Reimagining workforce planning through better use of data and intelligence
How can we better use data to make confident decisions and reimagine workforce planning to improve staff well-being, retention, productivity, and quality of care? We are thrilled to have our first Workforce, Data, and Insight (WDI) Symposium at the Alder Hey Institute in the Park, co-hosted with our partners Alder Hey and Liverpool University Hospitals.
Joined by colleagues from over 18 NHS organisations, we explored innovative, data-driven approaches to workforce planning and management through interactive workshops. At the heart of our discussions was our revolutionary WDI solution [Analytics, Capability, Community], where colleagues shared impactful stories on how this method is transforming their organisations.

Key Highlights:
- Paradigm Shift: We need to move away from the existing ‘widget’ and transactional approach to people planning and think about value and outcomes.
- Human Stories: By shifting the focus from roles and bands to needs, behaviours, and motivations, we can segment the workforce to deliver more precise interventions, unlocking up to 15% of the trapped value in a typical organisation.
- Connecting the Board Agenda: People planning often plays a supporting role. To address current productivity challenges and enable future models of care, it needs to take centre stage.
- The Learning Organisation: The key to sustainability in workforce capacity and capability is to build learning organisations that avoid analysis paralysis and make decisions with confidence, learning, and adapting.
- Better Together: The level of duplication in people planning across NHS organisations is significant. With almost one in three people moving between NHS organisations, there are numerous opportunities to develop pan-system solutions.
Participants had the chance to explore the pioneering WDI workforce segmentation approach and learn how Alder Hey managed to reduce turnover by 5%, achieve a 1.5% reduction in sickness, significantly improve staff engagement, and attain one of the top rankings in the recent Staff Survey in the country—all in just 12 months!
The brilliant Dr. Jo Poitier shared the impact of the award-winning SALS service on staff, which has driven a 20% increase in staff satisfaction at Alder Hey.
The enthusiasm and engagement at the event were incredible, highlighting a collective commitment to transforming how we develop, nurture, and protect our NHS staff.
Thank you to Dame Jo, David Florry, Louise Shepherd, John Grinnell, James Sumner, Jo Potier, Melissa Swindells and Pip Gaskell.
Join the Movement:
We welcome other organisations to join our WDI movement to rethink workforce planning and management and create a more sustainable and productive NHS.
Get in touch to learn more about WDI or to join the community. Together, we can build a brighter future for our NHS workforce.