Health and Social Care Workforce Strategy 2026
Date published:
‘Health and Social Care Workforce Strategy 2026: Delivering for Our People’ sets out ambitious goals for a workforce that will match the requirements of a transformed health and social care system. It also addresses the need to tackle serious challenges with supply, recruitment and retention of staff.
At the heart of the new strategy is the vision of health and social care being a rewarding and fulfilling place to work for everyone, with the best possible staffing and expertise levels in place.
The Workforce Strategy has been developed by the Department and wider health and social care bodies in close co-operation with trade unions and other organisations. The Strategy document includes a very detailed look at the workforce problems and challenges facing health and social care in Northern Ireland, which was produced following significant engagement with the workforce.
We need more investment in people, and effective workforce engagement and planning. Skills development, career pathways, increased numbers of trainees, the development of new roles, investment in the wellbeing of the workforce and empowering and supporting the workforce to do what they do best, were all identified as necessary if we are to make employers within the local health and social care system the first choice for the best people.
This workforce strategy outlines a number of actions which, when implemented, will support our people to deliver world class health and social care. The Department is committed to further close and cooperative working over the life of the strategy to implement the actions.