New vacancy dashboard launched to support NHS workforce planning in Wales

Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW) has developed a new Workforce Vacancy Dashboard to support informed decision-making around the NHS Wales workforce.

The dashboard provides a clear, up-to-date view of current and forecasted workforce vacancies across several key healthcare professions.

The tool brings together data from multiple sources and is designed to help teams validate Integrated Medium Term Plan (IMTP) requests, plan recruitment campaigns more effectively, and identify workforce gaps earlier. Users can filter the data by organisation and training year, as well as view projections for 2026 and 2027 to support longer-term planning.

This dashboard was developed in response to growing demand for better visibility of workforce trends. Accurate vacancy data is essential for ensuring the right people are being trained in the right numbers, at the right time, and in the right places. It also supports improvements in recruitment efficiency and workforce supply, directly benefiting service delivery and patient care.

Martin Riley, Deputy Director of Education Commissioning & Quality, Nursing, Health Professions & Quality said:

"This dashboard will be a valuable tool for Health Boards and Trusts in ensuring the vacancies advertised align with both their IMTP needs identified and the timing of when students graduate and become registered professionals. This enhances the education training pipeline to workforce."

The dashboard is available to authorised NHS Wales users only, which typically includes Health Board workforce teams, strategic planners, and relevant HEIW and HEI staff. Access is managed through secure login, and the tool is not available for public viewing. As this dashboard contains sensitive workforce planning information, it is intended for internal use only and will not be made publicly available.