NHS England long-term workforce plan: Can this deliver the workforce transformation so urgently needed or is it just more rhetoric?

The long-awaited NHS England workforce plan1 (the plan) was launched in June 2023 by the Prime Minister (Rishi Sunak) and NHS England CEO (Amanda Pritchard) and heralded as:

The first comprehensive workforce plan for the NHS, putting staffing on a sustainable footing and improving patient care. It focuses on retaining existing talent and making the best use of new technology alongside the biggest recruitment drive in health service history.¹

This is a laudable aim, but can this ambitious plan really deliver the actions needed to transform the long-term future of this critical workforce?

Workforce planning is crucial to the success of the National Health Service (NHS) and has been notable by its absence in recent decades. The publication of this plan could be seen as a step in the right direction. Workforce planning requires2: