Organising the Health Care Workforce: Strategic Responses to the Challenges and Dilemmas Faced by Health and Care Services

This book explores some of the most daunting workforce challenges in healthcare services in history. These challenges are not new, but reflect decades of under-investment and lack of strategic planning. According to the World Health Organization, there will be a global shortage of 18 million health workers by 2030, mainly in low- and middle-income countries.

This book draws upon the best papers from the international Organisational Behaviour in Health Care (OBHC) conference, which took place at the University of Birmingham in 2022, hosted by the Health Services Management Centre. The OBHC conference is linked to the Society for Studies in Organising Health Care (SHOC), a learned society affiliated to the UK Academy of Social Sciences. Taking an international approach, this edited volume incorporates the highest quality papers submitted by members of the society and Key themes explored include clinical leadership in times of crisis, human resource management in homecare, and organisational behaviour and the health care workforce. With its in depth coverage, this book will appeal to international healthcare practitioners.

Professor Mark Exworthy’s is Professor of Health Policy and Management at the University of Birmingham’s Health Services Management Centre.

Dr Jane Ferguson is a health services researcher [Associated Professor] at the University of Birmingham’s Health Services Management Centre.

Professor Justin Waring is Professor of Sociology and Dean in the School of Social Sciences and Humanities, Loughborough University.  

Professor Yvonne Zurynski leads the Coordinating Centre of the Partnership Centre for Health System Sustainability at the Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University.