NHS Board Projected staff in Post changes for 2015/16

4. Methodology

The data provided by NHS boards were analysed and interrogated in order to be satisfied that any changes within each staff group were consistent with the narrative provided in local delivery plans (LDPs), workforce plans (if available), and the narrative within the projection template returns. NHS boards were consulted where discrepancies occurred and further information was provided.

Workforce planning is a statutory requirement and was established in NHSScotland in 2005 with the inception of HDL (2005) 52: National Workforce Planning Framework 2005 - Guidance, which provided boards with a base for establishing workforce planning as a key element of the wider planning systems within NHSScotland. The Six Steps Methodology to Integrated Workforce Planning is the high-level approach used by the workforce planning community across NHSScotland. The six steps comprise:

• defining the plan;
• service change;
• defining the required workforce;
• workforce capability;
• action plan; and
• implementation and monitoring.

All NHS boards are expected to discuss their workforce projections with their local area partnership forums (APF). However, given the timetable for the publication of this data, it is appreciated that some boards will not yet have completed these discussions. It is expected that all APF discussions on workforce projections will be completed by early October 2015.