We are committed to the development of the People Profession in NHS Wales (HR, OD and workforce practitioners). Our NHS Wales people professionals are uniquely placed to drive positive change. Their role and responsibility is to ensure we deliver on all aspects of the workforce agenda.
We recognise that to provide the best support, and to create a modern, future-fit and inclusive People Profession in NHS Wales, we must invest in professional and career development and ensure we attract and retain talented people professionals for the future. We will do this through facilitating a range of opportunities to grow professional practice across Health in Wales. We will also ensure that professional practice is rooted in a sound knowledge of how we run our health organisations.
The “Developing the NHS Wales People Profession” national programme was established in 2022 with the creation of a tripartite agreement between HEIW, NHS Wales Organisations and HPMA Cymru. The programme was formally launched in September 2022, at the HEIW and HPMA-sponsored Developing the People Profession Conference. Watch this short video from our Developing the People Profession Cymru Conference that showcases our commitment to developing the people profession community.
HEIW has a statutory responsibility to develop the NHS Wales People Profession and has a dedicated programme team to progress the work. The team work in collaboration with the Workforce and OD Peer Group, NHS Wales People Profession, HPMA Cymru and wider partners to deliver this ambitious and exciting programme of work.
To create a modern, future-fit and inclusive People Profession to serve NHS Wales
Developing the knowledge, skills and capabilities of our people professionals – creating a future-fit community of practice
Growing our own talented professionals, providing robust career pathways and opportunities to fulfil career aspirations
Creating a resilient, collaborative and connected network of people professionals across NHS Wales organisations
Establishing a modern People Service that enables change and is a strategic partner that addresses NHS Wales workforce challenges
A range of development and engagement events have since led to the creation of our bespoke branding, a People Profession Board and the key components of the national work programme. The programme has defined four strategic deliverables, with 11 underpinning work packages, each led by a work package sponsor (Executive Director of Workforce and OD) and work package lead (Assistant Director of Workforce and OD). These are summarised in the image below.
To achieve our vision for the “Developing the People Profession” in NHS Wales, it is so important that our people profession community can have a say, contribute, and are involved in the co-creation of this programme of work.
We would like to invite you to get involved in the design and delivery of our work packages, which will also provide a great opportunity to learn, connect and network with the wider community as well as support career development.
To get involved and take advantage of this exciting opportunity, please complete the Expressions of Interest Form 
, selecting the work package(s) that you feel most passionate about supporting.
We anticipate that involvement will require very minimal effort with an occasional ask for your feedback and ideas (occasional surveys, mentimeter, possible virtual group sessions). Being involved with these work packages is completely voluntary and you can be involved as much or as little as you desire, depending on your interests and capacity. Any further queries, feel free to get in touch with us via our email address: HEIW.WODProfession@wales.nhs.uk.
People Profession Cymru Resources
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