Health and Social Care Task Group minutes: 27 April 2023

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Health and Social Care Task Group minutes: 27 April 2023

Meeting details

Health and Social Care Task Group Meeting

Held on Thursday 27th April 2023 at 09:30-11:00

Online only, MS Teams

Attendees and apologies

Attendee initials and name followed by Organisation, Role
SBu	Stephen Burkes	ESCC, Employability and Skills Project Manager – Interim Chair
SAm	Stacey Amos	DWP, District Office Employer Engagement Manager
SAp	Sue Appleby	TraC Apprenticeships
HA	Holly Aquilina [part]	ESCC, Employability and Skills Strategy Manager
KBa	Katherine Ball [part]	Rewards Business and Management Consultant
JBo	Jon Borthwick [part]	WSCC ASCH, Proud to Care Team
JC	Jennie Cole	East Sussex Careers Hub, Enterprise Co-ordinator
LC	Laura Cottrell	Prince’s Trust, Youth Development Lead
MDe	Mike Derrick	East Sussex Registered Care Association Chair
JD	Jill Durrant [part]	University of Chichester, Senior Lecturer at the School of Nursing and Allied Health
PF	Paul Feven	Consultant to West Sussex County Council (WSCC)
EG	Elaine Gausden	Bexhill College, deputy Head of Childcare, Health and Food Technology
DH	Donna Harfield	ESCG, Vice Principal Business Development
CH	Colleen Hart	NHS Sussex, System Head of Workforce and OD (East Sussex)
JH	Jason Hathaway [part]	NHS Sussex Health and Care Partnership, HR Project Manager
RH	Ruth Hopkins	DWP, Employer Adviser Hastings and Bexhill
Jhur	Jane Hurt	DWP, Employment Adviser, Lewes, Newhaven, Eastbourne
CI	Casey Ingold,	ESCC ESTAR, Senior Project Officer
PL	Penny Lawlor [part]	Kent County Council, Social Care Workforce Manager
EL	Emily Liebig	ESCC ASCH, Project Manager Workforce Planning
SL	Sara Lewis [part]	ESCC ASCH, Training Manager
SMc	Sue McKay	DWP Lewes, Employment Adviser
RM	Rose Miller	Primary Care NHS Sussex, Apprenticeship Lead,
KM	Karen Milligan	Care UK, Senior Customer Relations Manager
TM	Teresa Moon	ESCC, Adult Social Care & Health Qualifications Lead
RMS	Rebecca Morris-Smith	ESCC ASCH, Steps to Work, Employment Coordinator
NM	Nita Muir	Chichester University, Head of School of Nursing and Allied Health
JO	Jermaine Olafa	CXK (National Careers Service), Regional Manager Skills & Employability, ESF NEET
Rpal	Rebecca Palmer	Heathercroft Training, General Manager
RP	Rosemary Pavioni [part]	West Sussex Registered Care Association Chair
IP	Indiana Pearce [part]	NHS Sussex Integrated Care Board, Head of People
GR	Gill Ramsay	ESCG, Business Development
VSw	Vanessa Swaine	ICS Adults, Learning & Development lead for Sussex
JS	Juliet Smith	MILE (Managers Investing in Leadership Excellence), Project Manager
KS	Katie Stripe	Sussex Housing & Care, HR Officer
GT	Geraldine Turton	Brighton University, Apprenticeship Manager
DWa	Duane Wadey	NHS Sussex, Lead for Widening Participation & Clinical Skills Project Lead
JW	Justine Willoughby	Brighton University, Nursing Associate Programme Lead,
IW	Ian Whittle	Reed RESTART, Partnership Manager South Coast
Secretariat
DM	Donnalyn Morris	ESCC, Employability and Skills Project Officer
Apologies
HC	Henry Clayson	East Sussex Careers Hub, Project Assistant
AC	Amelia Culshaw	ESCC, Adult Social Care & Health Training
ND	Nora Davies	LSIP, Stakeholder Engagement Lead Health and Care
HG	Heather Green	DWP, Team Leader Hastings
FH	Fran Highton	ESCC, Adult Social Care & Health Recruitment
RJG	Renee Jasper-Griffiths	ESCC ASCH, Support With Confidence
SH	Sarah Hinks	Culture Shift, Skills and Careers Lead
KMa	Kathy Martyn	University of Brighton, SSHS Apprenticeships, Technical Education & Flexible Learning Lead
LMi	Lisa Mitchell	Brighton & Hove City Council, Skills and Partnership Manager
VPo	Vanessa Potter	Sussex Council of Training Providers (SCTP), Executive Director
AP	Andrew Pritchard	Bexhill College, Assistant Principal
JSt	Jennifer Stacey	Bexhill College, Head of Childcare, Health and Food Technology
KSt	Karen Stevens	CHAIR – Skills for Care, Locality Manager London and South East (East Sussex, West Sussex, Brighton & Hove)
DWo	Debbe Wordley	Sussex Housing and Care

