Download the Hertfordshire and West Essex ICS People Strategy 2023 to 2025 (3MB pdf)
Executive summary
People who work across health and social care do incredible work to keep our population healthy and well. They have shown immense fortitude over the last few years in the face of the pandemic. For this we say a heartfelt thank you. This strategy aims to address issues that get in the way of staff and volunteers doing their best for patients, service users, their families and the population of Hertfordshire and West Essex.
The system’s workforce has undergone substantial change since our initial strategy and vision of ‘one workforce’ in 2019. The Covid-19 pandemic provided immense challenges to our sector and overall workforce, but also showed the significant pace of change possible.
With the recent system changes and transition to Integrated Care Boards and introduction of place based working we considered it a good time to review and refresh our strategy going forwards. The Integrated Care Partnership are concurrently developing a ten year system strategy and we are pleased to note that workforce is identified as key system priority and enabler for delivery of that strategy.
We have engaged with stakeholders across the system to gather views – priorities have been identified relating to staff supply, retention and integrated planning. We acknowledge and have highlighted these as key areas to progress, but believe that we need to ensure we continue to progress areas of wider transformation and ensure equity across health, social, primary and VCSE
areas of our workforce. We believe delivering this People Strategy will make Hertfordshire and West Essex a great place to live, learn, work and stay. This executive summary shows the core ambitions for the system’s workforce as well as a high level plan. The People Strategy aims to achieve the following system ambitions:
The People Strategy aims to achieve the following system ambitions:
- We will produce a long-term workforce plan for the whole system, based on the needs of our population and accounts for the skills required to deliver those services.
- We will create communities empowered and enabled to provide the best possible care through innovation and integrated working.
- We will develop sustainable workforce attraction strategies, particularly through domestic supply routes, to reduce system vacancies.
- We will ensure that our staff are representative of our local population by making Hertfordshire and West Essex a place of equal opportunity and inclusion.
- We will reduce staff turnover by delivering the best possible staff experience and ensuring our workforce are healthy and happy.
- We will ensure all staff are given the opportunity to develop their skills and careers, with talent effectively and equitably identified and nurtured across the system.
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