About us

We help you develop a sustainable workforce, improve staff experience and be the best employers you can be.
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What we do 

NHS Employers is the employers’ organisation for the NHS in England. We support workforce leaders and represent employers to develop a sustainable workforce and be the best employers they can be. We also manage the relationships with NHS trade unions on behalf of the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.

Watch the animation below to learn more about what we do and how we can help you. 

Our role

We support workforce leaders and their teams in four main ways:

1. We represent

  • We actively seek the views and listen to employers so we can influence on their behalf and make sure their voice is front and centre of health policy and practice.  
  • We make sense of current and emerging healthcare issues to ensure their voice is central to health policy and practice and wider government policy that impacts on the education, skills and employment of the health and social care workforce.

2. We lead

  • We lead the national collective relationships with trade unions on behalf of the NHS and the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care around pay, terms and conditions and pensions.
  • Our networks provide the opportunity for peers to form as a community and collaborate strategically to share intellectual capital and enable discussions on workforce priorities and issues.
  • We lead NHS Employers’ contribution to social partnership, working at a national and regional level involving NHS trade unions in developing and implementing policy and programmes that impact on the healthcare workforce.
  • Our work programmes help employers use leading OD and people practices to address workforce issues.  

3. We support

  • We keep employers up to date with practical advice and timely information as well as with the latest workforce thinking and expert opinion, to ensure they are informed and equipped to support the workforce and deliver the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan.

4. We connect

  • We create spaces to think, network, share knowledge and practice.
  • We convene colleagues from across health and social care organisations and other sectors to work towards one integrated workforce.

We are part of the NHS Confederation. Find out more about our governance and accountability on the NHS Confederation website.

Explore the different topics and work areas that are at the heart of our expertise

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