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Role redesign is about changing a role or the way work is done to make an improvement in the care and experience of the patient and greater job satisfaction for NHS staff. The "HR in the NHS Plan" document identifies the need for a modern NHS workforce that "works smarter, not harder". The ultimate aim is to secure the right numbers of motivated, developed staff in the right locations. There are real benefits for both patients and staff including:

At local and national level, many new roles are being developed based on a more flexible workforce that possesses the appropriate skills to deliver modern, safe and effective healthcare.

An objective of the NHS Treatment Centres Programme is that sites are innovative in their deployment and utilisation of their workforce. Treatment Centres aim to provide a positive working environment for staff as well as patients.

Treatment Centres are pioneering new approaches that make the most effective use of staff skills, free up senior clinicians' time to spend more time with patients, and break down traditional boundaries between professions.  Some of the new roles being developed include peri-operative specialist practitioners, advanced nurse practitioners/advisers and health care assistant (HCA) technicians in radiology, ophthalmology and surgery. Different workforce pilot programmes are running in different Treatment Centres.