NHS staff ‘need to be provided with additional skills’

A new report has highlighted the upskilling of existing NHS staff to be a crucial priority for the future sustainability of the healthcare system.

Analysis was carried out by the Nuffield Trust, having been commissioned by NHS Employers to examine how NHS staffing could be reorganised to support new ways of care provision.

After speaking with healthcare leaders and examining a number of case studies, it was determined that equipping NHS nursing, community and support staff with additional skills is the best way to develop the capacity of the health service workforce.

Such a move was described as an essential priority, but also one that could pose significant organisational challenges for NHS trusts given the current financial challenges faced by the health service.

Report author Candace Imison, the Nuffield Trust's director of policy, said: "This is not simply a 'nice to do' – it is urgent, and essential if the health service is to find a sustainable balance between available funding, patient needs and staff needs, and deliver services fit for the 21st century."