The 2006 healthcare informatics workforce survey: the new profession?
A survey of healthcare informaticians employed by England’s NHS
organisations was carried out in April this year. Brian Derry and
Tony Eardley report its findings and subsequent recommendations for
improving the status of this increasingly vital workforce.
ABSTRACT
ASSIST, with the support of NHS Connecting for Health and the Information
Centre for Health and Social Care, commissioned Tribal Consulting to design
and carry out a survey of the informatics workforce in the NHS in England in
the spring of 2006.
The results show the distribution of the workforce between the different
disciplines within informatics. The analysis also highlights significant
difficulties in recruitment and retention of staff and future skills
shortages. In addition, the survey has revealed that Agenda for change has
had an adverse impact on informatics staff. Finally, the survey showed an
overwhelming majority of respondents in favour of the establishment of a
formal profession, and the article recommends actions on some of the aspects
of its development.
Br J Healthcare Comput Info Manage 2006; 23(8): 21–4. |
