Reframe and reposition the debate about workforce planning to one of productivity, health and national wealth creation. In this respect, Singapore is developing advanced joined-up strategies. Even though work in these sectors frequently overlap and boundaries between them are notoriously blurred, the two continue to plan in isolation and compete for talent. This is such a waste. Local Enterprise Partnerships, working with Higher and Further Education providers, could offer those with entry level qualifications the opportunity to pursue diverse and fulfilling careers across the two sectors going someway to reducing the high turnover in the care sector.

In 2000, Mark was appointed Chief Executive of University Hospitals Birmingham, where he masterminded the largest new hospital build in NHS history, established the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine and developed one of the highest performing healthcare organisations in the UK. He became embroiled in a controversy in 2011, amid an outcry at the coalition government’s shake-up of the NHS, when the Observer disclosed that he had said that the service would be “shown no mercy” and turned into “state insurance provider, not a state deliverer” of care as a result of the planned reforms. He claimed that his remarks were taken out of context. He has praised the NHS for saving his life after he developed prostate cancer. The health service has the richest most complicated supply chains in the world. We’d also expect some to become logistic experts. As you can see around the world, infrastructure still needs to be built and developed, so there are opportunities there in construction and architecture.Overcoming the health worker deficit and looming staffing crisis presents the single biggest challenge for healthcare during the next decade,” he said yesterday at the launch of his new book Human: Solving the Global Workforce Crisis in Healthcare. I’ve written and published two books. The first book in 2015, “In Search of The Perfect Health System” sold in 109 countries. My second book, “Humans: Solving the Global Workforce Crisis in Healthcare”, was published two years ago and sold in 100 countries. One country that has grasped the importance of aged care is Japan, which in 2000 saw the threat that elderly needs posed to its health system and took action. A 1%-2% income tax levy was placed on the over-40s – a bold move considering the sluggish growth and fractious politics of the country. The tax paid for a national aged care service that funds home, community and residential care for all citizens on a means-tested basis. It was a costly decision in the short run, but in the long term has prevented untold admissions to hospital and preserved the health of what is now the world’s oldest population.

However, NHS sources believe that there has been a recent shift in opinion among those making the selection towards appointing 55-year-old Britnell. He became chief executive of University Hospital Birmingham NHS trust at just 34, which is unusually early to take on such a senior role. He then became the NHS’s director-general for commissioning and system management in 2007, when the organisation was still part of the Department of Health. I'm a light sleeper and can get by with six hours so I'll usually have a working breakfast with clients, see four to six different organisations in a day, and attend a client dinner most nights. Like everyone, I do my best to eat healthily but this can sometimes be a challenge when I'm on the move so much. Mike Pym has a Master’s degree in Politics from Durham University and is now a finance professional with experience in a wide range of NHS settings. In his new book, Human: Solving the Global Workforce Crisis in Healthcare, Britnell, KPMG’s Global Chairman for Healthcare, confronts the all-important question: How will we provide adequate healthcare for 8.5 billion people by 2030?The United States presently spends nearly 18 percent of its economic output on healthcare. Outcomes tied to this spending are so-so, lagging many nations in life expectancy, infant mortality, and overall healthcare coverage.

We speak to Mark Britnell, Vice-Chairman and Global Healthcare Expert at KPMG UK and Visiting Professor at UCL's Global Business School for Health about his career and the exciting UCL MBA Health programme. Human: Solving the global workforce crisis in healthcare, Oxford University Press 2019 ISBN 978-0-198-83652-0 Mark Britnell will be speaking at this week’s Nuffield Trust policy summit. The Guardian Healthcare Professionals Network is media partner for the summit At any one time, KPMG will have hundreds of jobs on the go across the world. I am responsible for the growth of our global health strategy and spend about 80% of my time working with clients and 20% making sure that our internal performance is good and our global network of KPMG professionals are helping each other.The healthcare, government and infrastructure vertical is going through a major change itself currently, with the news that KPMG’s long-standing head of the practice is standing down. Mark Britnell has been at the helm of the unitfor the lasteleven years, having joined the firm following a 20-year career with the NHS. He was most recently Director General for the Department of Health, before arriving with KPMG in 2009.