SHuRePlan

Once we have assessed the workforce needed to deliver planned services, an assessment needs to be made of how this demand might be met:

• Current Workforce: What are the characteristics of the existing workforce?
  
  
• Flows: What are the likely inputs to and outputs from the workforce?
  
  
• Supply Levers: What are the options for developing the workforce supply and what is their likely impact?
  
  
• New Options: What are the options for working differently?

What do we mean by workforce supply?

By workforce supply, we mean the number and type of people and skills that are available to be deployed in the delivery of services, both now and in the future.

Supply comes from many sources including:

• Already trained and experienced staff who are working in the workforce
• Students who are currently in training, both pre and post registration
• Estimates of future trained staff based on planned funding for training commissions
• Development of existing staff (using the skills escalator approach) to further skill the workforce
• Returners to the workforce
• Recruits from other types of care sector organisation
• Recruitment of international healthcare professionals
• Recruits from other industries
• School children who are offered pre-employment experience

It's important not to take too narrow a view of supply. Workforce planning has traditionally been based on in-depth analysis of the existing staff in post plus vacancies and on maintaining these levels through the placing of new training commissions with Higher Education institutions. It is of course necessary to understand the composition of the current workforce and to forecast this forward; the next section will identify in some detail how the workforce profile should be analysed. However, there are many other activities involved in workforce planning.