Workforce Planning

Workforce planning has been an expectation in mental health since the publication of the National Service Framework for Mental Health,10 DH (1999): Modern Standards and Service Models: Mental Health National Service Framework, September. where mention was made of the production of a joint, local workforce strategy.

Workforce Planning Documents >>>

The various NWW project groups have all considered what the introduction of NWW means for their particular staff group and how this will need to feed into workforce planning for the future. Put simplistically, up to now workforce planning has perhaps often concentrated on numbers (supply and demand) based on the existing staff groups. In the future, with the emphasis on competences and capabilities, workforce planning will become more complex. For example, it will no longer be appropriate simply to say we have a nurse or occupational therapist staff vacancy, so we should automatically recruit another nurse or occupational therapist. With the move to advertisements based on competences and capabilities, and with the growing use of the Creating Capable Teams Approach (see below) a more service user-led approach will be required. Filling vacancies, for example, may mean having existing staff extend their practice, having a new role introduced – or, indeed, replacing like with like. But this last option should no longer be the automatic choice, as it is now perhaps.

To help with the workforce planning function, the NIMHE National Workforce Programme developed a Workforce Planning Pilot Programme (WPPP) to explore, in practice, what the issues were and to help test out the Best Practice Guidance published by DH in March 2003.11 DH (2003): Mental Health Services – Workforce Design and Development: Best Practice Guidance. DH Publication Ref 31146. Seven pilot sites were chosen, where the aim was not just to help those particular sites but to disseminate the lessons learnt by way of a report across all the relevant stakeholder organisations.

Following an extensive two-year programme of events – including local workshops, site visits, preparation of supporting materials, teleconferences, consideration of local draft reports and plans, etc. – a report on the WPPP was published in May 2006.12 NIMHE (2006): Mental Health Services – Workforce Design and Development: Report on the NIMHE National Workforce Planning Pilot Programme (WPPP) – Best Practice. DH Publication Ref 274929. In essence, the report set out a number of lessons learnt, with 10 key points, as well as a number of resources to support the workforce planning function. As part of the preparation for a local integrated, joint workforce plan, the report also made a link to mainstream health and social care policy by cross-referring to the White Paper Our Health, Our Care, Our Say, where, on pages 185–6, it says: ‘Key to closer integration will be joint service and workforce planning. The NHS and local authorities need tointegrate workforce planning into corporate and service planning.’

It is important that, in taking forward workforce planning, we do not just look at greater numbers of the same type of existing staff. The flexibilities and opportunities offered by NWW and the new roles and functions should form an integral part of the process to recruit and retain a workforce that is fit for purpose in a contemporary mental health service.

Contact: John Allcock at This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it