CAREmagazine

I Care… Ambassadors Being digital ready The power of networks

60 seconds on the nursing associate role

The value of apprenticeships

Being outstanding and well-led go hand-in-hand

Could your service host a graduate?

spring 2020

Our eventsWe run events across the country that provide you with an opportunity to find out more about a particular area of interest and how we can support you, as well as offering networking opportunities. Upcoming events include:

■ our new Delivering ‘outstanding’ care seminar

■ managing medicines

■ positive risk management

Visit our website for details on our latest events and how to book your placewww.skillsforcare.org.uk/events

Visit us on our stand…17 & 18 March 2020Dementia Care & Nursing Home ExpoNEC, Birmingham

The long-awaited spring is imminent when many of us look forward to dusting off the winter and embracing longer and (hopefully) brighter days. It can also be a time for new beginnings, so next month I pass the baton onto our new CEO, Oonagh Smyth, who will be joining us from Mencap. She’ll be a fantastic addition to the Skills for Care team and we look forward to welcoming her.

We kicked off 2020 with our annual Accolades awards; a glittering gathering of social care employers and individuals. That evening, I watched the pride from our incredible winners and finalists, and it made me realise that we all need to change the media narrative this year and talk more positively about our amazing sector. Our workforce is at the heart of what we do, so make your voices heard through all those fantastic stories that really do make a difference.

In this edition of CARE, we uncover what’s new and reinforce the really useful tools and resources that support you to recruit, develop and lead your teams.

Let’s build on the work we’re doing to manage ongoing recruitment and retention issues. Read about our continuing support for the Department of Health and Social Care’s national recruitment campaign that’s making a positive difference in how people see social care as a career. We also talk about the apprenticeship and graduate routes into care and how employers can get involved. Our I Care... Ambassadors continue to do us proud as they get out into the communities to promote the many benefits of working in our sector. Look out for other interesting updates and stories, including new developments for our ASC-WDS, an insight into life as a registered manager, our new core capabilities framework and new digital learning modules for managers. Plus, lots more.

Enjoy

Andy TildenInterim Chief Executive Officer, Skills for Care

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Welcome to the spring edition of CARE magazine

Have you signed up for our enews?Every fortnight we send out an e-bulletin featuring our latest news, resources and events. Sign up at www.skillsforcare.org.uk/enews

The value of apprenticeships

14

Features

3spring 2020

News

4 Have you seen what’s new with ASC-WDS?

5 New core capabilities frameworks for supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people

5 Improving workforce productivity in adult social care

6 Recruit more people with the right values

7 Say ‘yes, yes!’ to I Care…Ambassadors

8 New digital learning for managers

9 Is your service digital ready?

9 The power of networks 60 seconds on the nursing associate role

16

Being outstanding and well-led go hand-in-hand

10

In this issue...

Could your service host a graduate? 12

See who won at this years Accolades...

awards

4 CARE magazine

News

The Adult Social Care Workforce Data Set (ASC-WDS) is an online data collection service that covers the adult social care workforce in England. It contains over 20,000 care locations providing information on over 650,000 care staff.

Skills for Care is the leading source of workforce intelligence for the adult social care workforce in England. The data we hold and the intelligence we produce is crucial. It informs thousands of decisions that affect how care is delivered, who delivers it and what our future might look like.

The ASC-WDS (formerly NMDS-SC) service has been live since last August and our users are giving us some really good feedback on the look and feel of the system and the information that they have at their fingertips. The service continues to be developed with new features and functionality being regularly added following feedback from users.

We’ve recently released the following new features:

view a Workforce Development Fund eligibility report: which makes it easy for you to see if you’re already eligible to claim funding for your staff learning and development, or whether you need to update some of your information.

record and manage your staff training and qualifications information: this new section allows you to record and manage your staff training and qualification information. The service then alerts you when training has expired or is due to expire.

ability to download a report that covers all user training and qualifications data.

What’s next?Other features and tools will be developed over time, including using data visualisation to show your data in an easy-to-use format, to help you benchmark your services and shine a light on specific workforce issues such as recruitment and retention, and worker demographics.

Sign up nowIf you don’t already have an ASC-WDS account, you can sign up for free at: www.skillsforcare.org.uk/ascwds

Have you seen what’s new with ASC-WDS?

