New hospital, new opportunities
As part of the Whipps Cross redevelopment, we are refreshing our ‘workforce strategy’ to ensure NHS staff across the local area have the opportunity to develop the right skills to deliver 21st century care.
To create the new strategy, staff from Whipps Cross Hospital joined with colleagues from community-based NHS services and social care providers at a ‘Workforce summit’. Staff from NHS North East London and the national New Hospital Programme also joined the meeting to discuss both current and future concerns and share ideas about recruitment and retention.
As we work towards a new Whipps Cross hospital we will create opportunities for more collaborative working between teams across the local area. During the meeting there was a particular focus on the opportunities presented by the delivery of these new, collaborative ‘models of care’, including Whipps Cross becoming a specialist frailty centre. Future meetings will express how this new specialism could provide opportunities for research and the development of specialist expertise.
The new hospital will also harness the latest technology, providing further opportunities for staff to learn new skills and develop their careers in the NHS. These new opportunities could also attract more people, including those living locally, to pursue a career at Whipps Cross or in one of the many community-based local services.
As we refresh our workforce strategy, we are making sure it aligns with other national and local initiatives. These include the NHS long-term workforce plan, the Barts Health people strategy, and the health workforce plans across north east London.
Together these plans and strategies will ensure that whether in the community or at Whipps Cross, patients will receive the right care, from the right people, at the right time.
A follow-up summit is due to take place in the new year.