The Health Foundation’s REAL Centre commissioned Decision Analysis Services Ltd (DAS) to develop a comprehensive model of nurse supply. The model will provide projections of the future nursing workforce supply in England under alternative policy scenarios over a 5 to 20 year time frame.

This paper sets out:

– historic analysis of the nurse labour market, including a discussion around workforce planning and models that have previously been used to create nurse supply projections
– the conceptual framework which has been created to describe the nurse supply system, including the process that has been adopted to create the framework
– the data landscape in relation to nurse supply in England and how is linked to the key stocks, flows and factors contained within the conceptual framework
– the key components of the nurse supply model, including the simulation engine and the data visualisation tool
– how the model can be used.

The nurse supply model has been delivered by DAS and is now being used by the REAL Centre to develop supply projections of the nursing workforce in England with a time horizon of 5 to 20 years. To find out more about the model visit the nurse supply model project page.