Workforce planning

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The department recognises the importance of workforce planning in identifying appropriate staffing levels and structures.

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HSC staffing arrangements

Local staffing arrangements are the responsibility of individual HSC employers, taking into account factors such as service needs and available resources. The department has a role in ensuring that sufficient suitably qualified staff are available to meet the needs of the service overall.

Human resources

Human Resources Directorate has in place a programme of comprehensive workforce planning reviews carried out at regional level across the main professions and a number of supporting groups in the HSC.

The main aims of the reviews are to establish information on the supply/demand dynamics relevant to the workforce group, thereby informing the department’s decision-making on the number of training places to be commissioned and to develop understanding of the issues impacting on the recruitment, retention and career progression of those employed.

The workforce planning cycle comprises a major review of each group periodically, supported by annual update reviews. The purpose of the annual update reviews is to maintain current workforce information and identify any new issues impacting on the workforce group thereby enabling any necessary action to be taken at an early stage.