HEE calls on NHS digital leaders to help shape future workforce

Health Education England is calling on NHS digital leaders to help shape the future technology and health informatics workforce.

As part of a series of work undertaken by the organisation to plan for demand and supply gaps in the future workforce, it is calling on ten CCIOS, CIOs, CNIOs and digital leaders to take part in a forecasting exercise.

The work will help estimate the size of different areas of the workforce and the skills required by 2030.

It follows a report in January from Health Education England (HEE), as part of the Building a Digital Ready Workforce programme, which looked at the size of the workforce and the projected growth over the next decade.

In 2019 there were 34,754 full time staff working in informatics within the NHS, with the industry expected to grow to between 48,000 and 67,000 full time staff by 2024, according to the report.

It recommends the development of an occupational career framework for informatics in job roles, with a long-term aim for it to be adopted for key workforce information resources, such as the NHS Electronic Staff Record (ESR).

An audit of skills and knowledge required by employers “to inform on possible levels needed by the future informatics workforce” should also be undertaken, it found.

Digital NHS leaders selected to take part in the forecasting exercise will be asked to consider how the above recommendations can be undertaken and the benefits they will bring.

They will also be asked to look at different ways of modelling the future informatics workforce and how to address the “critical” shortage of job roles in the field.

“We are relying on stakeholders to provide us with informed estimates as to future demand for the NHS digital technology and health informatics workforce so that we can plan accordingly,” HEE said.

You can register your interest to take part here.