Advice on acute sector workforce models during COVID-19, NHS England

At the end of July, we asked local NHS systems to prepare for Phase 3 by: planning to restore all urgent and routine services delivering extensive flu (and in due course COVID-19) vaccination programmes managing the expected second surge in COVID-19 infections, now here and recognised in the decision to return the NHS to the highest level of emergency preparedness (level 4) from 5 November. This document was developed by NHS England and NHS Improvement with Health Education England to provide an advisory framework to help support trusts to organise their workforce in a way best suited to deliver their Phase 3 plans and can be flexed to local circumstances, resources and demand. It is, of course, still for individual employing organisations and trusts to make appropriate decisions about staff models and care. With the need to maintain acute, elective and screening services as far as possible, as well as the future pipeline of staff, the significant workforce boost to critical and acute care from redeploying staff from elective and outpatient services as well as trainees and students is not available this time, unless COVID-19 demand is extremely high. Local systems are moving to expand critical care and enhanced care capacity so they can continue to deliver non-COVID-19 acute services and major surgery, as well as having enough capacity to meet their projected COVID-19 demand. This advisory framework includes updated guidance on acute sector staffing for both COVID-...
Source: Current Awareness Service for Health (CASH) - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news