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NHS Service Level Planning: A Medical Director's Guide to Workforce Planning Excellence
A comprehensive course designed to help NHS Medical Directors understand and implement NHS England's Service Level Planning methodology. This course covers the shift from traditional individual job planning to a team-based, data-driven approach that ensures fair, transparent, and efficient workforce deployment. Based on NHS England's national webinar content and the Medical Job Planning Improvement Programme launched in 2025, this course provides both strategic context and practical implementation guidance for achieving the national targets of 95% job plan sign-off and 98% sessional activity delivery.
10 modules
31 lessons
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Part 1

Policy Context and Strategic Overview

This foundational module establishes the policy context for NHS England's Service Level Planning approach, explaining the strategic shift from traditional job planning methods and the national improvement programme objectives.

  1. NHS England's Job Planning Improvement Programme

    Understanding NHS England's Medical Job Planning Improvement Programme launched in September 2024.

  2. From Individual to Service-Level Planning - The Paradigm Shift

    Understanding the fundamental shift from traditional individual job planning to NHS England's team-based service-level planning approach, including the four core principles and implementation benefits.

  3. Key Performance Targets and Business Case

    Understanding the national performance targets of 95% job plan sign-off and 98% activity delivery, with business case evidence and return on investment from service-level planning implementation.

Part 2

Foundational Principles and Team Setup

This module covers the foundational principles that underpin successful service-level planning, including team organization, stakeholder engagement, and the practical setup required for effective service planning sessions.

  1. The Four Core Principles of Service Level Planning

    Deep dive into the four core principles that underpin NHS England's service-level planning methodology, explaining how team-based demand analysis leads to flexible, efficient workforce planning.

  2. Organizing Service Planning Team Days

    Practical guidance on organizing effective service planning team days, including preparation, attendees, facilitation, and managing common challenges to ensure successful team-based planning sessions.

  3. Stakeholder Engagement and Multi-Professional Teams

    Comprehensive guide to engaging all relevant stakeholders in service-level planning, including clinical teams, operational management, and support functions, with strategies for building consensus and managing resistance.

Part 3

Demand Analysis Fundamentals

This module covers the technical methodology for analyzing service demand, including emergency and elective care requirements, growth projections, and the key components that must be considered in comprehensive demand calculations.

  1. Understanding Total Demand Components

    Comprehensive overview of the components that make up total service demand, including emergency and elective care, administrative requirements, growth factors, and data validation processes.

  2. Emergency vs Elective Demand Calculation

    Detailed methodology for calculating emergency and elective care demand, including the Physician of the Week model, outpatient and theatre demand calculations, and balancing competing priorities.

  3. Factoring Growth, DNA Rates, and Backlogs

    Comprehensive methodology for incorporating growth projections, DNA rates, and backlog clearance requirements into demand calculations, including practical examples and risk management strategies.

Part 4

Capacity Assessment and Gap Analysis

This module focuses on assessing current workforce capacity, understanding the relationship between Direct Clinical Care (DCC) and Supporting Professional Activities (SPAs), and identifying gaps between service demand and available capacity.

  1. Calculating Current Workforce Capacity

    Comprehensive methodology for assessing current workforce capacity including consultant, SAS, and multi-professional team contributions, with practical examples of capacity calculation and utilization analysis.

  2. DCC and SPA Allocation Principles

    Comprehensive guide to Direct Clinical Care (DCC) and Supporting Professional Activities (SPA) allocation principles, including categories, funding sources, ratios, and practical management approaches.

  3. Identifying and Addressing Capacity Gaps

    Systematic approach to identifying capacity gaps through demand vs. capacity analysis, with comprehensive strategies for gap resolution including job plan adjustments, improvement initiatives, workforce transformation, and business case development.

Part 5

Emergency Care Planning

This module provides detailed guidance on planning emergency care services, including the Physician of the Week model, 52-week prospective cover arrangements, and calculating emergency demand requirements with practical examples.

  1. 52-Week Emergency Coverage with Prospective Cover

    Comprehensive guide to implementing 52-week emergency coverage with prospective cover, including principles, planning framework, leave integration, and practical implementation strategies.

  2. Physician of the Week (POW) Model

    Detailed explanation of the Physician of the Week (POW) model including responsibilities, time allocation, service integration, performance measures, and implementation considerations for effective emergency care delivery.