The new system is much more user-friendly, it is very clear and easy to use and is already benefiting our staff and our business.

“

5spring 2020

New core capabilities frameworks for supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people Skills for Care has been involved in developing two new core capability frameworks to support workforce development for those working with people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.

The ‘Core Capabilities Framework for Supporting People with a Learning Disability’ and the ‘Core Capabilities Framework for Supporting Autistic People’ outline the skills and knowledge that health and social care workers need to ensure that people can access high-quality care and support. You can use the frameworks to support the development and planning of your workforce, and to inform the design and delivery of education and training programmes.

Download them from www.skillsforcare.org.uk/LearningDisability

Improving workforce productivity in adult social care

Skills for Care has developed a model that outlines some of the ways that adult social care organisations can measure and increase workforce productivity. It focuses on four key factors that were identified as having the biggest impact on workforce productivity in our research;

■ vision, values, culture and supervision

■ inclusive leadership and management

■ learning and development

■ employee health and wellbeing.

The model gives you a list of questions to help you to analyse how productive your workforce is around each of the four factors and identify areas for improvement. It also shares some of the ways that you can increase workforce productivity, and links to practical resources to help.

We’re looking for organisations to test the model and provide feedback. Download sample pages and get in touch at www.skillsforcare.org.uk/productivity

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News

Recruit more people with the right values The second phase of the Department of Health and Social Care’s (DHSC) adult social care recruitment campaign is driving a new generation of people to consider and apply for a job in adult social care.

During the first phase, over half of those people who visited the campaign website from 18 November until 20 December have searched for a social care job.

‘Everyday is different when you care’ website www.everydayisdifferent.comThis dedicated website provides information as well as practical tools and resources to help with your recruitment activities.

‘Could you care’ online quiz www.everydayisdifferent.com/couldyoucarequizUsing profiling tools can also be beneficial for discussion during the interview stage. As part of your application process, you could also ask people to complete the online quiz to see if they would be suited to a career in care.

Advertise your vacancies Capitalise on the opportunities generated by this national campaign and don’t forget to advertise your vacancies on the campaign website via DWP Find a Job: https://findajob.dwp.gov.uk and use the handy step-by-step instructions here: www.everydayisdifferent.com/addajob

Resource centre www.everydayisdifferent.com/resourcesThe campaign toolkit contains a range of free campaign materials, ideas and tips for you to use when recruiting staff. They’re designed to be used by anyone – from a national organisation to an independent care provider or an individual employer. They can be used at any time – not just within the campaign’s live advertising periods.

What’s included: ■ printed materials such as posters and leaflets can be used to attract walk-in enquiries

■ digital materials such as quizzes can be used to get potential applicants thinking about their interests and skills

■ social media content can be shared on your Facebook and Twitter profiles to engage potential recruits.

7spring 2020

Say ‘yes, yes!’ to I Care…Ambassadors Your staff are the best advert for your organisation and can talk about the great work they do.

I Care…Ambassadors are care workers who motivate people to understand more about working in social care. They bring careers in care to life, and provide a range of activities in schools, colleges, job centres and their own workplace to inspire others.

They support the recruitment and retention in our sector; recent stats show that around 122,000 people were reached in the last two years and there was a 23% increase in people interested in a career in care after hearing from an ambassador.

Employers can nominate their staff to become ambassadors, who can access a resource bank that includes information and ideas to help them to deliver engaging activities.

Curado’s experience Curado, in Surrey, is one service benefiting from the initiative.

Registered Manager, Eileen Lutas-Simpson, and her staff are helping to inspire others and bust myths alongside developing themselves. One of Eileen’s top benefits from joining is how their staff have been empowered with skills and grown in confidence.

Ambassador, Emily Wilson, has had a very positive experience since signing up. She says “When telling people that I’m an I Care…Ambassador and I work in social care, it’s nice to explain my job role to them. It’s an opportunity to really help and make an impact on people’s lives.”

Fellow ambassador, Leroy Simpson, is equally enthused “I’m just working towards my strength that the initiative gives me; just to go on and keep helping people.”

And what does Eileen say to other employers thinking about signing up?

I Care…Ambassadors should definitely be a yes, yes! They provide a fantastic service. The initiative is an asset to any organisation, and I will recommend it 100%.

