England’s new workforce plan is a propaganda masterclass in glossing over the gaps

When the analysis is done on the new workforce plan for England’s NHS, the verdict might not be the rosy one that was presented to the world one week ago. The plan is full of ideas and solutions—more doctors, more nurses, more allied health professionals (doi:10.1136/bmj.p1510, doi:10.1136/bmj.p1535).12 The plan talks of retention, enablers of work, and flexibility (doi:10.1136/bmj.p1515).3 The plan promises money: £2.4bn over five years.The plan is the gift that keeps on promising. It is good and important that England’s Conservative government is taking a long term view, much in line with the thinking of the Labour Party, the main opposition, but the delays to the plan’s release and complexities in the plan yet to be grappled with fully—such as how career progression will work for the influx of doctors—suggest that detailed delivery of this plan will become somebody else’s problem. There is a good reason why our commentators,…
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