Background
The Workforce group was established in 2015 in response to the recognition that there is a need for a co-ordinated approach/response from SCBN to future staffing structure and sustainability in the speciality across Health Boards in Scotland. The remit of the workforce subgroup is to highlight potential staffing issues and identify opportunities which may allow more efficient use of staff. The workforce are not evenly distributed by age, with over one third of current non-training scientific and medical staff being aged over 53. Similarly, age distribution within laboratories of BMS are not uniform represents a challenge to specific laboratories at different times and particular issues with staff development of multidisciplinary BMS (to IBMS fellowship) need addressing.
Aims
The aims of the group are:
- provision of expert advice about future staffing numbers to deliver a sustainable service while encouraging flexibility and innovation, identifying the numbers needed to be trained across Scotland.
- identifying BMS workforce requirements across Scotland from large core hubs to small isolated multidisciplinary centres, and identifying potential approaches to their professional development.
- Identifying if key new skills need to be developed across staff groups, e.g. improved information distilling key findings from data as demonstrated by AKI initiative; or new diagnostic approaches, eg proteomics/metabolomics come of age.
The aims of the Workforce Group align with the Scottish Government’s 20:20 vision for Scotland. This is likely to require diagnostic tests being delivered more remotely allowing patients to be managed at home, or to indicate need for tertiary referral. The Shared Services Agenda will impact on the model which must be flexible and sustainable to adapt and deliver 7 day services. With the genetic revolution starting, there will be an initial increase in biomarkers to assess whether genetic test has identified true disease or normal variants and the role of individualised drug dosaging will require expanded monitoring from biochemical tests. An educated, skilled, flexible and adapting workforce will be required to deliver these goals.
Progress To Date
Progress is as follows:
- Biochemistry representatives from five Health Boards participate in the group.
- National training leads for medical and scientists involved as well as lead BMS from variety of backgrounds input.
- Members of the group have collated up to date workforce numbers and feed this through to NES planning.
- Biochemistry Laboratory Workforce Issues Scotland Report 2017
Future Plans
The group will develop a detailed plan on staffing numbers as services alter, so that the laboratory developments are not hampered by inadequate numbers of suitably trained individuals. By regularly reviewing our position in light of the impact from the above changes, we can try to avoid shortages and prevent oversupply of staff over the next 10 years.