WHO and Health Education England (HEE) are working in collaboration to develop the next international generation of Human Resources for Health (HRH) system leaders. The desire is to create a lasting impact in strengthening health systems in partner countries. In support of the International Year of Health and Care Workers, the WHO and HEE are hosting a series of four open access seminars focusing on the importance of health workforce strengthening. Open to all, these explore the powerful impact that effective workforce planning can have on health systems throughout the world.
The first of four seminars took place on the 13th December 2021. It brought together international leaders in the field of workforce planning and enabled attendees to understand the importance of systemic workforce planning, as well as its contribution to the development of strengthening of health care systems.
Panelists
Jim Campbell, Health Workforce Director, World Health Organization: Mr Campbell is the Director of the Health Workforce Department at the WHO and he is widely recognised as a Human Resources for Health Champion. His work at the WHO has included overseeing the development of the Global Strategy on Human Resources for Health: Workforce 2030.
Dr Navina Evans, CEO of Health Education England: Dr Evans joined HEE on 1 October 2020 from East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT), where she had been Chief Executive since 2016. She has over twenty years of clinical experience in psychiatry, medicine and paediatrics and previously held the positions of Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Operations.
Rob Smith, Director of Workforce Planning and Intelligence for Health Education England: Mr Smith has worked for the NHS for over 34 years with an initial background in finance before moving into the world of workforce planning and strategy. He joined Health Education England in 2012 and was co-author of the first ever national ‘workforce plan for England’. In 2015, he led HEE’s hosting of the 15th International Workforce Collaborative conference before becoming the National Director of Workforce Planning and Intelligence for Health Education England in 2017.
Professor Ged Byrne, Director of Global Health Partnerships for Health Education England: Professor Byrne will be Chairing this seminar. Ged Byrne is a surgeon by background and now directs the Global Health Partnerships directorate at HEE alongside his clinical and teaching commitments. In this role, Ged is responsible for international ethical recruitment, the development of international placements and partnerships, and workforce government to government partnerships.
Seminar schedule
- Winter 2021, 13 December 2021, 09:30-10:30am GMT – An introduction to systemic workforce planning
- Spring 2022 – Demand led shocks and workforce planning TBC
- Summer 2022 – Understanding health workforce capacity TBC
- Autumn 2022 – Planning the future TBC The Year of the Health and Care Workers
For more information on the series, visit https://global.hee.nhs.uk/yhcw/ or email at TCC@hee.nhs.uk.
About Health Education England: HEE is the lead strategic workforce planning organization supporting the National Health Service (NHS) in England. It is responsible for providing system-wide leadership and oversight of the NHS’ workforce planning, education, and training. HEE builds on the NHS’ seventy years of experience delivering universal healthcare to provide health system strengthening internationally.