Hallam Medical were proud to attend the UHUK CEO Workshop, held from 1st to 2nd July in Ballymena, Northern Ireland.

This valuable event brought together CEOs and leaders from UHUK member organisations, creating a collaborative space to network, share ideas, identify emerging challenges and opportunities, and shape a collective strategy for the future of urgent, community healthcare and pre-hospital care.

Presenting on the Future of Urgent and Emergency Care

Hallam Medical were invited to present during the workshop, delivering a timely session on:
“Getting Prepared for the Urgent & Emergency Care Plan 2025/26.”

Our session was led by:

• Deborah McCain, CEO, who delivered the opening remarks and chaired the Q&A
• Chris Whawell, COO, who led the main presentation

Key Presentation Highlights

Understanding the 2025/26 Urgent & Emergency Care Plan:

• On 5th June, the NHS published its Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for 2025/26, setting out a strategic vision to:
  • Alleviate pressure on Emergency Department
  • Reduce ambulance response and handover times
  • Enhance patient care through integrated urgent and primary services

• The plan includes a wide range of national initiatives and pledges significant investment into service improvements.
• However, a critical gap remains there is no clear strategy to expand the workforce to meet these ambitious goals.

The Workforce Challenge: A Look Ahead

The healthcare market is currently experiencing a historic shortage of qualified clinicians:

• Demand for advanced roles is increasing rapidly, especially across primary care services.
• There are over 11,000 live job postings for Advanced Nurse Practitioners (ANPs).
• Forecasts predict a requirement for an additional 39,000 ANPs over the next 6 years.

With these pressures in mind, the question is clear: How do we mobilise and sustain a workforce capable of delivering the UEC Plan’s vision?

Barriers to Workforce Sustainability

• Retention and workforce supply are urgent issues:
• Acute services report a 1 in 10 retention rate; community services face a 1 in 4 rate.
• Clinicians are leaving due to workload pressures, burnout, and lack of support.
• Advanced practice regulations remain unclear, adding further uncertainty.
• Nuffield Trust highlights severe retention challenges across non-secondary care roles.
• 21% of nursing students are dropping out, described by the RCN as a national crisis.
• Newly qualified nurses are seeking work outside the NHS—or even outside the UK.
• There’s a growing trend of clinicians migrating abroad to Australia, Canada, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and New Zealand.

Without urgent intervention, the future of our clinical workforce is at risk.

How Hallam Medical Can Help

We believe that temporary staffing is a vital part of building a flexible, resilient clinical workforce, especially during times of rapid service transformation.

Here’s how we’re already making an impact:

• We provide nationwide coverage across primary care settings with a proven track record.
• Our clinicians can mobilise quickly, supporting services at launch and bridging gaps while long-term recruitment strategies are developed.
• Our internal quality framework ensures all clinicians meet the highest standards set by CQC, NHS Employers, and Skills for Health.

Success Stories: Case Studies

Pit Stop Service

In January, we were approached by the trust to urgently staff a new initiative:

• A triage service outside ED, assessing patients in ambulances and redirecting them to SDEC, diagnostics, or primary care where appropriate.
• Significantly reduced ED waiting times and improved ambulance handover. Secured long term funding allowing for permanent recruitment and a reduction on the temporary workforce.
• By April, the service was awarded full funding, with permanent recruitment in place (including several Hallam clinicians). Including the transfer of Hallam Medicals workforce into perm positions
• We now provide ad-hoc support for unplanned absences only.

Extended Access Support

A client needed evening and weekend cover through on-site and remote ANPs:

• Roles were approximately 0.2 FTE, traditionally difficult to fill permanently.
• Hallam delivered a tailored, flexible staffing solution, embedding a small, consistent team of clinicians.

Digital Healthcare Providers – Remote Services

Over the past two years, we’ve supported numerous digital care platforms by:

• Supplying advanced practitioners for remote consultations
• Enabling services to scale up while maintaining cost efficiency
• Currently delivering over 15,000 clinical hours per month in digital care

We’d like to extend a sincere thank you to UHUK for the kind invitation to be part of such a valuable event. It was a pleasure to engage with fellow leaders, share our insights, and contribute to important discussions shaping the future of urgent and community healthcare.