The capacity to change? Workforce growth in the health sector; a U.K. perspective.

Canada is not alone in having to face up to significant human resource (HR) challenges as it debates how healthcare should be managed and delivered in the 21st century. The United Kingdom is having to deal with many similar issues related to demographic change, skills shortages and the drive to "modernize" public services. This commentary highlights some of the main dimensions of HR-related change in the U.K. National Health Service (NHS) to counterpoint the main messages in the lead paper. The primary focus is on examining the key HR aspects of achieving sustained improvement in staffing levels, mix and motivation.