September 2016
‘One workforce’: Ten actions to
support the health and social
care workforce in Wales
To ensure a sustainable health and social care workforce we call on
all Assembly Members to consider the following priorities:
1. Vision: Lead the development of a long-term vision for health and social care to
clarify how the workforce will need to change to deliver integrated, person-centred
care closer to home and the investment and support required to achieve this.
2. Public health: Provide national leadership on public health, engaging the
workforce in public health and prevention. The whole workforce should be
ambassadors for healthy living, making mental and physical public health and
well-being a priority and working collaboratively to create the right conditions to
support everyone to make healthier lifestyle choices.
3. Integrated care: Develop a multi-disciplinary workforce, capable of working with
individuals, carers and families in different settings. The Welsh Government
should promote a collaborative culture that emphasises team working and the
delivery of highly co-ordinated and person-centred care.
4. Rural health and social care: Deliver high quality services in rural areas, work
to attract the necessary workforce with the required skills, and embrace new
models of care and innovative practice to ensure people in rural areas are not
disadvantaged.
5. Workforce planning: Take a whole-system strategic approach to workforce
planning across social care, primary, community and secondary health care
services. this approach should include the third, voluntary and independent
sectors and take into account changing service demands and the impact of an
ageing workforce. NHS Wales and Local Government should invest in quality and
accurate workforce data collection across all services.
6. Recruitment and retention: Develop a long-term focus and a sustainable
approach to recruitment. The Welsh Government should actively promote Wales as
an attractive place to live, train and work. NHS Wales and Local Government
should support current staff with leadership opportunities, access to high quality
training and commit to equality and diversity in the workplace. Employers must be
supported to help employees maintain their health and well-being.
7. Welsh language: Invest in Welsh language provision across the workforce to
ensure individuals and families receive person-centred care in their chosen
language. Make health and social care a career of choice for Welsh speakers.
8. Education and training: Introduce a national NHS and social care workforce
education and training plan. The Welsh Government should ensure that
high-quality apprenticeships, undergraduate education and postgraduate training
remain a priority. Excellent care in the future depends on high quality education
and training provision now.
9. Skills and technologies: Invest in skills to ensure a more flexible workforce
which is better able to meet the needs of service users in a variety of settings.
Access to continuous professional development, reflective practice and clinical
supervision should be prioritised. Workforce skills must be developed to support
the shift of care into the community and to make the most of new technologies.
10. NHS and Local Government funding: Commit to a long-term funding plan
for health and social care in Wales which will ensure that the whole workforce is
properly resourced to provide high quality, person-centred care.
Organisations across Wales have come together through the Welsh NHS Confederation’s
Policy Forum to outline these key priorities for the health and social care workforce. The
following organisations endorse these priorities:
Welsh NHS Confederation
Ty^ Phoenix, 8 Cathedral Road, Cardiff, CF11 9LJ
Tel: 02920 349850
www.welshconfed.org
@WelshConfed