Find out more about joining I Care…Ambassadors at www.skillsforcare.org.uk/icareambassadors

News

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New digital learning for managersExcellent leaders and managers are needed at every level across social care to ensure high-quality care. In fact, over 90% of services rated good or outstanding for being well-led by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) were also rated good or outstanding overall.

Our suite of 11 digital modules, developed from the Manager Induction Standards, cover a range of topics including ‘Leadership and Management’, ‘Communication’ and ‘Professional development, supervision and performance management’.

The interactive modules will support the learner to increase knowledge, build confidence in the workplace and provide an opportunity to reflect on their own work. They’ll encourage them to implement their learning, to improve their own practice and drive change.

The modules will take between 20 to 40 minutes to complete, at a time and pace to suit the learner. They’re simple and engaging to follow and are relevant across different services and settings. The modules also provide extended learning opportunities by sign-posting out to further information to help develop strong leadership skills.

Each module costs just £10 or you can purchase the full suite at a discounted price of £75 (saving £35).

When finished, employers can claim £50 per learner per completed module from the Workforce Development Fund (WDF). This funding contributes towards the cost of the digital learning, the employee’s time to complete the module, and the time taken to apply and embed the learning within their organisation.

If you’re an aspiring, new or experienced leader or manager who wants to develop your skills in leadership and developing future talent visit: www.skillsforcare.org.uk/DigitalLearningForManagers

9spring 2020

Is your service digital ready? Using and investing in digital technology has the potential to transform adult social care services and the care you provide.

Skills for Care, commissioned by The Care Provider Alliance’s Digital Social Care programme, has developed an online self-assessment tool so adult social care employers can see how ready their organisation is to work digitally.

It was created alongside social care employers at varying points in their ‘digital journey’ and is hosted on the Digital Social Care website; a dedicated space run by social care providers for social care providers.

The free tool helps employers to measure their progress on the use of digital technology in their service, including how capable and equipped staff are in harnessing the benefits of digital tools and whether they have the right infrastructure in place.

Once employers complete the tool, an email report is sent to them based on their responses, including tailored ‘top tips’ and resources to help them progress.

Find out more at: www.digitalsocialcare.co.uk/measuring-digital-readiness

The power of networks Good managers and leaders in social care are fully committed to embedding best practice in their service by engaging with peers and sharing ideas that will develop their knowledge and skills to deliver the very best care.

Skills for Care supports managers to do just that by facilitating local Registered Manager Networks across every local authority area in England. Chaired by registered managers, networks allow social care managers to share knowledge, hear from guest speakers and access support from peers who face similar, everyday challenges.

Networks meet at least three times a year and give managers the chance to gain a better understanding of legislation and policy, to be more prepared for inspection, improve their confidence and reduce isolation in this busy, complex role.

If you don’t already attend a Registered Manager Network, find out where your nearest one is at: www.skillsforcare.org.uk/networks

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Feature

Being outstanding and well-led go hand-in-hand

When we caught up with Angela Farrow, Registered Manager at Home Instead, they were still celebrating becoming one of only 21 care providers in England to achieve ‘outstanding’ across all areas in their recent Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection. She explains that dedication, having a great team and good leadership led to this incredible achievement.

Angela comes across as modest, warm and forward-thinking. She’s been the registered manager at Home Instead in Market Harborough since 2013 that offers older people care in their own homes, whilst enabling them to maintain their independence for longer. 80 staff offer relationship-led care, matched to the needs and interests of individuals, whether that’s support for an hour a day or 24-hour care.

Angela’s passionate about raising the profile of registered managers across our sector, so shares her thoughts on what makes a good manager, the support they need and how this pivotal role’s evolving.

11spring 2020

On being a good registered managerReally good registered managers need passion and compassion, alongside a great team, robust systems and processes, auditing and compliance, not forgetting good evidence for CQC inspections!

On how the role’s changingOne of the biggest changes is the recognition that managers need to have the right leadership skills to lead and develop their service, so mentoring and management skills are key. Too many managers have inherited their role and are subsequently catching up to develop themselves. In my view, the registered manager and the care manager roles need dividing, from a strategic and operational perspective.

On wellbeing and resilienceAs managers, we have a huge commitment. It’s always a juggling act, due to the sheer variety of tasks, so it’s important to build your resilience and protect time for your own wellbeing.

