SHuRePlan

What are the options for developing the workforce supply and what is their likely impact?

Having established the existing workforce and the likely changes as a result of flows in and out, we need to understand what we can do to control future supply so that it meets demand.  In the recent past much of the workforce planning effort has focused on determining the numbers entering professional training.  The difficulty with this is that the lead times are generally long and other actions will have been taken to address supply in the short term which will invalidate the assumptions behind the training commissions.  It is important that all the options for changing supply are considered together.

The main options will include:

• New Qualifiers - the core feed for the future workforce.  Because of lead times, decisions to make major changes to training numbers should only be made having weighed up the impact of all the other options and the risks and benefits of such a change.
  
  
• Recruitment - The only recruitment that increases overall supply is that which attracts individuals not currently in the healthcare workforce.  Recruits who transfer from other healthcare employers may meet the needs of the individual employer but do not add to the overall supply in the labour market. The two main sources of recruitment which add to supply are:
  • Returners - i.e. those who are not currently working in healthcare. 
  • Overseas recruits
    
    
• Retention - Reductions in turnover will mean fewer recruits are needed.  However, some turnover is inevitable and desirable to enable people to progress and widen their experience. 
  
  
• Effective utilisation - The effective workforce can be increased by attention to a range of factors e.g. reduction in absence, better deployment, well designed skill mix etc.
  
  
• Developing the existing workforce - Increasing the skills of the existing workforce not only makes them more effective in their current jobs but also creates a potential pool of staff for promotion and enhanced roles.  Even where formal training is not provided on promotion, there is effectively an cost associated with their development as individuals become more proficient at the job. 

A careful assessment should be made of the actions which can enhance each of these and their likely impact.