The UK Sector Skills Assessment 2011 has presented a wide-ranging review of the health sector’s skills and workforce needs, against a backdrop of rapid organisational and technological change, financial constraint and rising demand for services caused by an ageing population and increases in long-term conditions.
These trends will require unprecedented improvements in quality and productivity, says the report, and it warns that failure to tackle growing management and leadership skills gaps will hamper the introduction of necessary workforce transformation measures. Commenting on the report, Skills for Health head of research Ian Wheeler, said: “Skills gaps are always a cause for concern and are particularly worrying at a time when the sector is undergoing significant change. Management, teamworking and problem-solving skills, in particular, are set to become more important as employers embark on large-scale workforce transformation. “It is vital that health employers continue to invest in skills development, if they are to realise the vision of a flexible and productive workforce continuing to deliver high-quality care.” Figures from the assessment show that 32% of employers in England report gaps in management and leadership skills, while in England and Scotland gaps in “problem solving” skills were reported by 44% and 47% of employers respectively. “Teamwork” also featured highly, with 40% of Scottish employers and 41% of English employers reporting this as a skills gap. The assessment also highlighted the importance of tackling literacy and numeracy skills gaps, with 20% of health sector employers in England reporting skills gaps concerning literacy, while 15% reported skills gaps concerning numeracy. UK Sector Skills Assessment 2011 is available as a free download from www.skillsforhealth.org.uk/lmi
