1. Capitalise on the 750,000 people who volunteered to help the NHS during this time of crisis by constructing a reserve volunteer list who could be called upon again, reducing the need to recruit further should they be needed again. Encourage retiring staff to go on this list for 2 years.
2. Allow volunteers to undertake support roles to clinical staff where able.
3. Ensure that current staff get to take their holiday and have a holiday!
Government to work with a national hotel chain to provide an away from home holiday for up to 7 days for NHS/Social Services staff and families. Many have had to take a holiday in lockdown, (more than once) being forced to stay at home, often alone!
4. Reinstate the bursary scheme for Nurses and AHPs to attract entrants from across all strata of society, possibly with an entrance exam or other route in (See no.5). This is necessary as students are not able to sit GCSE’s at present.
5. Reintroduce the NHS cadet scheme and extend to Social Services, this will allow 16 year olds to work on a 2 year programme designed to give them experience and knowledge of working within various departments: both clinical and non clinical across health and social care. This would need to be delivered locally but designed nationally with set goals to be achieved and a pathway into professional training at that end such as nursing, physiotherapy etc.
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