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The UK is undergoing an extraordinary demographic transformation. The first ‘baby boomers’ are now drawing their pensions and the number of people over the age of 60 is overtaking those under the age of those under the age of 30 for the very first time.
The demographic make-up of the country is changing too. With a rapidly expanding population that has seen the existing heath and social cares sectors pushed to the limit, the UK Government has responded by setting out a ten-year plan of reform that will address the current- and accommodate future- demand for services.
For instance, it is expected that around 300,000 additional healthcare staff will be needed by 2020, including 108,000 nurses, 62,000 doctors and 45,000 therapists. A side-effect of this will be that nurses will start to take on some of the responsibilities traditionally done by doctors. All of which means that there will be a greater number of opportunities for experienced professionals to move into senior positions.
There will also be a growth in community services with a number of hospital-only functions becoming available to patients in some of the new so-called ‘super surgeries’.
Meanwhile the growth of the private sector is expected to continue along with the multi-disciplinary expansion of their current capabilities. Work is being done to raise the profile of employment in the social care sector in an attempt to dispel some of the commonly held perceptions that many people share.
The aim is to reduce the sector’s high dependency on temporary staff and introducing incentives to attract new entrants, such as repayment of student loans and ‘golden hellos’. Indeed, it is estimated that the number of staff needed to work with older people, for example, will alone need to increase by at least 25%.
As in the health sector there is likely to be more delegation of certain responsibilities with social care staff taking on tasks previously done by other allied professions. This will also involve a significant overhaul of existing human resource management practices which will inevitably improve workloads and, be default, make the sector more appealing for new entrants.
There are a number of avenues that you can follow in your career. Many people will choose to climb the proverbial career ladder by moving through the ranks before reaching the executives table then board room. Many more will take the leap and set up their own practices. Whilst some will choose to remain where they are and build their reputations as specialists within their chosen field.
Wondering what to do now? Check out our expert career advice, find out more about the Healthcare industry or search for the latest Healthcare jobs.