How to shape a “proper” long term workforce plan for health and social care

In its report published on 25 July 2022, the Health and Social Care Select Committee outlined how the NHS and social care in England are “facing the greatest workforce crisis in their history.”1 The government has promised a “proper” long term workforce plan,2 but there are contradictory accounts of whether this plan will include current and projected workforce numbers, and whether these numbers will ever be made public. What is “proper” long term workforce planning? We argue it should include five key components. Firstly, plans need to reflect trends in demand for health and social care and account for changing health needs over time, including projections of population characteristics, disease epidemiology, and healthcare use.34 Estimates of demand should be informed by local service delivery plans, consistent with national guidance. Although some think tanks and researchers have produced models of future demand,56 no official projections are publicly available. As training pathways…
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