  3. Emergency Demand Calculation Examples

    Detailed worked examples of emergency demand calculations across different specialties including gynaecology, emergency medicine, acute medicine, cardiology, and anaesthetics, with practical calculation methods and implementation strategies.

Part 6

Elective Care Planning

This module covers the planning and organization of elective care services, including outpatient clinic standardization, theatre session planning, and administrative work allocation with practical calculation methods.

  1. Outpatient Clinic Demand and Standardization

    Comprehensive guide to outpatient clinic demand calculation and standardization, including template design, specialty variations, administrative integration, DNA management, and performance monitoring.

  2. Theatre Session Planning and Productivity

    Comprehensive guide to theatre session planning and productivity, including session structure, demand calculation, specialization types, productivity enhancement strategies, and integration with emergency coverage requirements.

  3. Administrative Work and MDT Planning

    Comprehensive guide to administrative work calculation and multidisciplinary team (MDT) planning, including time allocation principles, calculation methods, technology solutions, and integration with service-level planning.

Part 7

Data Management and Benchmarking

This module covers the critical aspects of data management for service-level planning, including data cleansing processes, national benchmarking using GIRFT data, variation analysis, and the role of business intelligence teams in supporting evidence-based planning decisions.

  1. Data Cleansing and Validation Processes

    Comprehensive guide to data cleansing and validation processes for service-level planning, including data sources, cleansing methodology, team validation, common quality issues, and technology solutions.

  2. National Benchmarking (GIRFT) and Variation Analysis

    Comprehensive guide to using GIRFT benchmarking data for service improvement, including N:F ratio analysis, quartile interpretation, variation reduction strategies, and advanced analytics for continuous performance monitoring.

  3. Using Business Intelligence for Decision Making

    Comprehensive guide to using business intelligence for service-level planning decisions, including BI team structures, advanced analytics applications, implementation strategies, and ROI measurement frameworks.

Part 8

Supporting Professional Activities (SPAs)

This module provides comprehensive guidance on Supporting Professional Activities (SPAs), including categories, fair distribution methods, quality assurance, and integration with service-level planning to ensure both clinical service needs and professional development requirements are met.

  1. SPA Categories and Fair Distribution

    Comprehensive guide to SPA categories, fair distribution principles, quality assurance, and integration with service planning to balance clinical service needs with professional development requirements.

  2. Leadership Roles and Educational Supervision

    Detailed guidance on leadership SPAs including Clinical Director roles, educational supervision responsibilities, succession planning, and quality assurance frameworks for effective leadership development.

Part 9

Individual Job Plan Development

This module guides medical directors through the process of translating service-level planning into individual consultant job plans, ensuring fair distribution of work, transparency in allocation, and alignment with both service needs and individual capabilities.

  1. Translating Service Plans into Individual Contributions

    Understanding how to translate team-based service demand calculations into fair, transparent individual consultant job plan allocations based on skills, competencies, and available capacity.

  2. Creating Personalized but Transparent Job Plans

    Learning to create job plans that are tailored to individual consultant needs and circumstances while maintaining transparency, fairness, and accountability across the team.

  3. Annual Roster and Session Management

    Comprehensive guide to developing annual rosters that integrate individual job plans, manage leave and absence coverage, and maximize session utilization while maintaining service quality and staff satisfaction.

  4. Annual Roster and Session Management

    Comprehensive guide to developing annual rosters that integrate individual job plans, manage leave and absence coverage, and maximize session utilization while maintaining service quality and staff satisfaction.

Part 10

Implementation and Performance Management

This final module covers the practical implementation of service-level planning, including the 10-step framework, performance monitoring systems, tracking the 98% delivery target, and strategies for overcoming common implementation challenges.

  1. The 10-Step Implementation Framework

    Comprehensive guide to implementing NHS England's 10-step framework for service-level planning, covering each step in detail with practical guidance for successful execution.

  2. Performance Monitoring and 98% Delivery Tracking

    Comprehensive guide to implementing performance monitoring systems and achieving the 98% delivery target for sessional clinical activity, including dashboard design, performance management processes, and continuous improvement frameworks.

  3. Overcoming Common Implementation Challenges

    Comprehensive guide to identifying, understanding, and overcoming the most common challenges encountered during service-level planning implementation, with practical strategies and real-world examples.

  4. Overcoming Common Implementation Challenges

    Comprehensive guide to identifying, understanding, and overcoming the most common challenges encountered during service-level planning implementation, with practical strategies and real-world examples.