The 2006 healthcare informatics workforce survey: the new profession?

A survey of healthcare informaticians employed by England’s NHS organisations was carried out in April this year. Brian Derry and Tony Eardley report its findings and subsequent recommendations for improving the status of this increasingly vital workforce.

ABSTRACT

ASSIST, with the support of NHS Connecting for Health and the Information Centre for Health and Social Care, commissioned Tribal Consulting to design and carry out a survey of the informatics workforce in the NHS in England in the spring of 2006.

The results show the distribution of the workforce between the different disciplines within informatics. The analysis also highlights significant difficulties in recruitment and retention of staff and future skills shortages. In addition, the survey has revealed that Agenda for change has had an adverse impact on informatics staff. Finally, the survey showed an overwhelming majority of respondents in favour of the establishment of a formal profession, and the article recommends actions on some of the aspects of its development.

Br J Healthcare Comput Info Manage 2006; 23(8): 21–4.