The UK Government, in collaboration with the NHS, is set to release an updated Workforce Plan, aimed at transitioning care from hospitals to community settings.

The plan is part of a broader strategy to ensure the NHS workforce is optimally positioned to meet future healthcare demands and implement the government's Ten-Year Health Plan.

An analysis by Lord Darzi has highlighted a concerning trend within the UK healthcare workforce.

Compared to other high-income nations, the UK has nearly 16% fewer fully qualified general practitioners (GPs) per capita.

Additionally, there has been a decline of at least 5% in community nurses from 2009 to 2023, and health visitor numbers have decreased by nearly 20% between 2019 and 2023.

Mental health nursing staff have only just returned to their 2010 levels.

The initial workforce blueprint projected a 49% increase in hospital consultants, while the number of fully qualified GPs would have been by a mere 4% from 2021/2022 to 2036/2037.

Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said: “Lord Darzi diagnosed the dire state of the NHS, including that too many people end up in hospital because there aren’t the resources in the community to reach patients earlier.

“We will refresh the NHS workforce plan to fit the transformed health service we will build over the next decade, so the NHS has the staff it needs to treat patients on time again.”

The Chancellor's first budget has earmarked nearly £26bn ($27.49bn) for the health system over the current and next fiscal year, targeting critical staff shortages and reducing patient waiting times, including funding for an additional 40,000 appointments.

Set to be unveiled early next year, the government's Ten-Year Health Plan will focus on three major shifts in healthcare: from hospital-based to community-based care, from analogue to digital systems, and from a sickness model to a preventive approach.

The Workforce Plan is scheduled for a biennial review and the next update is due in the summer.