May the workforce be with you
Chapter 1: Integrated care boards
Integrated care boards (ICBs) – particularly their chief people officers – have a huge challenge ahead to ensure there are enough primary care professionals to change how care is provided in a health and care system out of hospital. Alice McGee, chief people officer for Leicester, Leicestershire, and Rutland ICB, which covers a system that […]
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Chapter 2: General practitioners
GP practices across the country are experiencing significant and growing strain, with declining GP numbers, rising demand, difficulties in recruiting and retaining staff, and knock-on effects for patients, according to professional bodies. Professor Kamila Hawthorne, chair of the Royal College of GPs (RCGP), says: ‘GPs and our teams are working to our limits to deliver […]
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Chapter 3: Pharmacists
Community pharmacy employers have reported significant challenges in recruiting and retaining colleagues, as well as a high number of longstanding vacancies. Workforce shortages have been recognised by some parts of the government, and in 2021 pharmacists were added to the Home Office Shortage Occupation List (SoL). Despite these efforts, the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) […]
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Chapter 4: Dentists
Morale among NHS dentists is at ‘an all-time low and we are facing an exodus of dentists from the NHS’, the British Dental Association (BDA) warns. In its briefing, Reviewing the NHS Dental Contract published in December 2022, the BDA says chronic underfunding, the current NHS dental contract, and the added challenges posed by Covid-19 […]
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Chapter 5: Optometrists
Primary eye care providers in England could be ‘better utilised’ to address the workforce issues in secondary care, says Dr Peter Hampson, clinical director at the Association of Optometrists (AOP). ‘There is a large, well trained, well equipped workforce that could help, but inconsistent commissioning of services that extend beyond the standard sight test are […]
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Chapter 6: Nurses
Nursing roles in primary care are vast, from community midwives and district nurses to health visitors and general practice nurses. Each nursing sector has its own set of challenges but all require a supportive work environment. Their crucial role has been recognised in the latest iteration of the GP contract as advanced clinical practitioner nurses […]
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The End: Conclusion
Healthcare Leader’s look at the primary healthcare workforce crisis shines a light on the deep concerns about recruitment and retention across all the individual primary care professions. GP practices nationwide are experiencing significant and growing strain, with thousands of GPs and practice nurses predicted to leave the workforce in the next few years. Nursing bodies […]
Read nowThe End: Conclusion
