deliver exceptional patient care
Nurture a culture of positive attitudes and develop your workforce to meet your vision and future priorities.
In this section:
Understanding your challenges to achieve your goals
We’re the leading authority on workforce competencies and strategic workforce planning. We have extensive experience partnering with the Department for Health and Social Care, NHS England, and Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW).
We’ve supported hundreds of NHS organisations and integrated healthcare systems to develop robust workforce development programmes to help understand what the future workforce needs to look like, to deliver better patient outcomes.
Planning for every eventuality
Our expertise in research and evaluation, combined with over 20 years’ experience in workforce development programmes, means we’ve supported organisations through every type of workforce challenge. Our Scenario Planning service, delivered by our expert team, applies critical thinking and evidence-based insight to help you plan for the future with confidence. Our Scenario Plans:
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Consider ‘what if’ scenarios for your healthcare services in the future and workforce plans
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Look beyond the normal frames of vision – we encourage exploration of what might happen not just what is
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Are built upon combinations of identified drivers of the external environment
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Are derived from what stays with us from the past and what we see the future heading towards
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Factor in the complex interdependencies of culture, ownership, service requirements, timeframes, and both human and financial resources
Mapping your workforce to service delivery
All workforce plans need to start with understanding patient and service users needs, and mapping roles and competencies effectively to deliver better outcomes. Our trusted Service and Role design mapping solution can help you to achieve:
Improved clarity around required roles, skills and competencies centred around better patient outcomes
A clear direction to develop a more productive, highly skilled, cost-effective workforce
Significant service improvements, based on nationally recognised standards of care
Better service delivery with reduced delays, waiting times, waiting lists, and readmissions
Integrated tools and solutions
We work directly with leading NHS bodies, employers, private healthcare providers, and social care organisations to ensure that the outcomes of workforce development and strategic planning projects are designed to empower you to upskill, recruit and retain a sustainable workforce and healthcare service fit for the future.
National Competency Frameworks
As the leading authority on national competency frameworks, national occupational standards, and healthcare apprenticeships, we align with national priorities from the Department for Health and Social Care and Health Education England. As pro-active partners, we support the healthcare sector to deliver high-quality, sustainable workforce skills for the future.
Six Step Methodology
Our approach helps ensure health employers have the right staff, with the right skills to deliver cost-effective, high-quality patient care. The critical six steps help NHS and healthcare employers identify the purpose and scope of a strategic workforce plan, why it’s needed, and what it will deliver.
The Care Certificate
The Care Certificate is an identified set of standards that health and social care workers adhere to in their daily working life. Designed with the non-regulated workforce in mind, the Care Certificate gives everyone the confidence that workers have the same introductory skills, knowledge and behaviours to provide compassionate, safe and high quality care and support.
Workforce Planning insights and events
Our annual programme of updates, news, and insights, as well as regional and national workforce planning events, brings together industry leaders, share best practice, and focus on today’s real-world challenges in the health sector. Our high-calibre thought-leadership insights and events raise the profile of workforce planning methods and issues.
Research and evaluation
Our industry-leading expertise in national and international workforce research includes robust techniques to fully evaluate workforce and healthcare service challenges, from scenario planning and labour-market intelligence to skills audits and more. Our critical evaluation solutions really get under the skin of your workforce needs.
Primary Care Workforce Strategy
We support the development of a skilled, sustainable workforce at local levels, for improved primary care services that deliver public benefit. Addressing primary care workforce challenges is our priority, helping to better understand and support the improvement of patient care before health issues escalate to acute settings.
Speak to an expert
We have specialists who can meet you virtually or face-to-face to discuss your challenges and goals. Find out how we can help develop your integrated workforce to meet the needs of the future.
Who else we’ve helped
Hundreds of healthcare organisations across the UK trust us as their partner to deliver effective workforce planning solutions. Read our case studies below.
This pioneering work gave NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde an opportunity to demonstrate how Allied Health Professional’s (AHPs) can extend their practice through cross-boundary working. Patients can be seen by a multi-skilled person, treated, and discharged more quickly. The AHP Advanced Practitioner will be able to deliver integrated services at the front door of Glasgow hospital, ensuring timely interventions and better patient care.
Ann Ross, Lead AHP, Emergency Care & Medical Specialties, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
Workforce development insights and articles
Read specialist insight pieces from some of the health sector’s leading experts – or download brochures, case studies and healthcare research reports from the Skills for Health Information Hub.