NIHR Policy Research Unit in Health and Social Care Workforce Programme of Work at King’s College London

In the context of ongoing challenges to the recruitment, retention, and motivation of around three million staff employed in health and social care, the NIHR Policy Research Unit in Health and Social Care Workforce in the Policy Institute at King’s College London has announced its programme of work for the next five years (2024-28).

Developed in consultation with the Department of Health and Social Care, this programme is sensitive to the importance of workforce organisation and management to the delivery of high quality services as the health and care needs of the population change, and as technological and medical advances provide new opportunities to address such needs. The Programme has been framed by key policy initiatives, for example, the NHS England Long Term Workforce Plan (2023) and the DHSC White Paper People at the Heart: Adult Social Care Reform (2021).

Studies commencing this year

  1. Evaluating the Implementation of Apprenticeships in Health and Social Care
  2. Career Development in Adult Social Care
  3. NHS Careers Across Occupations
  4. New Roles in Health and Social Care
  5. Widening Participation in the Healthcare Workforce
  6. The Social Care Workforce: Recruitment, Retention and Care User Health Outcomes
  7. The Management of Sickness Absence by NHS Trusts

On the blog

Professor Ian Kessler introduces the studies in the programme on the Unit blog, with onward links to individual project pages, and a note on the consultative Workforce Panel we are setting up to inform our work.