DHSC launches call for evidence on 10 year workforce plan

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has launched a call for evidence to contribute towards the forthcoming NHS 10 year workforce plan, including evidence of new digital initiatives.

Digital Health News exclusively reported in May that NHS England has dropped plans to publish a dedicated digital workforce plan promised in 2024, and will now incorporate digital into the 10 year workforce plan to be published in autumn 2025.

In a call for evidence document, the DHSC said: “The NHS will provide universal access to the best digital tools and health apps, free at the point of need.

“Staff will be liberated from bureaucracy through a single sign on, and patients will have access to a ‘doctor in their pocket’ to provide 24/7 advice and guidance.

“As we said in the 10 year health plan, healthcare work will look very different in 10 years, and we will need a very different kind of workforce strategy.

“This will mean a departure from the 2023 projections in the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, which were modelled on the system as it was at that time.”

It added: “Instead of a mere numbers game, this workforce plan will focus on getting the right staff in the right places – staff who are better treated, more motivated, have better training and more scope to develop their careers.

“The NHS will be not only the country’s biggest employer but its best.”

Respondents to the call for evidence are invited to share views and experiences either as an individual or on behalf of an organisation, with a request for evidence of the three shifts outlined in the 10 year health plan being implemented locally and their impact on the workforce.

This includes “the top digital initiatives you have delivered – in the NHS, other sectors or internationally – that have successfully increase workforce productivity or reduced demand”.

It also asks for evidence of “where you have managed changing expectations and increased patient participation in their care through digital tools and, where applicable, you have adjusted workforce planning to reflect this (for example, increased training to deliver new approaches to diabetes management to reflect new digital tools)”.

Respondents must submit evidence in separate sections on the three shifts, modelling assumptions, productivity gains from wider 10 year health plan implementation, and culture and values.

The call for evidence is open for six weeks and will close at 11.59pm on 7 November 2025.

After the publication of the 10 year health plan in July 2025, senior digital leaders in NHS trusts warned that a huge piece of work on delivery is required to fill in the missing detail, unpick “contradictions” and support the digital workforce.