Recommendation 32

HM Government Acknowledged

The Committee recommended HEE publish independent annual reports on workforce shortages and future staffing requirements that cover the next five, ten and twenty years, and that these projections should also cover social care as well. We note that the committee has previously made this recommendation in your report on the Government’s White Paper on Health and Social Care (published on 14 May). At the current time, the new duty in the recently introduced Health and Care Bill will require the Secretary of State to publish a report that sets out how workforce planning and supply is organised in England, in order to provide greater transparency and accountability. The duty proposes that this report must be published, at a minimum, every five years. The intention is that this duty will complement the concerted non-legislative action and investment on workforce planning and supply already underway. For example, we have already expanded, by 25%, the number of places available for domestic medical students at schools in England (completed in September 2020) and we are on track to meet the 50,000 nurses commitment. We will look carefully at the Committee’s recommendations and we look forward to continuing to engage the Committee and its members on this issue as the Health and Care Bill progresses through Parliament. Furthermore, the Department of Health and Social Care has recently commissioned HEE to undertake “Framework 15”. First done in 2013 and then refreshed in 2017, this sets out the drivers of future workforce demand and supply, including but not limited to demographics, science, the nature of work and public expectations. While previous iterations of Framework 15 have focused on healthcare, this version will for the first time also include registered professionals working in social care, like nurses and occupational therapists. This reflects the interlinked nature of health and social care, as well as the introduction of Integrated Care Systems (ICSs). HEE will lead the work, working closely with DHSC, NHSEI and Skills for Care. They will engage widely over autumn and winter, bringing in views from staff, patients/service users, carers and their representatives, with a final publication planned for Spring 2022. Skills for Care produce annual reports for the Department on the size and shape of the Adult Social Care workforce in England including data on vacancy and retention rates, qualification and training levels, and projections of future workforce demand. The Department will continue to work closely with Skills for Care, HEE and other partners to consider the future needs of the Adult Social Care workforce and ensure we have a growing number of people with the values and skills to deliver high quality, compassionate care.