Briefing / HFMA summary of the NHS long term workforce plan

NHS England published the NHS long term workforce plan (the plan) on 30 June 2023.

This is a long-awaited document which looks to ensure the NHS has the workforce it needs for the future. NHS England described it as ‘a once-in-a-generation opportunity to put staffing on a sustainable footing and improve patient care’, this being the first time that the government has asked the NHS to come up with a comprehensive workforce plan.

NHS England has committed to updating this plan at least every two years. This will help to mitigate uncertainty in the forecasting assumptions and will mean that NHS England can react and respond to any under- or over- performance against targets.

This briefing summarises NHS England’s plan, giving an overview of the key messages before focusing in on some of the financial implications. Please refer to the full plan for more detail.