On raising the profile of the roleThis is something I feel passionate about. The lack of professional status doesn’t help our profile and some registered managers ‘fall into’ the role, potentially diminishing respect for this position.

On training and developmentRegistered managers are already over-committed, so it’s not always easy to go on training courses. We do, however, need consistent, allocated time to train and develop ourselves.

On key challenges High-quality care makes a difference to the lives of so many, so recruiting and keeping staff with the right values remains one of the sector’s biggest challenges. We instil robust recruitment processes to employ the right people and keep them through ongoing training, development and progression.

On succession planningWe’re lucky to have a fantastic deputy manager that manages most of the daily operational duties. I realise not all services have deputies but, as a sector, we should consider where the next generation of managers are coming from.

On supporting registered managersI’m the chair of my local Registered Managers Network that supports managers to share ideas and best practice. I’m keen on reflective practice and can do that through this network and another one I attend with Home Instead managers. I’m also a Skills for Care Registered Manager member. The membership offers so many benefits, including a monthly newsletter with topical and relevant information. I also sit on their reference group to support the development of their all-important work supporting registered managers.

On the futureWe want to expand our service and our move towards combining technology with personal home visits to improve care. And, of course, to maintain our fantastic outstanding CQC rating through a workforce that’s at the top of its game.

Go to www.skillsforcare.org.uk/registeredmanagers for information around networks, membership, development and succession planning for managers.

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Could your service host a graduate?Bring fresh thinking and new ideas into your organisation.

There are many benefits to hosting a graduate, and they can often be a great catalyst for change and improvement within social care services.

Since its launch in 2009, Skills for Care’s Graduate Management programme has seen over 140 graduates join employers for a one-year placement, with many progressing into fantastic careers within health and social care.

The programme’s run in partnership between Skills for Care and the NHS Leadership Academy and supported by the Department of Health and Social Care.

It includes a secondment with our NHS partners, providing graduates with an important opportunity to consider the interface between health and social care.

To ensure we get the best graduates with the right values, they complete a rigorous values-based selection process. The successful applicants are then carefully matched with organisations that can make a real impact and offer a progressive development route towards leadership.

Could you host an ambitious graduate?Online applications are now open for organisations to apply to host a graduate. You have until Monday 6 April 2020 to apply.www.skillsforcare.org.uk/hostagraduate

LinCA’s experienceMelanie Weatherly MBE, Chair of Lincolnshire Care Association, recently hosted graduate Grace Neal, who has now been offered a year’s contract to consolidate her learning.

The work LinCA were hoping to undertake with schools, colleges and providers seemed ideally suited for a new graduate, and so Melanie had no hesitation in applying to host a graduate “It had always seemed to me something that perhaps only a larger organisation could access, but when I looked into it that’s not the case. It’s available to anybody.”

After completing the simple application process, Melanie was delighted with how able Grace was when she first started, commenting “She’d got her degree, she knew what she wanted. But what has been fantastic to watch is the way that she’s blossomed, and there isn’t any other way to describe it.”

LinCA would be happy to host another graduate, in fact, part of Grace’s contract involves her completing an application to host a future graduate.

Curado’s experience Yvonne Obuaya, Managing Director at Curado, also welcomed a graduate into her organisation.

“What attracted me to this programme?” she smiles. “When I was at an interview panel for the programme, the presentations that the graduates were giving were so impressive.”

The experience has been enlightening for graduate, Ruth Fulcher, helping her conclude that she wants to progress a career in the sector.

Yvonne continues “We’ve had young people in our workforce over the years, but with a graduate we’ve never provided a structured programme where they can make health and social care a career choice.”

Overall, the programme has been a positive experience for Curado “There have been lots of benefits, but I would say the key ones have been the impact on our workforce. Our employee engagement has enhanced greatly, and when you have more valued staff, they are more motivated, and they will go the extra mile.

“That, in effect, has had an impact on the quality of care that’s being delivered, and it’s given Curado an insight into the direction it wants to go.”

I do think that Grace’s interaction and her being here

has enabled a lot of our members to improve the

quality of care, and I think in the long run she’ll leave a legacy behind which will

improve quality in the future.

I thought to myself, wow, I

need these people in my company.

13spring 2020

We hear from two previous host employers about their experiences.

