Oonagh Smyth, CEO, Skills for Care

“Skills for Care welcomes the plan’s commitment to work in more compassionate and inclusive ways and the adult social care workforce will play a key role in supporting that.”

Tim Goodson, Chief Officer, Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group, Dorset ICS Lead

“I am looking forward to the NHS People Plan promoting a working culture that goes above and beyond for all NHS staff, in the same way the staff do for their patients.”

Marc Donovan, Chief Pharmacist, Boots UK

“The opportunities of working differently: Community Pharmacy teams being further integrated in Primary Care to have an even more positive impact locally.”

“We all belong in the NHS: Community Pharmacy teams are an important part of the NHS family.”

Sandra Gidley, President of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society

“A changed working culture which fully integrates pharmacists across the workforce to make the most of their expertise in medicines to improve delivery of care.”

Naomi Cooke, Head of Workforce, Local Government Association

“The NHS can now be a beacon of collaboration, working with partners to make transforming the health of our communities the number one career choice and championing great working practices”

Jon Skewes, Executive Director of External Relations at the Royal College of Midwives

“The People Plan must grow the workforce across all areas, value NHS staff ,enable truly flexible working and end the disregard for those from BAME communities.”

Gill Walton, Chief Executive of the Royal College of Midwives

“I want to see positive proposals to empower midwife leaders, grow our midwifery workforce, promote inclusive behaviours and equip services to face future challenges.”

Saffron Cordery, Deputy Chief Executive, NHS Providers

“A plan which helps us tackle the structural inequalities our BAME colleagues face and which creates a framework to lock some of the remarkable workforce innovations that have taken place during COVID-19.”

Christiana Melam, Chief Executive, National Association of Link Workers

“We all belong in the NHS. Social Prescribing Link Workers are a new addition to the NHS Workforce enabling it to stay true to its founding principles. More people, working differently, in a changed working culture to address health inequalities. This is a positive step towards creating the enabling culture necessary to grow and retain the NHS workforce.”

Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, Chair, Academy of Medical Royal Colleges.

“We want to see a plan that delivers a future workforce of the right size and optimum skills mix, that is supported and enabled so that we can all deliver the best possible care for our patients.”

Andrea Sutcliffe, Chief Executive of the Nursing and Midwifery Council

“Recognition of the key role of registered nurses, midwives and nursing associates; focus on providing a safe, supportive environment where they can enjoy rewarding careers; and action to tackle discrimination faced by professionals from black Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds.”

Rachel Power, Chief Executive, Patients Association

“We hope that the NHS People Plan will deliver motivated staff working in a positive culture, who are supported to work in a true partnership with patients in every aspect of their care.“

Clare Marx, President of Royal College of Surgeons of England

“A focus on compassionate leadership at all levels, allowing doctors to deliver the best possible patient care, and to care for themselves in the process. A genuine learning culture, with clinical excellence at its heart.”

Danny Mortimer, Chief Executive, NHS Employers

“To support workforce growth, tackling inequality and improving staff experience, employers need the plan to capitalise on the interest in health and social care careers; sustain local leaders’ work to look after their teams; and commit to more thoughtful regulation and performance management approaches.”

Niall Dickson, chief executive of the NHS Confederation

“Our workforce challenge will need local and national action. Nationally we need a multi-year funding settlement, an agreed set of ambitions around supply, and a shared cultural vision. We also need to entrust local health and care systems with the influence, authority and resource to plan and effect change within their areas, with the teams they lead and the populations they serve.”

Imelda Redmond, Chief executive of Healthwatch England

“We are looking forward to a plan that really promotes the welfare of health and care staff, because we know that a happy workforce is best way to ensure people using services get the compassionate and high quality care they need.”

Kamini Gadhok, Chief Executive of the Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists

“Create an empowering leadership culture which values diversity, supports innovative practice, removes barriers to progression for those from BAME communities and enables staff to practice at the top of their licence.”