Actions arising from this meeting

ACTION	LEAD(s)	STATUS/ DUE BY
1.    Add employment schemes for under-represented groups to future agenda(s)	Secretariat/ Scheme managers	TBC
2.    Resend ESCG ESOL for healthcare flyer and flyers on other healthcare courses	DM	28 April 2023
3.    Send ‘Better off examples’ DWP poster to all sector groups	DM	9 May 2023
4.    TrAC and Universities to discuss flexi-apprenticeship model separately	NM/SA	5 June 2023
5.    Members to explore MILE website and send feedback to JSm	ALL relevant	On-going
6.    Show MILE website to LSIP	JSm	24 May 2023
7.    Contact Estar for more information on their programmes and raise awareness of potential support with East Sussex residents	ALL relevant	On-going
8.    Contact Summit consultancy with details of new members to enable invites	DM	28 April 2023 Completed

1) Welcome (new members)

SBu welcomed everyone to the meeting and reminded everyone of KSt’s great work as chair over the last year and a half. The Secretariat are acting as interim chair. He gave some background on this pan-Sussex group for new attendees. New members (LC, RMS, SMc, JHur, JO, JBo and IP) introduced themselves. SBu noted how everyone’s role links into the work of the group – particularly employer engagement and working to highlight the opportunities of working in health and care.  Many employers are now more flexible in their offers and recognise that successful on-boarding and training leads to improved retention.

Steps to Work presented at the September 2022 meeting. Team Domenica who are based in Brighton also spoke at that meeting.  

ACTION 1: Add to future agenda and/or share presentation with group.  Call out for West Sussex or Brighton & Hove equivalent scheme to present - DM

2) Review of Previous Minutes & Actions

SBu confirmed that the East Sussex College Group flyers had gone out. The three-week course started on 26 April.

ACTION 2:  Resend to group as reminder and for new members – DM

DWP ‘Better off examples’ spotter was circulated in February. Jobs Fair information is now regularly received and issued to all sector groups. Employers can contact the Employment Adviser team eastsussex.ea@dwp.gov.uk to find out the DWP can support with recruitment and information on hours and benefits

ACTION 3: Send ‘Better off examples’ poster to all sector groups – DM

Transform and its legacy toolkit is on-going work for SCTP.

HA queried whether the use of the flexi-apprenticeship model in health and care roles has been explored. SA advised that she raised this at the previous meeting, and it is particularly helpful for small employers and candidates who can gain a range of experience from different work settings. NM said she is keen to discuss further in respect of the Nursing Associate university programme.

ACTION 4: TrAC and Universities to continue discussions outside this group – SA, NM

3) Pan-Sussex MILE (Managers Investing in Leadership Excellence)

JSm gave a bit of background. Her role came about through a successful bid by the West Sussex and East Sussex care associations in recognition that registered care managers need:

• Support to develop the range of skills and abilities required to run a care home
• Support to identify what training to undertake from the range of provision offered
• Peer support as many work in isolation as managers unlike colleagues in larger organisations
• To recognise their strengths as well as areas for development
• Succession pathways to be developed, as many registered care managers approach retirement or choose to leave early, especially after what they have dealt with during the Covid pandemic.

JSm gave a tour of the MILE (Managers Investing in Leadership Excellence) website. The website is an excellent collation of resources. It is not a course to follow. It does not record progress – that would be via training records from the course providers or in Workforce Development. As there is not (yet) an accredited framework it is mapped to the NHS leadership academy and Skills for Care leaders and managers framework. Learners can pick and choose from the three pathways:

• Management Development
• Leadership Development
• Enhanced Leadership

The enhanced leadership pathway will develop to reflect specialisms, such as clinical skills.

An important aspect of this resource is social care managers simply knowing what is available to them, such as the NHS academy. JSm asked that people go on the website to explore it, feedback is welcome. The website can align to a national framework when one is established. 

RPa, SBu and others praised the website and the way it has drawn information together. SBu recommended that it be shown to the LSIP (Local Skills Improvement Plan), especially if the LSIF (Local Skills Improvement Fund) can support funding beyond its initial year.

ACTION 5: Members to explore website and send feedback to JSm– ALL applicable

ACTION 6: Discus with LSIP sector lead, NDa – JSm

4) ESTAR – working with health and care

CI gave an overview of the Estar team, who sit within the wider SEET (Skills, Education, Employability and Training) team that Skills East Sussex staff do. Estar’s remit is to support the homeless and those at risk of homelessness including those in refuges and temporary accommodation, travellers and refugees. A member of the team, and VPo of SCTP have previously highlighted the Moving on Up programme to the group [most recently in May 2022 to advise that further funding had been obtained].  

