A detailed action plan which will help to increase job opportunities for newly qualified healthcare professionals is published.
The plan, which has been put together jointly by the NHS trade unions, the Department of Health and NHS Employers through the Social Partnership Forum, makes a series of practical suggestions as to what NHS, social care, local government, independent and voluntary sector employers and higher education institutions can do together to identify employment opportunities for newly qualified healthcare professionals.
Commending the forum participants, Health Minister Lord Hunt said:
“The Social Partnership Forum demonstrates that collaboration between employers, unions and the Department of Health can provide a constructive way forward in improving job opportunities for new graduates.
“I am encouraged by the response of many employers in helping ensure new qualifiers are supported. There is much work to do but this report provides a number of options to help those who have made a significant personal commitment in undertaking training.”
The action plan includes the following:
– The creation of talent pools of all new qualifiers seeking their first post through the use of NHS Jobs
– A feasibility study in the East of England which will consider an employment guarantee scheme
– Employers to work with SHAs to indicate the expected number of new qualifiers that will need to be employed
– Higher Education Institution career advisors to offer each qualifying healthcare professional support in their career planning
– Recommendations to be discussed at regional level through social partnership forums
– NHS trusts are to encourage new graduates to apply for entry posts rather than stipulating set amounts of experience
– NHS Careers is to work with individual unions to produce information targeted at new qualifiers seeking work
– Employers to work with trade unions to develop keeping-in-touch schemes with opportunities for work shadowing for newly qualified heathcare professionals.
Representatives from the key parties involved in the Social Partnership Forum are now developing their own work programmes to drive forward this plan.
The progress of the plan will be monitored through the Social Partnership Forum and they will formally review its success in six months’ time.