Nursing Times Workforce Summit & Awards 2024

The workforce crisis remains the central challenge to health and social care. How to train and recruit sufficient nurses, midwives and support staff with the right skills in the right place and then to support and retain them?

These are undoubtedly tough times for the NHS, with enduring workforce shortages, funding restrictions and growing patient demand among the challenges. Likewise, the independent and charity sectors are facing similar problems of their own.

But are we entering a new phase? There is usually either a surplus of posts and too few staff to fill them – as has been the situation in recent years – or, alternatively, a surplus of staff and not enough jobs.

However, we are no longer in a traditional boom and bust cycle, when it comes to the supply of nursing and midwifery staff. Now we are in a situation where employers are still short staffed but cannot afford to fill posts. Looked at another way, staff are finding it difficult to find jobs, despite there being a dire need for them.

Is there hope for the future? Reform has been promised by the new government and senior nurses are among those leading the implementation of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, published last year for England, as well as related work around the UK. Meanwhile, a first workforce strategy for social care was unveiled earlier this year by Skills for Care.

These policies, plus other potential solutions, innovations and challenges, will be discussed by the profession at our free online conference on Thursday 21 November, and at the Nursing Times Workforce Summit, to be held on Thursday 28 November at the Royal Lancaster London. Attend these events to be part of the conversation.

After the summit, the Nursing Times Workforce Awards will take place on the evening of 28 November. They are our annual celebration of the nurses, midwives and employers making a real difference in key areas such as staff recruitment, retention, wellbeing and inclusion. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate our finalists for making the shortlist in 2024.

We will reveal the winners of 18 categories, covering individuals, teams and organisations. Among them are standout awards for Nurse Manager of the Year, Workforce Team of the Year and Best UK Employer of the Year for Nursing Staff.

We will also spotlight those going the extra mile when trying to attract nursing staff, with categories for Best Recruitment Experience and Best International Recruitment Experience. Just as importantly, we will celebrate efforts to retain staff, through awards for Best Staff Wellbeing Initiative and Best Employer for Staff Recognition and Engagement.

I look forward to seeing you at the 2024 Nursing Times Summit & Awards.

Steve Ford ❄️

Editor

Nursing Times