The must-read stories and debate in health policy and leadership.

Nearly all health and care roles are deemed to be in shortage, with NHS managers, pharmacists and other allied health professionals added to the Home Office’s shortage occupation list.

The government said this change would enable the UK to get access to the “best and brightest” talent and make it easier for healthcare workers to get their visa to work in the NHS.

Managers union chief Jon Restell said the pandemic has taught us health systems need “efficient and professional management” and welcomed the changes.

However, others noted the juxtaposition between this and former government’s rhetoric about cutting the number of NHS managers and reducing bureaucracy.

As one HSJ commenter said, international recruitment is a way of meeting an “immediate need” whilst more work is done on developing homegrown talent. But with more talk of cutting red tape and the pensions crisis still looming, could the NHS managerial role be increasingly tough to recruit to?

Prerana gets the needle

NHS England appears to have taken a step further in its efforts to tackle vaccine hesitancy, following reports in the media earlier this week.

In a letter to trusts, seen by HSJ, NHSE’s chief people officer Prerana Issar has urged line managers have “one-to-one conversations” with staff who have refused the first dose of the covid jab.

It comes after the Daily Mail reported that government ministers were considering making it mandatory for NHS staff in England to have it.

Whether or not they push that line further remains to be seen, but some HR leaders have expressed frustration at the latest request.