Time to Change
Sustaining the UK’s clinical workforceThis report examines how the healthcare workforce is responding to the unrelenting demands placed upon it. It also identifies actionable and evidence-based solutions to the challenges faced.
The most vital asset in any healthcare system is its workforce, which in high income countries accounts for around two-thirds of running costs. The availability, accessibility and quality of care available to patients depend on having the right professionals, with the right skills, in the right place, at the right time. However, building and maintaining a productive and resilient clinical workforce is a complex problem, requiring long-term planning, political commitment, and adequate investment in the recruitment, retention and training of sufficient staff, in the face of rising demand for services. Investing in a sustainable healthcare workforce is both an investment in the health and wellbeing of the population and a driver of economic growth.
In our report we combine qualitative and quantitative research to understand the challenges facing the UK’s healthcare workforce and identify solutions to these challenges, in order to build a resilient future workforce.
Time to resolve the workforce problems
Time to recognise the full extent of pressures affecting staff
Time to invest in a modernised employee-enabling infrastructure
Time to build the capacity and capability of the NHS workforce
Time to reimagine the future of work for healthcare
Full report - Time to change: Sustaining the UK’s clinical
Key findings
As we enter the fourth year of the pandemic the need to address the critical workforce shortages has become an imperative for every healthcare provider.
Digital transformation and the adoption of AI technologies are crucial enablers of the future of work in healthcare. The increasing capacity and capabilities of today’s AI technologies, coupled with the pace of adoption and development, suggest real promise and potential.
The current level of staff shortages in healthcare creates an opportunity to utilise new technologies to enhance existing roles and create new ones that enable clinicians to use the full range of their skills and abilities, and broaden their scope of practice. It is also an opportunity to recruit new types of staff with new skillsets (for example, in analytics, bioinformatics, and behavioural science skills) which are all required in a digitally proficient health system.
Creating a diverse, multi-professional workforce that is trained and deployed across permeable boundaries will alleviate pressures on the current workforce, while enriching careers for clinicians and increasing the attractiveness of caring professions.
Human-centred collaboration and coordination
- Collaboration and coordination between healthcare professionals, researchers, policy makers and technology experts to effectively integrate AI and automation in healthcare<./li>
- Agree a shared vision, data-sharing agreements, and ethical frameworks to guide the use of AI in workforce development and deployment is a fundamental requirement for the future of health.
Data collection and quality
- Obtain high quality real-world workforce data to generate accurate and meaningful insights.
- Adhere to standardised data collection methods, interoperable data systems, and transparency in data sharing practices to ensure high-quality data for AI applications.
- Secure, transparent data management and governance.
Explainable clinical decision-making
- Ensure that AI models are transparent, explainable and reliable to gain the trust of HR, OD and clinicians. Involve clinicians in the development and validation of AI models to ensure their relevance and accuracy.
- Establish robust regulations that support innovation.
Resource allocation and efficiency
- Develop AI tools that help healthcare providers optimise resource allocation and improve efficiency by automating routine tasks, reducing administrative burden, and identifying high-risk patients who require more intensive care or active treatments.
- Reflect the impact of AI and automation in workforce planning and budgets.
Create the conditions for implementation
- Support a shift in the culture and mindset of healthcare organisations to embrace innovation and change.
- Invest in change and the development of effective implementation strategies.
- Train staff to provide the skills needed to embrace AI and identify the solutions that will best improve their workflow.
Digital transformation and the adoption of AI technologies are crucial enablers of the future of work in healthcare. The increasing capacity and capabilities of today’s AI technologies, coupled with the pace of adoption and development, suggest real promise and potential.
The current level of staff shortages in healthcare creates an opportunity to utilise new technologies to enhance existing roles and create new ones that enable clinicians to use the full range of their skills and abilities, and broaden their scope of practice. It is also an opportunity to recruit new types of staff with new skillsets (for example, in analytics, bioinformatics, and behavioural science skills) which are all required in a digitally proficient health system.
Creating a diverse, multi-professional workforce that is trained and deployed across permeable boundaries will alleviate pressures on the current workforce, while enriching careers for clinicians and increasing the attractiveness of caring professions.
Human-centred collaboration and coordination
- Collaboration and coordination between healthcare professionals, researchers, policy makers and technology experts to effectively integrate AI and automation in healthcare.
- Agree a shared vision, data-sharing agreements, and ethical frameworks to guide the use of AI in workforce development and deployment is a fundamental requirement for the future of health.
Data collection and quality
- Obtain high quality real-world workforce data to generate accurate and meaningful insights.
- Adhere to standardised data collection methods, interoperable data systems, and transparency in data sharing practices to ensure high-quality data for AI applications.
- Secure, transparent data management and governance.
Explainable clinical decision-making
- Ensure that AI models are transparent, explainable and reliable to gain the trust of HR, OD and clinicians. Involve clinicians in the development and validation of AI models to ensure their relevance and accuracy.
- Establish robust regulations that support innovation.
Resource allocation and efficiency
- Develop AI tools that help healthcare providers optimise resource allocation and improve efficiency by automating routine tasks, reducing administrative burden, and identifying high-risk patients who require more intensive care or active treatments.
- Reflect the impact of AI and automation in workforce planning and budgets.
Create the conditions for implementation
- Support a shift in the culture and mindset of healthcare organisations to embrace innovation and change.
- Invest in change and the development of effective implementation strategies.
- Train staff to provide the skills needed to embrace AI and identify the solutions that will best improve their workflow.
Time to change: Sustaining the UK’s clinical workforce
Download the reportCase studies
A selection of evidence-based case studies
Survey results
A closer look at our survey data
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Key contacts
Karen Taylor
UK Centre for Health Solutions
Sara Siegel
Head of Healthcare
Dr Karen Kirkham
Partner
Amber Kennard
Director