Our Workforce Strategy

North East London faces some of the most complex and urgent challenges in cancer care. These challenges are driven by a diverse and growing population, persistent health inequalities, and rising demand across the healthcare system. At the heart of overcoming these challenges is our cancer workforce – the dedicated professionals who deliver high-quality care, support patients and families, and drive innovation to improve outcomes.

Recognising the critical role that our workforce plays in meeting these challenges, the North East London Cancer Alliance (NELCA) has developed a Cancer Workforce Strategy that will guide us over the next five years. This strategy will provide a clear framework for identifying, planning and prioritising the transformation, innovation and education needs of our workforce, ensuring that we have the right people, with the right skills, in the right roles, to deliver excellent cancer care.

Phase 1 – Scoping and Mapping

In the initial phase, we took stock of our current workforce: who we have, what roles they perform and where they are based across North East London. We looked at workforce supply within the context of population health demand and identified key workforce risks.

The analysis demonstrated that, in several key pathway areas, future workforce sustainability will depend less on expanding medical capacity and more on strengthening nursing, allied health professional (AHP) and support roles.

Download our Workforce Scoping and Mapping Report.

Phase 2 – Deep Dives

Deep dives were then undertaken, focusing on the nursing, AHP and support workforces to help identify minimum forecast growth alongside appropriate governance, training and career structures These were written up in deep dive reports/workforce plans for the cancer nursing and AHP workforce groups.

Phase 3 – Strategy Development

The final phase developed an understanding of the longer-term solutions that will enable the cancer workforce in North East London to be more sustainable.

The findings from the last year were synthesised into a final strategy report, identifying and prioritising workforce risks and opportunities, and proposing both immediate and longer-term solutions.

A five-year action plan was produced, alongside future workforce modelling and annual change scenarios.

Download our Workforce Strategy Report

Our Five Year Action Plan

The strategy proposes a number of activities, themed across four pillars of work, that provide a clear framework for workforce development at both a system and provider/service level. Below is a summary of the four pillars, and you can read the full five year action plan here.

Read the full five year action plan here

The strategy is designed to be a practical framework for collective action. It provides a shared foundation for coordinated action across North East London, bringing together partners to work towards common priorities while allowing flexibility for local delivery.

This approach will help ensure that responsibility for workforce development is understood and embedded across the system, and that progress is sustained beyond individual projects or funding cycles.

The strategy will continue to evolve over time, using learning, data and lived experience to refine priorities and strengthen impact, ensuring it remains responsive to workforce needs and delivers meaningful long-term change.