DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
News Release issued by COI News Distribution Service. 26 November 2008
Launch of
consultation to modernise healthcare science careers in the NHS
The next phase of the landmark UK-wide proposals to modernise
scientific careers in the NHS was launched today at the annual
conference of the Department of Health's Chief Scientific
Officer, Professor Sue Hill.
The four UK Health Departments have published a consultative
document setting out proposals that will transform and develop the
healthcare scientist workforce so that it can realise its full
potential in contributing to world-class healthcare in the 21st
century. In England, this follows a commitment in High Quality
Care for All to modernise the career pathway for healthcare scientists.
These proposals are intended to enable healthcare scientists to
rise to meet the challenges of a modern health service, supporting
higher quality, safer and more effective care. They should enable
healthcare scientists to develop as leaders in innovation,
research and development, bringing the latest scientific and
technological developments into frontline care.
Health Secretary Alan Johnson said:
"Science and innovation are at the heart of delivering high
quality healthcare fit for the 21st century and healthcare
scientists are at the sharp end. Crucially, they ensure safe and
effective diagnostics, which underpin 80% of clinical decisions
for patients. These proposals will allow the NHS to harness the
skills of scientists and ensure that they are leaders, partners
and practitioners in care."
Professor Sue Hill, who is responsible for the initiative, said:
"These proposals represent a bold and ambitious vision for
the future of the healthcare workforce in the UK. The vision for
healthcare science is of a world class workforce integral to
multi-professional teams operating in a range of settings to
deliver high quality innovative patient care. The healthcare
scientist workforce will also deliver excellence in knowledge
creation, innovation and service improvement. It will embrace and
lead research and development, continually evaluating clinical
practice and care delivery models."
The proposals outlined in the document have built upon feedback
on the proposed model from over 3000 stakeholders throughout the UK.
Achievement of this vision will require a transformation of
healthcare science careers, supported by new education and
training programmes, which will deliver improved benefits for
patients, for employers and health commissioners, for the
healthcare scientist workforce and for health services.
The MSC programme is designed to offer a consistent and clear
framework for modernisation of the healthcare scientist workforce
across the four countries of the UK, whilst taking account of
differing organisational, service, education and funding
arrangements. It will make career progression clearer, easier and
more flexible. In England, the proposals are part of the
implementation plans resulting from Next Stage Review's A
High Quality Workforce.
Note to Editors:
The Future of the Healthcare Scientist workforce - Modernising
Scientific Careers: The Next Steps consultation can be accessed on
http://www.dh.gov.uk/cso
The healthcare science workforce totals over 55,000 people and
comprises approximately 5 per cent of the publicly funded
healthcare workforce in the UK. Their skill base stretches across
some 50 scientific disciplines that contribute to 80% of clinical
decisions in prevention, diagnosis and treatment. Its work is at
the heart of safe and effective care for patients, to which they
make a key and often unique contribution, though:
* delivering tests on patients which underpin most clinical
decisions
- developing and using technology to improve care
for priority groups: older people, women and children, patients
with mental health problems and the acutely ill
- finding
technological solutions to delivering high quality care closer to
patients' homes.
The consultation period will run until 27 February 2009 and the
document and online response can be found at http://www.dh.gov.uk/