Healthcare leaders from across the UK have set out their views and vision for developing a sustainable, supported and skilled healthcare workforce for the future at an event at Northumbria University.
The half-day hybrid conference, entitled Working Well in Healthcare: The Changes, Challenges and Opportunities for Developing your Workforce, brought together expert speakers, senior leaders, managers of people and workforce development and education to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing the sector. , as outlined in the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan.
With speakers such as Professor Mark Radford, Assistant Director of Nursing England, Professor Alison Machin, Chair of the Council of Deans of Health; Professor Laura Serrant, specialist in leadership, development and inclusive practice, and Professor Emeritus Debra Porteous, the event focused on the objectives of the Plan, which aims to address important challenges in relation to recruitment, development, training and retention of people within the NHS.
The conference highlighted a number of ways in which industry can develop, nurture and support its professionals to achieve their career goals by adopting innovative approaches to work, wellbeing, training and productivity. It also reinforced the importance of ensuring equity across the workforce when it comes to supporting staff retention and reforming the way the industry recruits, deploys and delivers training opportunities.
During his lectures, Professor Mark Radford provided an overview of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, its ambitions for growth, retention and reform, and the important role of higher education institutes in this transformation, while Professor Alison Machin outlined the vision of the Deans of Health Council, which represents 105 university members across the UK and seeks to advance and promote health education and research for the public benefit, through ‘influence government policy and connect its members.
His session also highlighted the need to create psychological well-being and a sense of belonging to better support healthcare professionals in their roles and ultimately improve retention.
Professor Laura Serrant took up these themes, focusing on the importance of welfare support and the need to promote equality, equity and social justice, to retain invaluable talent. He also explained the value of a global perspective when considering workforce development in the UK.
Nursing England’s deputy chief executive, Professor Mark Radford, said: The way we approach the challenges of our healthcare workforce will be different in the future. There will be a significant shift in the coming years towards monitoring and support.
The NHS has received 2.4 billion in funding, on top of what we already have; this is a considerable investment package which will significantly expand national education, training and recruitment to have more doctors, nurses and other health professionals working in the NHS. We need to think about how we can engage people in university programs and create career opportunities by expanding existing pathways such as internships, medical degrees and apprenticeships.
Professor Serrant said: Global health is how we understand the contributions we all make individually and collectively. The space we’re trying to create is one where people feel safe and competent to think about their intentions, as well as help and support others. Belongingness and inclusion in our education, practice and policy are central to the continuity of the people we want to attract and retain.
The event also featured a panel discussion where speakers, including Professor Porteous, discussed topics such as recruitment processes, the role of professional nurse educators, the future of international recruitment, challenges around redeployment and the importance of emotional intelligence and supporting soft skills.
As part of its commitment to helping industry overcome its recruitment challenges, Northumbria University is focused on its continued contribution to the development of the current and future healthcare workforce.
Professor John Unsworth, Assistant Vice-Chancellor of the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences at Northumbria University hosted the conference. He said: In Northumbria, we are proactively driving educational growth and system support focused on the delivery of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan. We strive to widen course participation by offering as many routes to higher education as possible. This includes increasing nursing and advanced health professional (AHP) positions; develop new learning and access routes; work to improve progression into employment; and working on Advanced Clinic itineraries and Primary Care programs.
Northumbria University’s new Center for Health and Social Equity (CHASE), which will be a flagship center of excellence for research and training to meet the needs of stakeholders and communities in Newcastle, across the region, nationally and beyond, will increase the university’s capacity to train new professionals and offer more continuing professional development courses for nurses, midwives and health professionals.
Further details of the event, the keynote presentations and the panel discussion, are available on the Northumbria University website here.
The hybrid event was designed specifically for senior leaders, HR managers and staff from the NHS, private and third sector, with the aim of supporting and developing the next generation of nursing and healthcare professionals and be the first in a series of similar events. Through its continuing professional development (CPD) and workforce programmes, Northumbria University plays an important role in addressing workforce shortages and supporting NHS England to meet the his plan For more information visit: https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/business-services/education-and-training/.
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