The College of Podiatry responds to We are the NHS: People Plan for 2020/21

Today, We are the NHS: People Plan for 2020/21’‘ was formally launched by NHS England/Improvement and Health Education England. The College is broadly supportive of the themes laid out in the plan; however, it is concerned with the lack of detail, specifically around investment in the podiatry workforce. The College knows it is essential that we grow the NHS podiatry workforce to meet the increasing population need. Some of the initiatives within the plan will help to achieve this, though we require further detail to appreciate how these plans will be implemented.   

It is a positive step, that from January 2021, all NHS posts will be advertised as being available for flexible working patterns. This will be a significant support to the podiatry workforce, many of whom are currently juggling work, family and study commitments. The increasing number of people with long term health conditions, who will need the skills of a podiatrist to prevent and manage complications and support rehabilitation is clear. Therefore, it is extremely important that there is continued investment in the workforce as a whole so that there is, overall, a greater number of FTE podiatrists working across England’s health and social care system. The College is also pleased to see the commitment that all NHS organisations across England will provide a risk assessment for vulnerable staff, particularly in the COVID-19 context. 

If we are to see an increased number of podiatrists working across England’s NHS, it will be critical that we increase the numbers both of students studying podiatry at undergraduate level and podiatrists returning to work in the NHS. Therefore, the College welcomes the recruitment drive for 2020/21 which will focus on encouraging clinicians to return to practice. However, we believe that a recruitment drive should concentrate specifically on professions where there is a shortage of supply, such as podiatry. NHS podiatry services have seen many former staff returning to the frontline during the COVID-19 pandemic; the College is working with HEE to support those wishing to return to practice.  

The College values the inclusion of the commitment to see more people in training and education and to ensure that services are appropriately staffed. To ensure this, this commitment needs to be backed up with reintroduction of full bursaries to cover the cost of undergraduate provision. The removal of the bursary has had a particularly detrimental impact on the NHS Podiatry workforce. The cost of a bursary could be reimbursed by ensuring that graduates work in the NHS for a minimum of 2 years post-graduation, as is the case in Wales. The plan also sets out a £1m fund for clinical placements for Nurses, Midwives and Allied Health Professionals to support NHS employers to train the next generation. The College looks forward to seeing the breakdown for how this resource will be spent and is hopeful that this will provide a boost to practice-based learning opportunities for podiatry students. 

NHS staff work in roles which are both emotionally and physically demanding. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted this. Therefore, the College welcomes the commitment to look after NHS staff set out in the Plan, which promises a support line, bereavement support and access to mental health and wellbeing apps for all NHS staff. The introduction of these tools will be particularly welcomed by NHS staff during such a challenging time. It is also important to point out that as the professional body for podiatry, we are able to offer additional support and advice to our membership on these issues whenever this is required. 

The College of Podiatry, as the professional body and trade union for podiatrists in the UK, is part of the consultation mechanism for NHS staff – we welcome that trade unions have been involved in discussions on the formulation of the plan and look forward to participating in its implementation. However, the challenge to the NHS is securing the correct level of funding to meet the needs of the plan and also provide for improved levels of pay and other conditions to aid recruitment and retention of podiatrists and other NHS staff. The College is pleased to see the commitments to be more inclusive and the commitment to deal with violence against NHS staff. 

Published alongside the People Plan, is the Our NHS People Promise, which addresses the issue of making the NHS a better place to work. The College looks forward to engaging at a national and regional level on how we can work together to ensure that the NHS, and provider organisations, are fully accountable and provide a workplace that is free from all forms of bullying, harassment and discrimination.