Who this section is for

Whether you are a manager thinking about your team's future needs, or a member of staff looking to understand how we plan ahead, this section provides guidance on the:

• importance of workforce planning and why it matters

• roles and responsibilities of the key people involved in workforce planning

• importance of planning ahead considering risk and redesign

• expectations of managers

• frameworks and tools to support workforce planning

• learning and support available.

What workforce planning is

Workforce planning helps us to make sure we have the right people, with the right skills, in the right roles, at the right time.

It helps managers think ahead about how their service will need to operate in the future, rather than reacting once problems occur. This includes thinking about:

• changes in demand
• new ways of working
• emerging skills
• potential workforce risks.

Effective workforce planning looks beyond current roles, structures and ways of working to consider what the service may need to look like over the next 3 to 5 years, even where this challenges existing arrangements.

Why it matters

Workforce planning plays a key role in helping our services deliver consistently and safely for our residents and staff.

When we plan our workforce well, we can:

• anticipate pressure rather than firefight it
• reduce recruitment delays and not rely on temporary staff
• spot skills gaps before they affect delivery
• support staff development and retention
• reduce workload pressure and wellbeing risks
• create healthier teams
• support better outcomes for residents and provide stronger services.

Workforce planning also supports better decision‑making by creating space to think differently about the workforce needed in the future, rather than assuming services must always be delivered in the same way as today.

When workforce planning is not done, or is done too late, services can become reactive. This can lead to:

• staff shortages
• unmanaged risk
• increased costs
• extra pressure on individuals and teams.

Roles and responsibilities

Workforce planning is a shared process, with various roles contributing differently. This includes:

• Managers and heads of service

  Practical knowledge of demand, skills, capacity, pressures and workforce risks within their teams. Responsible for development and maintenance of workforce plans and the quality of the insight within them. Play a critical role to provide accurate, honest and forward-looking insight.

• Directors and executive directors

  Provide oversight and make sure workforce planning aligns with strategic priorities, service plans and risk.

• HR business partnering teams

  Advise on workforce data, recruitment and retention trends, policy and resource options.

• Finance business partnering team

  Advise on the financial impact of proposed changes to your service structure and provide information on your current staff budget and forecasted staff costs.

• Organisational development and inclusion

  Support thinking on skills, capability, organisational design, learning and development pathways.

• Workforce planning coordinators

  Provide guidance on the framework, promote a consistent and future‑focused approach, and help managers stay focused on longer‑term planning. They do not own workforce plans or workforce data and accountability remains with managers.

  Find out more about the workforce planning coordinator role and guiding principles in the document below: