Aiming to give employers a summary of the emerging issues and to provoke thought and discussion about proposals to modernise the nursing workforce, our new discussion paper on the role of the nurse is now online. It poses a number of significant questions and encourages employers to respond through our online questionnaire. Your feedback will help us to represent your views in the policy debate and to influence the formulation of frameworks. Hard copies of the document are being sent to every trust over the coming week. Download the document and contribute to the discussion on our nursing web pages. 

NHS Employers, in collaboration with the health departments and employers in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, has been commissioned by the Department of Health to undertake a scoping study to evaluate the effectiveness of the current contract for doctors in training. We welcome the opportunity to undertake this work and look forward to engaging with employers, the BMA and other key stakeholders. Opportunities to contribute will be publicised in the workforce bulletin. The full remit of the study is available from our pay and contracts web page, and enquiries can be emailed to doctorsanddentists@nhsemployers.org.

In response to the consultation on the future of the healthcare science workforce, the Department of Health (DH) has issued a statement updating stakeholders on their progress. Respondents, including NHS employers, asked the DH for further detail on the proposals and, in response, the DH will be engaging with NHS stakeholders to develop the model as it emerges as well as develop proposals for a new regulatory framework. For more information and to read the full statement visit our Modernising Scientific Careers web pages.

Online bookings have closed for this year’s NHS Confederation annual conference and exhibition but you can still register on site at the ACC Liverpool from Wednesday 10 June. The event, from 10 to 12 June, features a confidential forum with Sir Ian Carruthers OBE, chief executive of the South West Strategic Health Authority, and Sir Bruce Keogh, NHS medical director on Wednesday 10 June 2009 at 4.45pm. A breakfast session on Preparing the NHS for Swine flu – a key governance issue will be held on Thursday 11 June. See the conference website for full details.

Workforce issues and NHS Employers will have a large presence at the NHS Confederation annual conference and exhibition in Liverpool this week. One of the seven conference strands concentrates on leading workforce change, featuring sessions on developing clinical leadership, what type of leadership roles the NHS needs and future workforce challenges. Sian Thomas will be making her first major appearance since she was appointed as NHS Employers’ director, fielding questions from delegates alongside deputy director Alastair Henderson and director of pay, pensions and employment relations, Gill Bellord. Find out more and read regular event updates on the conference website.

This week will see a brand new NHS Jobs website launched for jobseekers. We’ll be introducing a whole new look to the site and a range of new and improved features to help jobseekers find and apply for the right vacancies more easily. This is the first of a two-stage transformation that will start from Wednesday 10 June and will finish with the installation of the new design on the employers’ site by the end of June. To find out more about what’s in store, see NHS Jobs latest news.

Get updated on the integration of Occupational Health Smart Cards into the Electronic Staff Record and the new Vetting and Barring Scheme at these sessions during June and July 2009 in Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds and London. Hear from speakers from NHS Employers, NHS Electronic Staff Record and the Department of Health. Register for your free place on the events pages of our website.

A new report from the NHS Confederation says a clear process for dealing with Freedom of Information (FOI) requests can save NHS organisations time, energy and money. NHS organisations should be aware that the Freedom of Information Act applies to everyone in that organisation and the issue of transparency and accountability is an important one for all NHS staff. Many organisations currently have a good system in place to effectively deal with requests and we encourage them to build on that good work. See the NHS Confederation’s latest news item for more details.

Last week our directors attended a Public Services Employers forum in London and the Employment Model Policy group. We attended a healthy workplaces dinner with Clare Chapman at The Royal College of Physicians and the NHS Confederation’s UK Board meeting. We were also present at the Medical Education England Healthcare Science Programme Board held at The Royal Society, London. We attended the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development Employee Relations network and were present at the HR for London meeting and South East Coast HR directors’ meeting.