The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has partnered with the CIPD to create a capable, connected people function that takes professional standards into daily practice
The CIPD has been working with UKHSA since 2023 to strengthen capability and consistency across its people team. By embedding professional standards aligned to the CIPD Profession Map and building a culture of continuous learning, the team has grown in confidence and credibility to influence leaders and drive organisational change.
To celebrate and recognise its progress and ongoing commitment to professional growth, we’ve awarded UKHSA CIPD People Development Partner (PDP) status.
UKHSA plays a leading role in public health innovation. The agency prepares for future global and local health threats, develops flexible and agile responses and builds capability in areas such as genomics, diagnostics, radiation and data analysis.
Through its People Promise, UKHSA commits to creating an inclusive, supportive environment where every individual is valued, empowered and able to develop their career. Based on insight from its annual survey, the agency was focused on driving improvements in leadership capability, change management and learning – all enabled by a confident, capable and credible people function.
Amid a changing world of work, including AI and skills shortages, UKHSA recognised it needed a highly skilled and influential people team that could:
The organisation turned to the CIPD to help it strengthen alignment between its people team and organisational strategy, focusing on skills development and growing professional credibility.
“CIPD People Development Partner status is an achievement that recognises the strength, professionalism, and ambition of our people function. It’s the beginning of a journey to build a high-performing function that delivers excellence and supports the organisation’s strategic priorities.”
We worked closely with UKHSA to design a tailored plan that strengthens professional standards, grows HR capability and supports consistent leadership across the organisation. Together, we assessed strengths, identified development needs and designed targeted learning plans that will build a high-performing, impactful people function.
With CIPD guidance, UKHSA aligned roles across the people function to our Profession Map. This helped the team create clear career pathways and develop a self-assessment tool for individuals to reflect on their strengths and areas for development. Through workshops and masterclasses, we also helped the team learn how to apply these professional standards to their daily work.
Professional recognition is a key part of UKHSA’s vision. To support their people team’s professional development, the agency set up a CIPD group affiliate subscription that gives more than 140 individuals instant access to our full range of resources and professional development tools. Through the subscription, UKHSA is ensuring that even those who don’t yet qualify for CIPD membership can access consistent evidence-based learning and development opportunities.
Working with the CIPD, the UKHSA has created clear entry routes and progression opportunities for those pursuing a career in the profession. This includes a dedicated apprenticeship scheme, with all apprentices completing their final assessments through the CIPD to ensure alignment with professional standards.
“UKHSA’s commitment to continual development and embedding professional standards is unwavering. And their story shows how transformative this can be for individuals and teams. Their team is influencing decision-making across the agency and driving meaningful change.”
The partnership has helped UKHSA create a capable and connected people function that can support and drive organisational change. By embedding professional standards and continuous learning, the team is developing confidence and growing its ability to influence leaders and decision-makers across the agency.
This stronger foundation is delivering tangible results. Through consistent people practices, the organisation is driving a more inclusive, high-performing culture. Meanwhile, clear career pathways, apprenticeships and professional development opportunities are enabling them to improve recruitment, retention and engagement within the people team itself.
The function has also shifted from providing reactive support to being a proactive driver of change. This means it’s better placed to lead transformation, respond flexibly to workload pressures and support wider organisational priorities.
A growing learning culture is visible in more than 25 communities of practice that give employees the chance to share knowledge and learn as they work. By streamlining its learning opportunities, including a new corporate induction, UKHSA has also reduced duplication and improved consistency.
Through clear guidance, consistent tools, development pathways and peer support, line managers have grown in confidence and improved their decision-making and performance management practices.
By upskilling stakeholders and embedding people analytics more widely, UKHSA is making more data-driven decisions to help shape culture, leadership and wellbeing across the organisation. For example, Its new People Check-In survey (commended at the 2025 CIPD People Management Awards) provides real-time insight into engagement and performance. This feedback enables the people team to track progress, target interventions and measure the impact of its work.
Being recognised as a CIPD People Development Partner reflects the progress UKHSA has made in embedding professional standards, strengthening capability and growing the impact of its people team.
“Our partnership with the CIPD has helped us turn professional standards into daily practice. It’s created a stronger, more confident people function that can influence decision-making across the agency.”
UKHSA plans to continue building on the progress made with the CIPD. Its people team is primed to take the lead and support change across the organisation.
The agency has committed to reviewing job descriptions to make sure roles stay aligned to the CIPD Profession Map and reflect the organisation’s evolving needs. This will further clarify expectations and support ongoing career development for the people team.
It will also continue to encourage and support professional development through qualifications, apprenticeships and access to CIPD professional membership and resources. The focus remains on equipping the people team to lead change, support learning and strengthen leadership across the organisation.
We’ll continue to provide guidance and learning resources to ensure UKHSA’s people team stays capable, confident and ready to respond to future challenges.
To find out how the CIPD can support you in strengthening professional standards and growing HR capability, get in touch.