The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) has announced a £24 million investment in five innovative Workforce Research Partnerships (WRPs) aimed at addressing critical challenges faced by NHS and social care staff. With 106,432 unfilled posts in secondary care and 131,000 vacancies in the social care sector, workforce sustainability is a pressing issue for UK health services.
These WRPs will develop and test new strategies to improve the quality of health and social care services, focusing on staff retention, workplace stress, and high turnover rates. The partnerships involve 24 universities across England and Wales, five NHS Trusts, four councils, and five charities and non-profit organisations, working across various integrated care system regions.
Minister of State for Health Karin Smyth commented:
“As we work to rebuild our broken NHS, it is essential we better understand the skills, expertise and aspirations of our amazing health and care workforce.
“That means making the most of their talents and deploying them where they can be most effective. It also means ensuring the work is enjoyable, meaningful and their wellbeing prioritised in what is, so often, a high-pressured environment.
“The valuable research generated by these partnerships will help us retain and nurture more staff, turn the tide on recruitment challenges, and deliver even more high-quality health and care to communities throughout England.”
Each WRP comprises a multidisciplinary team with expertise in human resources, labour economics, work and wellbeing, management science, and organisational psychology. The teams will conduct high-quality research to explore optimal ways to deploy and support staff, ensuring a healthy workforce that can provide better care for patients and service users.
The research will cover a range of staff roles, including GPs, health and social care workers, allied health professionals (AHPs), non-clinical and support staff, disabled staff, and staff from ethnic minority groups. There will be a particular focus on staff working in coastal and rural areas, as well as services in disadvantaged and deprived regions.
The five projects funded by NIHR’s Health and Social Care Delivery Research (HSDR) Programme include:
- Same Day and Urgent Care Workforce Research Partnership (SURGE): Led by Prof Sarah Voss and Prof Nicola Walsh, this partnership aims to support employers in creating a robust workforce in NHS same day and urgent care services.
- Allied Health Professions Workforce Research Partnership: Led by Prof Julie Nightingale, this research focuses on AHPs in rural and coastal regions and deprived urban areas.
- Staff Wellbeing Partnership: Led by Prof Cath Taylor and Prof Jill Maben, this project tests solutions to improve staff wellbeing and create healthy workplaces.
- Social Care Workforce Research Partnership: Led by Prof Ann-Marie Towers and Prof Karen Spilsbury, this team focuses on fostering a well-supported social care workforce.
- Partnership for Workforce Sustainability in Underserved Areas: Led by Prof Gillian Vance and Dr Bryan Burford, this project addresses staffing issues in high deprivation and remote locations.
Workforce sustainability is a key component of the NHS Long Term Plan and the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan. The WRPs will design their research to meet the needs of key NHS and care stakeholders, including integrated care systems. The partnerships will run for five years, boosting research capacity and capability in workforce research long term.
NIHR research research generates over £13 for the UK economy for every £1 invested by taxpayers. This comes from direct health benefits, profits to UK firms undertaking research, and stimulated private investment.
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