Analysis of the NHS funded Children & Young People's Mental Health workforce

Analysis of the NHS funded Children & Young People's Mental Health workforce across Cheshire & Merseyside to identify: skills, knowledge, learning and development needs.

CYP MH Local Transformation Plans have been developed and refreshed annually across Cheshire & Merseyside since the publication of Future in Mind in 2015. Assurance against national key lines of enquiries has repeatedly highlighted the absence of clear workforce planning and development across CYP MH NHS providers. The development of joint area workforce plans remains a key requirement, highlighting the importance of the creation of a workforce with the right skills and capabilities. This is to include workforce information, numbers of staff including whole time equivalents, skills, and capabilities.

A set of principles are proposed for future NHS workforce decisions:

1. Securing the supply of staff that are needed to deliver high quality care
2. Training, educating, and investing in the workforce
3. Providing career pathways for all staff rather than just 'jobs'
4. Ensuring that people from all backgrounds have the opportunity to contribute to, and benefit from, healthcare
5. Ensuring that the entire NHS is a modern model employer with flexible working patterns, career structures, and reward mechanisms
6. Ensuring that in the future service, financial and workforce planning are intertwined.

Analysis and completion of a report will provide an understanding of the existing gap.