The Scottish Government

National Workforce Unit - open for business

The new National Workforce Unit is now a reality. Part of the Human Resources Directorate of the Scottish Executive Health Department, the Unit will co-ordinate work at a national level, as part of the drive to develop a more strategic and systematic approach to workforce issues in the health sector.

David Robb, head of the Unit, said:

"I am very pleased to be part of this important new challenge. I have already been able to meet some of the key stakeholders, and I look forward to meeting many more in the months to come. There is an urgent need to take action in the short term, but I believe that we also need to ensure that it contributes to the achievement of the long-term vision for the health workforce."

The National Workforce Unit will oversee the work programme set out in Working for Health - the Workforce Development Action Plan (SEHD, August 2002), and will have responsibility for supporting the National Workforce Committee, who will set strategic direction and monitor progress.

The team comprises a mix of career civil servants and secondees with health service experience. It is not yet at full strength, but currently includes:

David Robb - Head of Workforce Unit

We are now advertising for a third Regional Liaison Officer, as a secondment opportunity.

We are now advertising for a third Regional Liaison Officer, as a secondment opportunity.

Priorities

There is a huge agenda ahead, and to help keep the programme manageable, an early priority will be given to the preparation of workforce development plans for the three clinical priorities:

• Cancer

• Coronary heart disease and stroke

• Mental health.

Additionally, the Unit has agreed to work with the Expert Group on Acute Maternity Services to address the workforce needs in this area.

Early Progress

Work already underway includes:

• Facing the Future: a co-ordinated programme of recruitment and retention initiatives for nurses and midwives. Includes the One Year Guarantee, additional resources for CPD, and, as announced recently, centrally-funded Return to Practice.

• SNIP: a review of the annual workforce planning process for the student nurse and midwife intake.

• Healthcare scientists: the first national conference in Scotland for this group of professions was held in Dunblane on 23 September, to define and begin to explore key issues.

• Medical workforce: following the Temple Report - Future Practice - two reviews are now underway, and are due to be completed in Summer 2003:
  - A Review of Basic Medical Education - led by Sir Kenneth Calman
  - A Review of Medical Career Structures - led by Professor John Temple.

• Overseas recruitment: a pilot project at the National Waiting Times Centre is being established.

• Allied Health Professions: work to take forward the recommendations on career opportunities, flexibility and professional development set out in the recently published Building on Success - Future Directions for the AHPs in Scotland.

• Workforce Development Plans for Priority Care Groups: national working groups are being established to oversee the production of integrated workforce plans.

Regional Conventions

We are clear that the bulk of workforce planning and development will be done at local and regional level. We are now starting to develop the regional networks, and three conventions are planned as follows:

We hope to draw together the full range of stakeholders for these events so that we can begin mapping out the local work programme. Separate leaflets and booking sheets are being circulated, or can be viewed online at: http://www.show.scot.nhs.uk/sehd/workforcedevelopment/main.htm

Workforce Development: The Vision

Workforce Development is crucial to securing the workforce for NHSScotland in the short, medium and long term. It is integral to the successful reform of health services in Scotland and to the improvement of patient care.

A central part of the workforce development agenda is better workforce planning, at local, national and regional levels, but the agenda is not simply numbers-driven, in a rapidly changing health service, it has to be more expansive and dynamic than that. Workforce development interacts with service planning and redesign, linking with the future shape of services, employment markets and the changing supply and demand.

It looks at all staff groups in an integrated way. Effective workforce development strategies will also seek to break down the barriers between different employment sectors in the Scottish healthcare system, and involve the social care, voluntary and private sectors - workforce development needs to be put in the context of the whole healthcare labour market.

So workforce development must also take account of:

• Changing roles and skill mixes

• New ways of working and job redesign - partly driven by working times considerations

• Education and training of staff

• Recruitment and retention

• Career packages and pathways

Fundamentally, it is about getting the right people, with the right skills, to be in the right places, at the right time.

Contacting the Unit:
Contact us by Email: NationalWorkforceUnit@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
or phone Michelle Cargill on 0131 244 4098