The caution comes in a new report, Leading the NHS workforce through to recovery, launched on the opening day of NHS Employers' annual conference and exhibition in Birmingham today and was echoed in Sian Thomas' opening speech.
The report sets the tone for the three-day conference, saying that NHS workforce leaders must act now to engage staff and stakeholders in the shared goal of improving services, while delivering the efficiencies and innovation needed.
It includes a ten-point employer's checklist for economic recovery and a host of case studies showing how staff engagement, partnership working, the use of methodologies such as Lean, and embracing technology can help to meet the challenges ahead. Find out more on our NHS Employers' latest news page.
NHS Employers' director Sian Thomas opened the conference saying that the overwhelming challenge for the NHS is how to improve the quality of patient care with less money. The answer must be supporting and engaging our workforce, she said.
See the video of Sian's speech on our presentation pages.
Delegates can pick up a copy of the report on the NHS Employers stand 38 in the exhibition hall.