NHS Employers is working on programmes linked to the modernising careers agenda in medicine, nursing, science, maternity services and 18 week initiative that all impact on your workforce planning processes and require careful multi-disciplinary planning.
The following section includes a list of the main national organisations who supply tools and resources for employers that can be used by those who are, either embarking upon the workforce planning process for the first time, or who need to keep up to date with the latest tool developments.
The NHS Information Centre for health and social care
The NHS Information Centre for health and social care is England's central, authoritative source of health and social care information. Acting as a hub for national, comparative data for secondary uses, they deliver information for local decision makers to improve the quality and efficiency of frontline care.
Employers may already use the census and the vacancy survey data, but they also developed a tool named iView, which allows employers to access their own statistical data and comparative data from other organisations, to support the workforce planning process.
Visit the NHS Information Centre's website.
Centre for Workforce Intelligence
The centre for Workforce Intelligence (CfWI) is the new national authority on workforce planning and development across health and social care
Visit the www.cfwi.org.uk.
Skills for Health (incorporating National Workforce Projects)
Skills for Health is the Sector Skills Council (SSC) for the UK health sector. They work to help the whole sector develop solutions that deliver a skilled and flexible UK workforce in order to improve health and healthcare.
They develop career and competency frameworks to support both professionals in their career development and employers with recruitment of retention of skilled staff and undertake labour market research to support healthcare planning.
Funding has made available through the Joint Investment Framework (JIF) to support employers with developing the skills of employees in Agenda for Change Bands 1-4.
There is a healthcare workforce portal (previously the National Workforce Project) that provides one-stop access to healthcare workforce planning information, knowledge, intelligence and practical tools. They also organise training sessions around popular workforce issues that range from introductory level to master-classes.
Visit the Skills for Health website.
NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement
The NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement supports the NHS to transform healthcare for patients and the public by rapidly developing and spreading new ways of working, new technology and world-class leadership. They host the 'No delays' and 'Productive' tools to assist employers with the process and cultural change involved in delivering transformational change.
Visit the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement website.