SHuRePlan

What are the options for working differently?

Step 3 looked at the ways in which new ways of working can be used to modify demand.  On the other side of the equation they can also be used to enhance supply.  Many supply problems arise as a result of the long lead times associated with training people to fulfill traditional professional roles.  Developing new roles can enhance supply in a number of ways:

• Tapping new pools of potential recruits to healthcare - e.g. graduate mental health workers tap into an under-exploited pool of graduates with relevant degrees, enhanced paramedic roles can attract male entrants who might be put off nursing and traditional therapy professions.
  
  
• Maximising the potential of the existing workforce - current staff are generally more committed to the organisation so developing their skills to enable them to take on enhanced roles is often more cost effective than recruiting from outside.
  
  
• Improving the intrinsic rewards of the job - many staff feel that their skills or potential are under-utilised.  Enabling them to take on enhanced roles can be an effective way of retaining them.
  
  
• Better deployment - poorly designed roles can often lead to ineffective use of staff as a result of dead time or under-employment.  Redesigning the way teams work and the roles within them can increase the effective workforce without the need to increase numbers.

As with the more conventional options, effective planning needs to do more than list these options as worthy intentions.  It needs to identify specific actions e.g. concrete projects to develop new ways of working and a realistic assessment, based on experience elsewhere, of the likely impact.   

The knowledge base includes more detailed information on new ways of working and assessing the impact on workforce supply.