Skills for Health has warned that urgent action is needed to address skills gaps within the health sector, following the publication of the first National Strategic Skills Audit by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES).
The UKCES report, Skills for Jobs: Today and Tomorrow, provides a comprehensive analysis of England’s current and future skills needs and identifies the sectors, occupations and skills which should be prioritised to meet the needs of the country’s economy and labour market. It says that the health sector is particularly significant within the economy due to the numbers it employs, its anticipated growth, and its high-priority skills needs. Overall, it is ranked sixth among sectors for its future economic significance and first for its “replacement labour demand” – reflecting the high volume of staff it will need to recruit in the coming years to replace its ageing workforce. The Skills Audit report identifies a number of sectors and occupations where immediate action is needed to address high priority skills needs. Within the health sector, these include the management and leadership skills which are needed to respond to and exploit future challenges; and health professionals in a number of specialisms. Skills for Health chief executive, John Rogers, said: “Emerging skills gaps may not seem a critical issue to some right now, given all the other pressures. But both our own research, and now this very comprehensive report, warns that urgent action is needed to prevent the health sector’s workforce skills becoming outdated. If employers are to deliver more high-quality healthcare, within fixed or shrinking budgets, they need to become more efficient by developing their existing staff and making the best possible use of their skills.”
