A steering committee that will support the development of the NHS Workforce Implementation Plan has met for the first time. NHS Improvement says it is taking "an inclusive approach," and the steering committee includes unions and royal colleges.
Baroness Dido Harding, Chair of NHS Improvement, is leading the development of the NHS Workforce Implementation Plan, alongside Julian Hartley, Chief Executive of Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. Baroness Harding confirms the timeframe is to produce an interim implementation plan in April, followed by a final plan within two months of the completion of the Spending Review.
"We don’t have a lot of time to produce our interim plan and to complete this work. We intend to be as open and inclusive as possible and also to work in an open and agile way. We are keen to take on board work that has already been done, to learn from best practice across the service and to listen hard to staff, patients, carers and organisations from across the country," she states.
Several workstreams have been established. Among them, ‘Leadership, development and talent management’ is to be led by Peter Homa, Chair of the NHS Leadership Academy. ‘Technical skills and enablement’ is to be led by Sir David Behan, Chair of Health Education England.
Julian Hartley reiterates Baroness Harding's pledge that this process will be inclusive. He says: "Throughout, we will seek your views. Many of you will be contacted by our workstream chairs, if you haven't already been in touch."
He also confirms that a forum will be announced shortly to enable everyone who is interested to get involved.
"As leaders we must create compassionate and inclusive cultures focused on improvement, to enable our people to deliver outstanding care that is more productive and efficient, and which achieves the best outcomes for our patients," adds Julian.
The steering group will meet three times over the next 10 weeks and will engage through the working groups. Specific areas being addressed include:
* Supply, training and development of all staff groups
* Harnessing technology and data - and ensuring staff have the skills to use existing and emerging technologies
* Developing the leadership and talent we need now and in the future
* Embedding cultures and systems to make staff feel safe and valued and ensure the NHS is the world's best place to work.
This “inclusive approach” has acknowledged that the NHS “works in multi-disciplinary teams, and success depends on collaboration across professional groups and services.” HEFMA is therefore keen that Estates and Facilities roles should be properly represented in this process and is currently seeking to establish a direct line of communication with the relevant workstream leads to ensure the voice of E&F professionals is heard.