Moving on Up is an innovative scheme recognising the need for both sustainable employment to maintain housing, and for stable housing to support employment. All of which aids mental and physical well-being. This has been funded by the COMF (Covid Outbreak Management Fund) in East Sussex. The Estar team were part of the recent Public Health conference in Eastbourne where Professor Chris Witty was keynote speaker. Other local authorities schemes may be run through Public Health or districts and boroughs.

CI advised that the Estar team work with the districts and broughs Wellbeing teams in East Sussex. This includes collaborating on training events for housing providers. Work covers myth-busting on types of homelessness and who can become homeless, employment while in temporary accommodation and raising aspirations. Wraparound support continues with ‘move on’ support whereby people are supported when in work. This could be rental deposits, furniture, clothes for work and it is worth checking eligibility as this can apply to existing staff.

Support into Work is a newer scheme, partly funded through Homes for Ukraine money. This is specifically for refugees and employability support includes English language and understanding of systems and practice in the UK.

There have been over 50 job starts with MoU, a good number into health and care roles. Over 450 referrals have been received so far and more are welcome.

CI added that the team work with people from aged 16 to 60s. There are those who have left health and care and would like to return, but in alternative roles.

ACTION 7: Contact Estar for more information. Raise awareness as recent recruits may be eligible for support, rising costs could have some at risk – ALL

5) Integrated Health Care Update

JH gave an update on the Workforce programme. There are six People Officers across East Sussex. They are confirmed as being responsible for:

1. People Planning - growth, future models (virtual wards), attraction (Sussex branding), System Workforce Planning
2. People Processes - temporary staffing, policy development, collaborative payroll, mutual understanding
3. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion – EDI strategy development, recruitment processes, reverse mentoring, centralised business model
4. People Development – new roles, career development, leadership and talent management, future of HR and Organisational Development
5. Retention – retire and return, voluntary services, violence reduction, rotational roles
6. Health and Wellbeing – consistent to physical, mental and financial health, occupational health collaboration, freedom to speak up

JHa advised that the violence prevention and reduction strategy had been published, he believes it is the only ICS (Integrated Care System) wide one in the country. Pilotting of shared staff bank is beginning with HCAs (Health Care Assistants). Individual offers around Occupational Health and Wellbeing are being brought together to give an enhanced service.

Key in better staffing and services is to have agencies as the second tier supplier with NHS the lead recruiter. This will also reduce costs significantly. There is to be a move from separate organisations recruiting internationally to a Sussex system. Accommodation will play a part in this.

The recruitment will not be NHS only focussed. It needs to be wider to be effective.

The People Summit was held on 25 April 2023. Work for this year is established and was showcased. The crucial thing now is taking existing programmes forward into years two to five of the five year plan.

MDe and RPa confirmed they have both met with the International Recruitment lead. MDe said they wish to link work with the care associations with the ICS which can happen when funding has been settled. In response to SBu’s query as to what demand is and how many people need to be recruited for this to be successful, MDe said that any international recruitment helps the system. ‘Piggy-backing’ on this and reducing agency costs saves care homes £10,000s per annum. It is not just staffing but the impact on availability of beds – in care homes, and in hosptials.

JHa explained that current predictions are for 350 international recruits a year which has been consistent in recent years. There is an ‘invest to save’ argument as demand drives costs down, agency fees fall, and future recruitment is mitigated through improved retention. JH acknowledged that avoiding competition and harmonising pay, alongside variable terms and conditions will not happen overnight but it is important to try.

EL added that the approach of showing what Sussex has to offer – and explaining what a village may have compared to a more urban area – really helps with pastoral development.

6) AOB/ Dates of Next Meetings

HA wanted thanks to SBu for his work with the SES task groups over the last 18 months noted. Those present agreed that SBu has done much to invigorate the groups and drive work forward. His understanding of the training landscape has been particularly useful. The group also thanked him for the session on attracting and identifying different audiences.

The Skills East Sussex Skills Summit takes place on 25 May 2023 so there will no Task Group meetings that week. Postponed from Spring 2020, the Skills East Sussex Skills Summit is open to employers, recruiters and training providers from further afield. It is for cross-sector knowledge sharing.

Feedback of the results of the Institute of Employment Studies survey will be given. The Health and Social Care Task Group were a significant contributor to this. Carbon reduction is likely to become a growing issue for the sector, given the size of the estate and use of single-use plastics.

The event will have three main themes:

1. Future Skills – green skills, Artificial Intelligence, carbon reduction and more. Tony Wilson of the Institute of Employment Studies, will be one of the keynote speakers.
2. Upskilling the workforce.
3. Recruitment – widening the talent pool and retention.

 

Further information will follow. The majority of members should have received an email invitation from AlwaysPossible (AP), the consultancy who are organising the even on Skills East Sussex’ behalf. New attendees asked for invitations. Sharing information to employers, trainers and recruiters via newsletters and social media is welcome and encouraged.

ACTION 8: Contact AP with details of new members – DM

Date of next meeting – TBC.

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