People are our greatest asset: a model of real workforce development to turn rhetoric into reality
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/17556228200600006 |
| Published date | 01 May 2006 |
| Pages | 37-41 |
| Date | 01 May 2006 |
| Author | Malcolm Philip,Peter Lindley |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care |
37
People are our greatest asset: a model of
real workforce development to turn
rhetoric into reality
Malcolm Philip and Peter Lindley
The Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health
The Journal of Mental Health Workforce Development Volume 1 Issue 1 May 2006 © Pavilion
Abstract
The authors make the case for concluding that
current workforce models stop short at workforce
planning. These are not truly integrated approaches
that take an inclusive approach to the involvement of
stakeholders. Nor do current models put the service
users first in terms of designing a holistic workforce
development process driven by and for the service
user. The authors go on to articulate the key features
of such a service user-focused approach.
Key words
workforce planning; workforce development; users
and carers
Introduction
Most organisations subscribe to the notion that their
employees are their greatest asset. In some of the most
progressive organisations ‘The value of the workforce, the DNA
of most organisations, is now acknowledged as potentially the
biggest differentiating source of strategic advantage, the biggest
component of most future investment and the organisation’s
greatest potential asset’ (Scott-Jackson & Tajer,2005).
However, too many public sector organisations do
little more than pay lip service to this notion. Their
approach to workforce development focuses largely on
recruitment and numbers and fails to look strategically at
support and development of the workforce. Some issues
such as challenging discrimination and empowering the
workforce are hardly dealt with at all. They rely on other
NHS bodies and education and training providers to
support, nurture and develop their staff.
The National Institute for Mental Health England
(NIMHE), the Department of Health (DoH), Skills for
Health and Skills for Care are doing laudable jobs of
leading on broad workforce development. There are also
many examples in the private sector of exemplary
organisations having quite sophisticated and successful
workforce development approaches.
What is most concerning is how far behind many NHS
mental health organisations are in addressing workforce
development and really making staff their greatest
potential asset. The NHS has faced continuing workforce
shortages and crises in some professions since the mid
1990s, yet many organisations are failing to address this,
or are barely scratching the surface.
This article describes work undertaken at the Sainsbury
Centre for Mental Health (SCMH) to develop a
comprehensive model of workforce development drawing
on the authors’ work with NHS trusts over the past five
years. It draws on research, practice development and
project/consulting experience in considering the need for
change across mental health organisations in
understanding and addressing workforce issues.
Workforce planning and development
The journey for SCMH began with the publication Pulling
Together,the future roles and training of mental health
staff (SCMH, 1997) followed by Finding and Keeping, a
review of recruitment and retention in the mental health
workforce (SCMH, 2001), and the Mental Health
Workforce for the Future: A planners guide (SCMH, 2003).
Through that work it was recognised that there were
serious gaps in the approaches to workforce development
and little coherent planning and development. No data
existed on the national mental health workforce. At trust
level data was often very poor about staffing, turnover,
staff satisfaction and well-being, training and
development, capabilities and education, along with any
mechanisms to measure staff performance.
As projects for SCMH working with trusts, other
organisations and educational institutions increased a
broad development model began to take shape, one
which took account of all the areas that it was felt were
missing in existing approaches, and one which tried to
bring together all the tasks and functions of workforce
development into a coherent whole. Figure 1 illustrates
the different components of the model in its current
To continue reading
Request your trial