Workforce Consulting

Operational support to improve workforce performance and productivity

Litmus supports NHS partners to transform workforce operations, improve productivity and meet ambitious cost improvement goals.

Workforce consulting

Closing the gap between strategic workforce planning and operational delivery

We support NHS partners to transform workforce operations, improve productivity and meet ambitious cost improvement goals.

Our teams combine management consultancy-style insights with direct, hands-on support to implement new processes and deliver lasting system change.

As a long-established and trusted partner to the NHS, Litmus has proven experience delivering complex system-wide workforce and operational improvement programmes, grounded in the realities of frontline service delivery.

We can help you with

  • Strategic workforce planning
  • Clinical job planning
  • Demand and capacity modelling
  • Recruitment efficiency programmes

NHS
trusted workforce partner

4
core consulting areas

1
practical delivery approach

Consulting services

Focused support for complex workforce challenges

Each programme is shaped around the service context, leadership priorities and operational constraints of the organisation.

NHS workforce planning discussion

01

Strategic Workforce Planning

Strategic guidance and support to carefully plan and deliver complex workforce and organisational change.

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Clinical team reviewing job planning information
02

Clinical Job Planning

Hands-on support to accurately align clinical capacity with service demand.

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Healthcare data and capacity modelling
03

Demand & Capacity Modelling

Data-driven models that reflect true demand, capacity constraints and pathway complexity.

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Healthcare recruitment and workforce process review
04

Recruitment Efficiency

Support to optimise the end-to-end recruitment process, headcount and staffing costs.

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How we support delivery

Practical workforce support, grounded in operational reality

Our work gives leaders the evidence needed to make informed decisions and gives services the practical support needed to implement change.

01

Strategic Workforce Planning

Strategic guidance and support to plan and deliver complex workforce and organisational change.

Our strategic workforce planning services are grounded in operational delivery.

We work at service level, providing the detailed data insights and risk profiling executive teams need to make confident, informed decisions on changes to long-established operational models, in line with national policy and workforce trajectory targets.

Whether your priority is workforce cost reduction or improving planned care performance, Litmus has a strong track record of safe, effective delivery in complex operational environments.

02

Clinical Job Planning

Hands-on support to accurately align clinical capacity with service demand.

While job planning best practice is well established across the NHS, effective implementation is increasingly compromised by capacity pressures and competing clinical priorities.

Our specialist clinical job planning service provides the expert hands-on support needed to ensure consultants have agreed, up-to-date job plans aligned to service demand, team and clinical priorities.

Commissioning external support means contractual expectations can be met without adding pressure to internal teams.

03

Demand & Capacity Modelling

Expert support to develop accurate, data-driven models that reflect real service complexity.

We work closely at departmental level to quantify demand, map patient flow and identify capacity risks, developing flexible, predictive models that respond to changing service needs.

Accurate demand and capacity modelling is critical to understanding true workforce requirements, enabling more confident planning and sustainable service delivery.

04

Recruitment Efficiency

Support to transform the efficiency of the end-to-end recruitment process.

With an increasing shortage of workers, efficient recruitment and resource utilisation is essential to meet the current and future need for health and social care services.

Supported by analytical, HR and finance experts, our teams can review hiring processes and provide on-the-ground support to streamline recruitment pipelines, accelerate time-to-hire, minimise cost-per-hire and enhance the candidate experience.

Litmus has provided invaluable support and strategic guidance during a challenging period for our Trust, helping us to implement necessary changes without compromising workforce stability.

The results they have achieved are exceptional and demonstrate their ability to drive impactful operational change with care and realise significant cost savings.

CEO, Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust

Useful questions

Workforce consulting FAQs

When should an NHS organisation bring in workforce consulting support?

External support is useful when workforce pressure, productivity targets, service demand or recruitment challenges require focused capacity, independent analysis and practical delivery support.

How is Litmus different from a traditional consultancy?

Litmus combines strategic insight with operational implementation. The work is not limited to recommendations – our teams support delivery, engagement and process change.

Talk to Litmus

Need support with workforce planning, productivity or operational change?

Speak to Litmus about the workforce challenge you are facing and the outcomes you need to deliver.