Recruit more overseas nurses, says government in staff plan
RECRUITING more nurses from overseas and developing plans to move away from agency working are among the ideas in a new NHS workforce plan published by the Welsh Government.
The long-awaited workforce plan aims to address the challenges of staffing the Welsh NHS.
But Plaid Cymru has questioned ‘was it worth the wait?’
The National Workforce Implementation Plan includes plans for:
■ Ethically recruiting more nurses from overseas, with a recruitment drive planned for later in 2023;
■ a ‘Collaborative Bank’ to enable the NHS to address short-term staffing issues and provide staff with choice and flexibility, while encouraging a move away from agency working;
■ proposals to deploy ‘reservists’ to support the regular workforce at times of extreme pressure; and
■ plans to encourage more volunteers into the health and care system.
The NHS Wales workforce is at record levels, with more than 105,000 staff currently directly employed.
But there is expected to be increasing demand globally for healthcare workers, with the World Health Organisation (WHO) predicting a shortfall of 10 million health workers globally by 2030.
Last year, the Welsh Government’s ‘Once for Wales’ pilot recruitment campaign led to around 400 nurses joining the NHS.
The latest plans include creating an ‘All-Wales Collaborative Bank’ to enable the NHS to address short-term staffing issues.
Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW) is developing proposals to deploy reservists to support the regular workforce at times of extreme pressure, such as for the urgent rollout of a national vaccination programme, as seen during the pandemic.
The Welsh Government also plans to encourage more volunteers into the health and care system, adding to the existing network of people who give their time to help others.
Detailed plans for specific professions and services such as nursing, dentistry and pharmacy will be released by the Welsh Government over the next two years.
Health Minister Eluned Morgan said:
“Our health workforce has reached record numbers in Wales, to help meet the increasing demand on its services. But we are seeing demand for health and social care like never before, in Wales and across the world.
“Our plans are based on what NHS staff have been telling us – that rapid action is needed in key areas now.
“The message is clear: we must accelerate our action, with strong, collective and compassionate leadership, if we are to improve retention and recruitment. It’s vital we provide our workforce with the working environment it needs to continue to provide world-class care for the people of Wales.”
Plaid Cymru’s spokesman for health and care, Rhun ap Iorwerth MS, said: “Welsh Government’s workforce plan has been a long time coming, but we’re left with the question – was it worth the wait? “Workers are striking over pay and conditions, and the first thing that any credible workforce plan must address is how workers are to be fairly paid. Yet Welsh Government once again hide behind Westminster, blaming them for not increasing funding, whilst failing to acknowledge that there are powers they themselves do hold, including taxation.
“Paying workers a fair wage has to be at the heart of the workforce plan, and that’s why it’s the first point in Plaid Cymru’s 5-Point Plan for the NHS, published last week. Without our health and care workers, we have no NHS.”
Welsh Conservative Shadow Health Minister Russell George MS said: “While this plan from Labour is long overdue, we welcome proposals and timelines to formalise volunteers within the Welsh NHS and end our dependence on agency workers, just as we have been saying for years.
“It is essential we stem the tide of medical staff leaving the Welsh NHS for agency work for the long-term sustainability of public healthcare, but that can only change if Labour ministers end the way they treat staff and the conditions they work in.
“This is not just the opinion of the Welsh Conservatives, but organisations like the Royal College of Nursing who have been infuriated with the Labour government’s willingness to spend well in excess of £100m every year to cover thousands of nurse vacancies.
“If we cannot get the workforce right, patients will never get the NHS they deserve – it is why, under Labour, Wales has just recorded its worst-ever A&E and ambulance waits and has Britain’s longest treatment waiting-list.”
Dr Olwen Williams OBE, vice-president for Wales, Royal College of Physicians (RCP) said: “I’m delighted to see this plan published at last. We’ve previously joined with other royal colleges and professional bodies to call for action, and this is an important first step in the process. We also welcome recent engagement with the royal colleges over this workforce plan and hope to continue these conversations.
“We know the NHS workforce is under a great deal of pressure. In our most recent membership survey in December 2022, the Royal College of Physicians found that staff shortages are the biggest challenge facing the NHS, with 64% of respondents in Wales saying they were being asked to fill rota gaps at short notice and 49% saying that reducing staff vacancies in their team would make the biggest difference to their wellbeing.
“We cannot afford any more delays. It’s now time for action. We are calling for the publication of detailed vacancy data by the summer which will help us to match recruitment with patient demand.
“It’s vital the Welsh Government works with NHS Wales and royal colleges to ensure that these actions are delivered as quickly as possible to support our members.”