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Nursing & Midwifery Workload and Workforce Planning. Introduction to Workforce Planning and Staff Deployment. What is Workforce Planning?.
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Nursing & Midwifery Workload and Workforce Planning Introduction to Workforce Planning and Staff Deployment
What is Workforce Planning? • the process for estimating the required health workforce to meet future health service requirements and the development of strategies to meet those requirements (for a balanced workforce) • “At its simplest, effective workforce planning ensures you will have a workforce: • of the right size • with the right skills and diversity • organised in the right way • within the budget that you can afford to deliver the services you need to provide the best patient care.” (National Workforce Projects)
Dimensions of Developing the Nurse Workforce (RCN, 2003) • Planning - designing patterns of staff mixes and utilisation in line with strategic policy goals • Production - the supply of nurses including all aspects of nursing and midwifery education • Management - covers all matters relating to the employment, use and motivation of nursing staff • determines the productivity and coverage of different nursing services • and their capacity to retain staff
Advantages of Workforce Planning • identify shortages and surpluses and prevent staffing crises • define tasks and roles and encourage teamwork • contribute to ensuring patient safety by having the right staff skills in place to deliver effective care • identify drivers of both demand and supply • establish workforce education and training needs • provide for service development and changing healthcare needs
Phases of Workforce Planning • Short term- ensuring there is sufficient staff to cope with the expected workload, i.e. rostering • Medium term- small adjustments i.e. re-evaluate your requirements for any vacancy, e.g. skill mix • Long term- manpower planning whereby decisions are taken in the longer term regarding staffing i.e. due to service change or development for a • Operational- decisions taken about the deployment of staff that are actually on duty