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Feature

Delivering high-quality careIt was clear to see that all the employers had a common aspiration – they wanted committed, motivated and highly qualified staff with the skills and knowledge needed to deliver high-quality care. Each employer identified that apprenticeships were a strong tool in helping them achieve this vision.

The apprenticeships provide a structured and rounded learning programme and Jane Manton from Lifeways Group noted “The qualifications gained as part of the apprenticeship complement their existing training and give them more confidence which leads to a higher quality of care.”

Planning for the futureKarolina Bialecka-Sokol from The Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (R.A.B.I.) told us that “upskilling our staff through apprenticeships allows us to plan for the future” and this was a common theme expressed by the employers we spoke to.

At Risedale Care Homes apprenticeships are offered from level 2 all the way up to graduate level providing opportunities in career progression that might otherwise not have been possible. Barbara Johnson tells us “We’ve become known for the career progression we offer and at the level we offer it, from level 2 all the way up to graduate level. A lot of the people on these courses wouldn’t have been able to access traditional routes to learning because they couldn’t afford not to work. We have amazing people in the organisation that will go onto become qualified nurses that just needed that chance.”

The value of

apprenticeships

During National Apprenticeship Week 2020 we spoke to five employers in the adult social care sector who are using apprenticeships as a learning and development opportunity within their service. We wanted to understand why apprenticeships are such an integral part of learning and development within their services.

15spring 2020

The value of

apprenticeships Approximately 440,000 care workers leave their job every year but we know that employers who offer good learning and development opportunities benefit from improved retention rates.

Vince Burmingham from Hendra House told us

“There’s been a seamless transfer of trainees becoming team leaders and managers with six out of eight senior managers coming through our apprenticeship programme…. we’ve had a lot of loyalty and commitment with no bank staff needed.”

Choosing the right learning provider is key All five employers stressed the importance of finding the right learning provider telling us the right learning provider should offer an employer-led solution. Barbara Johnson from Risedale Care Homes explained “a good learning provider will tailor their programmes to suit you and your organisation”.

And Vince Burmingham from Hendra House added “It’s an important bit to get right as they’re supporting the apprentice as well.”

To read the full stories from the five employers we spoke to visit www.skillsforcare.org.uk/NAW2020

Tips from the employersIf your organisation is thinking about using apprenticeships here are some key things to consider:

consider your workforce needs and understand the apprenticeships available Jenny Docherty, Housing 21

spend time researching funding that’s available for apprenticeships Barbara Johnson, Risedale Care Homes

provide support for your managers who might not be used to the style of apprenticeship learning Jane Manton, Lifeways Group

find a learning provider that will tailor the apprenticeship to your organisation Barbara Johnson, Risedale Care Homes.

If you’re thinking about introducing apprenticeships into your organisation you can find more information at www.skillsforcare.org.uk/apprenticeships

If you want to find out more about other ways to develop you staff visit www.skillsforcare.org.uk/DevelopingStaff

on the value of the nursing associate role

Tell us about the nursing associate you employShe’s called Emily and was a senior care assistant at one of our care homes. Emily was keen to develop her career and progress within our organisation. We discussed the nursing associate programme, as she’s always wanted to be a nurse but didn’t want to be in full-time education, so this was the perfect solution.

Why did you decide to get involved in the nursing associate programme?The shortage of nurses is a huge issue within our sector and I think the programme is a stepping stone to resolving this problem. Getting involved has helped to demonstrate to our staff that we’re committed to staff development.

What are the benefits for your organisation?We’ve added a highly trained person to our workforce who can help fill the gap between a senior care assistant and a nurse, which frees up the registered nurse to carry out more complex clinical duties. We can also offer our staff a true career path. Previously, I think care assistants often felt like there was nowhere to go and may have looked to work elsewhere, but offering this programme helps us to retain highly motivated and skilled staff.

Would you recommend the programme?Absolutely, we’re fully supportive of it. Everybody wants to retain high-calibre staff and this is a perfect way of ensuring you keep and develop them. It adds value to your business and with the current nursing shortage, the programme will help you plan for the future.

Adam Knights, Managing Director of Knights Care talks about why he thinks employing a nursing associate is beneficial to his business.

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Find out more at www.skillsforcare.org.uk/nursingassociates

2020 is the Year of the Nurse and Midwife. Keep an eye on our website and social media channels to find out how to get involved #Nurses2020