Strategic planners have a unique world view that plays a vital role in the planning and development of health and social care services and support. The strategic planning world view: 

• takes a whole system approach considering the totality of resources across health and social care
• analyses emerging trends and population need against existing support and demand, and
• looks to the future to ensure changes address future need and challenges to stay ahead of the long-term.

Strategic planning provides valuable insight on what support should be provided and how it should be provided. A description of what a Strategic Planner does can be found on the NHS Careers Website.

In the context of health and social care, the roles involved in strategic planning are less formally recognised career pathways. These strategic planning career pathways are seemingly better established in other industries. This resource aims to provide a source of insight, support and tools for strategic planning.