Tackling staff shortages

An Interim NHS People Plan has been released by NHS England et al (2019). The new Chief People Officer will be required to oversee the publication and development of the full People Plan with the aim of helping to build the NHS workforce of the future. If the Chief People Officer is to use the interim plan to guide her as she implements her vision and the vision of the service, then she will have to look very hard for any meaningful detail in the interim plan.

The Chief People Officer will be key to delivering the vision for the next 10 years as set out in the NHS Long Term Plan (NHS England and NHS Improvement, 2019). She will be required to deliver on the NHS's vision of 21st century care; this requires a fundamental shift in the skill mix, types of roles, culture and ways of working. What is not required is ‘more of the same’.