Group activity: Workforce priorities for social care providers

Comments from the Group discussions at the 'Transforming the Social Care Workforce in Kent - 2008' Conference held on 28 March 2008 at the Ramada Hotel, Maidstone.

If you would like to comment or have any additional suggestions please email socialcarejobs@kent.gov.uk.

Question: What are the workforce priorities for social care providers?

Group one

• Changing the mindset of the staff to adapt to their changing roles
• Retaining staff after providing extensive/expensive training
• Providing flexible staff whilst retaining workable hours.

Group two

• Training - Awareness or Need. Trustees & Managers need leadership and Management skills. Communication up and down
• Recruiting - Trustee selection - motivation, Senior professional staff, attracting younger people. Retention of existing staff
• Partnership working with service users exercising choice.

Group three

• A highly skilled workforce will be expected to be paid for their skills
• To have a 'flexible' workforce especially in high employment, we need proper infrastructure e.g. childcare, single parents are financially better off on benefits
• The safety of service users should be paramount, at present if providers dismiss staff they can become lone workers delivering services under Direct Payments - all care support staff should undertake checks
• It is still a huge problem retaining staff - very soon it will cost them for a CRB check, the GSCC and ISA register - this will mean it will cost someone nearly £100 just to apply for a job in the care sector
• There is only one workforce - we have to listen to them, they have expectations too. We can't go and get another workforce unless you want to pay a lot more. Example: Two care workers going out at 7pm they cover two calls, then someone wants a later call - the two careworkers say sorry we have got to get home.

Group four

• Recruitment - particularly of young adults.
• Funding - communicating the assessed need with the voluntary sector and providers.
• Ensuring effective communication to minimise problems/reassure workforce re: change in role and provision of appropriate training & support.

Group five

• Desire for more flexible working hours from employees. Employers must not only meet the legislation but must promote themselves as an employer who can accommodate these needs
  
• Personal Development: - More and more employees are looking to formalise their training portfolio. We need to ensure that we are not only meeting legislative needs for mandatory training, but that we offer/seek more development & stimulating training, the end result will also need to qualify services
  
• Alignment with Local Authority Strategies: - In keeping with the various strategies to move towards Supported Living/Independent Living, we need to tailor the training to meet this. This will mean more knowledgeable support staff in community settings, and more specialist staff for the remaining Registered Care Homes/Residential Care Homed providing commissioners with specialist facilities.

Group six

• Re-train and transform workforce convince them they want to stay - market to staff as well as users
  
• Insurance issues - Choice & control may lead to level of risk which companies employer insurance may not cover. Also legal issues and cost associated if we have to increase insurance etc
  
• Issue ref - registered carers (PA's) and whether they should have a 'care licence' or some other method of monitoring quality assurance.

Group seven

• Clear realistic career paths
• Mileage and travel time to be recognised for 'Older persons care' packages.

Group eight

• Finance - Better pay for staff
• Training & development
• Recruitment & retention.

Group nine

• Mileage & fuel costs for carers
• Marketing services to individuals
• Learning disability, elderly, physical - not an even playing field cost wise. Are there plans to look at this?
• Transfer of jobs from residential to domestic carers means sometimes lack of drivers. Can money be allocated towards driving lessons?
• Clear, realistic career paths needed
• Mileage and travel time to be recognised for 'Older persons care packages'
• Raising status of careworkers.

Group 10

• Reducing staff turnover to improve continuity tenure. How to promote ethical safe care delivery in light of unregulated PA assistants?
• How to train future workforces for clarifying patterns of care delivery
• How do we raise the private/public appreciation of a role in social care
• Need to develop attractive career structures in social care
• Need to develop workforce specialisation as care needs become specialised.

Group 11

• Keeping the existing workforce and developing their skills. A good quality workforce should be valued
• Two tier workforce - ? a) Trained b) Not trained, not insured, not protected, should/could be registered
• Developing training towards enablement of clients
• How will brokerage work? Maximising involvement of service users.

Group 12

• Staff recruitment a suitable level of competence
• Who pays the broker? And if the care package is small, how can a broker make their money? 'Commission' from the provider?
• Service users being given a choice to choose services the market cannot deliver such as: 'put to bed' at 11pm
• Service users biased towards more hours of care or support by selecting cheapest provider. So unfair promotion of unregulated sector.

Group 13

• Better funding for social care, in order to be able to pay the workforce a better rate of pay for the wonderful and incredible work that they do (Care Homes).

Group 14

• Retention of minimum wage impact on overseas staff to help with the shortfall workload & pressures upon staff
• Meeting expectations & be able to challenge when they are unrealistic. Working within employment law
• Making employment law work for the market.

Group 15

• Clarity over role of 'new type' of worker(s). Creative ways of working within a regulated regime
• Training & funding available to assist transformation.

Group 16

• Longer contracts to enable staff to feel more secure in their employment & valued
• Recruit from colleges & schools offering accreditation's at a professional levels
• Raise the salary scale at lower levels.

Group 17

• Staff retention & recruitment
• Help with costs involved with GSCC & ISA
• Better pay (increased funding).

Group 18

• A stable climate stemming from good management
• Incentives
• Training
• Salaries.

Group 19

• Registration of Care-worker (COSHH Procedures)
• Staff development & retention flexibility
• Working within a restricted budget - cost effectiveness.

Group 20

• Consistency of staff development across different training providers
• Staff recruitment & retention
• Scale of pay relating to qualifications & professionalism
• Identify movement of staff between agencies & reasons.

Group 21

• To keep a well-motivated workforce this requires adequate pay, suitable training and working conditions. Staff who believe that they are appreciated will work well. However this is not achievable unless KCC pay care homes a fair rate for the service they purchase. You get what you pay for.

Group 22

• Training
• Money
• Resources
• Real choices
• Support
• Recognised career.