News
High-level commitment to skills development critical for patient
care
16 April 2008
Senior healthcare professionals voting at a Skills for Health
consultation event believed that high-level commitment and investment in
skills transformation is critical to improving patient care.
The consultation, launched on 3rd April by Phil Hope, Minister for
the East Midlands and Minister for the Third Sector, centred around the
development of a new Sector Skills Agreement (SSA) for Health covering
the region. Delegates from healthcare organisations across the East
Midlands voted electronically to identify which issues were of most
importance to them in relation to workforce skills.
A massive 97% felt that obtaining high-level commitment and
investment in skills transformation was important or very important.
John Rogers, Chief Executive of Skills for Health said: "In terms
of improving productivity and services to meet patient demand the
importance of skills cannot be underestimated. Given the looming war for
talent, recruitment will become increasingly difficult as a wide range
of industries compete to attract the skills they need.
"As a result, the importance of ensuring that we are maximising the
skills and competences within the existing healthcare workforce has
never been greater. Workforce modelling and development functions play a
key role in helping to achieve this.
"By adopting a competence-based approach, existing skills can be
identified and individuals given the opportunity to fulfil their
potential. If we can successfully tap into this hidden talent we can
help to fill skills gaps by creating new roles and finding new ways of
working. "Whilst in many cases senior management is already
recognising this, it needs to be reflected in the level of support and
resources made available to those involved in workforce modelling and
development."
Other areas delegates were keen to see included in the SSA action
plan for the region included:
- the exploration of flexible work-based learning schedules,
including elearning and other flexible learning models (92%);
- a robust range of competences to take forward effective
competence-based workforce modeling/scenario planning to support the
delivery of national and local service priorities (91%);
- the development of new roles and career pathways to assist with
the identification and escalation of skills (91%);
- involvement in new educational developments and qualifications,
such as the new 14-19 Diploma in Society Health and Development,
health-related apprenticeships and the Sector Qualifications
Strategy (91%); and
- effective systems for information, advice and guidance for those
considering healthcare as a career and to inform those already
working in healthcare about the opportunities open to them (82%).
Having collated the wide range of existing labour market intelligence
(LMI) available for the region and commissioned new research into the
independent and voluntary sectors, Skills for Health also launched the
first LMI report for the East Midlands at the consultation event.
The event marks the beginning of the consultation process to inform
the Sector Skills Agreement for Health in the East Midlands. The
overarching Sector Skills Agreement for Health (SSA) is a UK-wide series
of agreements, each brokered by Skills for Health. There are currently
over 70 agreements incorporated; each of which supports the provision of
best quality healthcare and services through the skills of those working
in the sector.
Skills for Health (SfH) is the Sector Skills Council for UK health,
funded by the four UK health departments in England, Northern Ireland,
Scotland and Wales; the Sector Skills Development Agency; the education
act regulatory bodies; and health sector employers and providers.
Its remit is to help improve health and healthcare by assisting the
whole healthcare sector in developing solutions that deliver a skilled
and flexible UK workforce.
It covers the entire National Health Service, and the whole of the
independent and voluntary healthcare sectors across the UK, which
collectively employ approximately 2 million people. The majority of
occupations are linked to hospital activities and community health
services, but the sector also includes general medical and dental
practitioners and healthcare professionals working in nursing homes and
private surgeries, and retail outlets such as pharmacists, opticians and
self-employed practitioners.
For further information see:
www.skillsforhealth.org.uk
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