Source · Select Committees · Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation 74
74
Accepted
Building on the experience of staff working more flexibly during the pandemic and to enable...
Recommendation
Building on the experience of staff working more flexibly during the pandemic and to enable more flexible staffing in the NHS, NHS England and Health Education England should develop proposals to better enable NHS staff to change clinical specialty mid-career and train in sub-specialties. 32 Coronavirus: lessons learned to date 3 Lockdowns and social distancing
Government response summary AI-generated
The government accepts the recommendation, stating that NHS England has commissioned Health Education England to develop proposals enabling NHS staff to change clinical specialty mid-career and train in sub-specialties, alongside other initiatives to support flexible working and staff deployment.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government · verbatim extract
Accepted
The government accepts this recommendation. NHS England has a range of programmes in place to support flexible working, and is committed to continually improving career pathways within the NHS. This commitment is illustrated by NHS England and NHS Improvement’s creation of career frameworks for clinical support staff, Allied Health Professionals, and nursing and midwifery staff. These career frameworks offer clinical staff an understanding of the routes available to progress within their professions and the training and development needed to do so. NHS England is also aware of the need to enable more flexible staffing in the NHS. One way of achieving this is to make better use of the skills and experience of existing staff. NHS England has commissioned Health Education England (HEE) to explore options for upskilling or re-skilling staff in the NHS to meet changing service needs. HEE are developing proposals to better enable NHS staff to change clinical specialty mid-career and train in sub-specialties. This will include considering how to remove barriers to career change, such as the need to repeat training that has already been completed. HEE will work with NHS England, royal colleges, and other stakeholders to develop these proposals. The NHS is also committed to supporting staff to work more flexibly. This includes offering a range of flexible working options, such as part-time working, job sharing, and compressed hours. NHS England is working with NHS Employers to promote flexible working and to provide resources and support to help employers implement flexible working policies. In addition, NHS England is working to improve the way in which staff are deployed across the NHS. This includes developing a national rostering system to help ensure that staff are deployed to where they are most needed. NHS England is also working to improve the way in which staff are supported to work across different organisations, such as through the use of joint appointments. These measures will help to ensure that the NHS has a flexible and adaptable workforce that is able to meet the changing needs of patients.
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