NHSScotland depends on a committed, dedicated workforce that is proud to work for the NHS and deliver quality services to patients. The workforce has a significant role to play in the implementation of Better Health, Better Care and the drive towards creating a "Healthier Scotland" through its three main components of health improvement, tackling health inequality and improving the quality of health care.
Five ambitions for Scotland's health service to help it address the key workforce challenges for 21st century, have been published in A Force for Improvement: the Workforce Response to Better Health, Better Care.
These are designed to ensure:
- all staff are ambassadors for health improvement, safety and quality.
- NHSScotland further develops and delivers multi-disciplinary and multi-agency models of care.
- NHSScotland is an 'employer of choice'.
- all work together to promote the benefits of preventative action and measures of self care for patients the public.
- NHSScotland works together with universities, further education and the wider education sector to encourage and maximise flexible access to education and training.
The framework highlights the role the workforce can play in delivering better care and the work to improve the investment in staff training, development and wellbeing.
The Government will be working with key stakeholders over the coming months to help shape how the actions contained in the framework document are taken forward. The first part of this process was a planning conference held at the Glasgow Marriott Hotel on March 24, 2009. The conference was well attended with nearly all NHS boards represented on the day and other key partners in health care delivery contributed their views. The feedback report can be found below.
The next stage in planning will be taken forward in June at the NHSScotland conference.