NHS Groups Urge New Health Secretary to Pause 10-Year Workforce Plan
NHS professional bodies have written to new health secretary James Murray urging a pause on the imminent 10‑year NHS Workforce Plan. The joint letter, signed by the RCN, BMA, emergency and acute medicine colleges, and Unite, warns the plan will not stem staffing declines, unsafe conditions, or rising patient demand. It also flags over‑reliance on AI and digital tools without proven productivity gains. The groups argue the plan underestimates the workforce needed for a community‑care shift.
Ministers and Councils Hail Early Success of Connect to Work Scheme
More than 1,600 people who were previously out of work secured jobs through the UK government's Connect to Work programme in its first year. The scheme, funded with £1 bn (≈$1.27 bn) and targeting 300,000 participants by 2030, supported 14,000 individuals between...
Only 1 in 4 Employees Feel Fully Prepared to Use AI
A new Skillsoft Workforce Readiness Report reveals that only 24% of employees feel fully equipped to use AI, even though 86% already apply it in their jobs. Managers dramatically overestimate readiness, with 77% believing their teams are prepared, creating a...
Consultation Launched on Beefing up Employment Rights of Unpaid Carers
The Department for Work and Pensions has opened a consultation to strengthen employment rights for unpaid carers and parents of seriously ill children. Proposals include extending the five‑day unpaid carer leave, creating a statutory “right to return” modelled on maternity...
Working Mothers Feel Work Pressure More than Fathers – Poll
Deloitte UK’s survey of over 2,000 working parents reveals a stark gender gap in workplace stress. Sixty‑four percent of mothers feel overwhelmed and 66% report burnout, compared with 38% and 47% of fathers respectively. Overall, 57% of respondents say they...
Strong Increase in Temporary Recruitment Recorded in May
UK temporary recruitment surged in May, marking the strongest billing growth in over three years, while permanent hiring fell at the fastest rate since July 2025, extending a 44‑month contraction. The Office for National Statistics reported vacancies slipping 7.1% to...
ERA 2025: Changes to Collective Redundancy Consultation
The Employment Rights Act 2025 reforms collective redundancy consultation, doubling the protective award for non‑compliance to 180 days’ pay and introducing an organisation‑wide redundancy threshold slated for 2027. The Employment Appeal Tribunal’s Micro Focus v Mildenhall decision clarified that the...
BMA ‘Deeply Concerned’ at NHS Ban on Political Symbols
The UK government has accepted Lord Mann’s report on tackling racism in the NHS, prompting strong reactions from the British Medical Association (BMA) and the Royal College of Nursing (RCN). The BMA praised the focus on antisemitism but warned that...
HR Jobseekers More Likely to Choose Roles Based on Skills
Michael Page’s Talent Trends report shows 68% of HR jobseekers prioritize skill‑based roles, outpacing the 58% national average. Employers adopting a skills‑first approach report reduced bias (51%) and better ability identification (47%). AI usage is pervasive, with 81% of HR...
NHS: Political Symbols to Be Banned at Work
Lord John Mann, the government’s antisemitism adviser, has recommended that NHS staff be prohibited from wearing political symbols or badges, such as “I support Palestine” or “I support Israel,” while on duty. The proposal distinguishes political expression from religious symbols,...
Workplace Heart Health Programme Launched to Raise Awareness
Pharmacy2U has launched the Healthy Hearts programme, offering 100,000 free finger‑prick cholesterol tests to employees through a digital toolkit and app‑based results. The initiative, built with microfluidic partner PocDoc, aims to close the gap as 62% of English adults skip...
UK Parental Leave and Pay Lags Behind Other Countries
A new report from King’s Global Institute for Women’s Leadership and Working Families finds the UK’s parental‑leave system looks generous on paper but fails in practice due to low statutory pay and complex rules. Fathers’ two‑week paid paternity leave and...
Beyond Borders: Why the EU Pay Directive Matters for UK-Based HR (Webinar)
The EU Pay Transparency Directive, which must be transposed into national law by 7 June 2026, mandates pay‑range disclosures, employee pay‑comparison rights, gender‑pay‑gap reporting and joint assessments. Personnel Today hosted a free 60‑minute webinar with Remote’s global payroll experts to explain how...
Marks & Spencer Scraps All Bonuses in Wake of Cyber Attack
Marks & Spencer announced that bonuses for its entire 63,000‑strong workforce, including CEO Stuart Machin and chairman Archie Norman, have been scrapped after a 2025 cyber‑attack erased roughly a third of annual profit. The breach forced a 28.8% drop in...
Maternity Staff Take Legal Action over ‘Hazardous’ Exposure to Nitrous Oxide
More than 100 maternity staff at Basildon Hospital in Essex have filed legal claims after being exposed to hazardous levels of nitrous oxide (Entonox) between 2018 and 2023. An internal report found gas concentrations up to 30 times the legal...