adult social care Archives | First Response Training

Stress linked to third of social care sick days

New research has found that just under a third of sickness absences among social care workers are linked to stress and poor wellbeing.

Data collated by the British Psychological Society (BPS) reveals that 30% of the 500,021 sick days taken by social workers were due to mental health issues such as stress and work-related anxiety.

Figures also show that, from April 2022 until the end of March this year, a total of 1.6 million working days were lost due to sickness among children’s and adult social care staff, across 114 local authorities. For more than three quarters of these councils, stress and other mental health problems were the most common cause for social care workers to be absent.

Leaders in care must invest in managing stress

The BPS warned that these high levels of staff absences came “against a backdrop of a debilitating recruitment and retention crisis, unmanageable workloads and soaring local authority spending on agency social care staff.”

They said that leaders in the health and social care sector “simply can’t afford not to invest in staff wellbeing if they wish to retain staff, recruit new talent, and provide the effective, safe services people deserve.”

They called for long-term funding for dedicated mental health and wellbeing support for health and social care staff.

It comes as 15 of 42 NHS Staff Mental Health and Wellbeing Hubs have closed following the end of government funding in March. The hubs provided mental health support for health and social care staff, and the BPS are currently campaigning to save them.

The BPS’ findings of high levels of stress within the workforce were supported by the British Association of Social Workers’ annual survey.

The survey reported that three quarters (74%) of social workers struggled to finish all their work within their contracted hours and that they were worried about a lack of funding and staff recruitment and retention issues.

Although the majority (61%) said they were happy in their role, most had seen their caseload increase and reported that the high demands of the job were being made worse by the cost-of-living-crisis.

Managing stress a must-have for care sector

Positive measures for sustaining and promoting good mental health at work are a must-have for any sector zeroing in on issues such as recruitment, retention and developing a positive workplace culture; sectors such as adult social care.

Social workers and the adult social care workforce operate in an environment that can often be stressful and sometimes uncertain; care workers need to be able to adapt and change to meet the needs of a sector beset with challenges.

In addition, building and maintaining positive relationships with others is central to their role, as is dealing with a range of emotions and emotional situations. Staff need to be mentally healthy to deal with all of these requirements and continue to deliver safe, compassionate and dignified care.

There are many simple but significant ways in which leaders and managers in care can support their staff to maintain positive mental health at work. These include:

Creating a culture of openness where mental health issues are regularly discussed in an inclusive, non-judgmental way
Encouraging staff to be aware of their mental state, be mindful and ensure that they have a good work/life balance – that they regularly take their breaks and mainly work only within their contracted hours
Providing training in mental health so staff have a greater awareness and understanding and can offer help and support to each other
Sharing information, such as places to go for support and tips for managing mental health
Seeking advice and support for themselves – managers should ensure they’re well educated on mental health and would know how to identify a staff member who may be experiencing issues and how best to help them

Vital training in mental health

First Response Training (FRT) is a leading national training provider delivering courses in subjects such as health and safety, first aid, fire safety, manual handling, food safety, mental health, health and social care and more.

An accredited Mindful Employer themselves, FRT’s specialist mental health training courses include Understanding Mental Health, Mental Health Awareness in the Workplace, Managing Stress, Anxiety and Phobias Awareness, Self-Harm Awareness and Suicide Awareness.

They can also provide qualified, approved trainers to deliver accredited Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training courses, including the Adult, Youth and Lite versions.

A trainer from FRT says:

“Health and social care workers do a vital but very difficult job, facing many challenges. They often work long hours and their roles can have an emotional impact.

“It’s important that everyone in the sector – at all levels – is aware of the risks of work-related mental health problems and that there is significant focus and an investment of time and money into supporting the mental health of care workers.”

Helpful resources

A brief summary of our mental health training can now be downloaded as an infographic.

We also have a number of free infographics available to download which provide simple tips for helping to manage stress and anxiety. These include:

You can also download our free Guide to Mental Health Training from our website.

For more information on the training that FRT can provide, please call them today on freephone 0800 310 2300 or send an e-mail to info@firstresponsetraining.com.

Further Guidance on Mental Health in the Workplace

Innovation in care focus of new CQC report

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is aiming to deliver regulation that supports innovation in care.

England’s care watchdog says a new report has identified unique opportunities for it to support innovation in care services and deliver “innovation-friendly” regulation.

In their 2021 Strategy, the CQC committed to accelerating improvement in health and care. Now, as part of a grant-funded project called ‘Capturing innovation to accelerate improvement’, they have been working with care providers and representative groups over a period of 8 months in order to understand their experience of innovation.

The regulator has taken part in and overseen roundtables, surveys and pilot projects to understand what works well and where they can do things differently to better support those care providers who want to develop or adopt new, innovative ways of working.

The CQC heard how good outcomes for the people using services must remain at the heart of any innovation in care, stating clearly: “People matter most.”

This was set down in their recent report to the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), supported by the Regulators’ Pioneer Fund (RPF), which identified six key areas where the CQC can deliver regulation that supports innovation in care and help drive improvements in care services.

Greater clarity needed for innovation in care

These include providing greater clarity around their role in innovation and the role of other bodies working in health and social care who can provide support.

In the report’s executive summary, the CQC states:

“Working with people from across the health and social care sectors, we explored what barriers to innovation might exist, what we could do to mitigate these and what opportunities existed to improve their experience.

“We also undertook focused test and learn tasks to ask registered providers and system partners their thoughts on specific issues. These included their use of data in the innovation process, the legacy of COVID innovations and looking for ways to encourage more conversations around innovation within CQC.

“There was a notable appetite for clarifying the regulatory landscape so that health and social care stakeholders could engage with the right organisation at the right stage of their innovation journey.

“Innovators need more information and clarity on our regulatory approach to innovative practice, including safety and risk management implications. Innovators are unsure where to find information about innovation requirements and support. This extends to organisations building a culture where each part of the system, including CQC, has a shared understanding and approach to innovation.”

Innovation in care requires ‘improvement culture’

The CQC are currently rolling out their new Single Assessment framework for care. This includes quality statements that are commitments that providers, commissioners and system leaders should live up to. One quality statement focuses on quality improvement and innovation, providing the care watchdog with the opportunity to promote innovation in care within local authorities (LAs) and Integrated Care Systems (ICS).

Later in their executive summary the CQC says:

“It became clear that the ability to innovate does not have a one-size-fits-all solution but depends upon a thriving improvement culture.

“Effective innovation relies on an improvement culture; a culture where the people feel supported to try new things and have the space to reflect on progress and setbacks.

“People told us that successful innovation is not built around technology, large budgets, or distinct teams. People working in services need clarity, an enabling environment, and a continued focus on outcomes. Effective innovation support requires us to develop our approach to using our impact mechanisms, particularly the way we work with stakeholders and the way we use softer influencing skills in relationships with providers and systems.”

CQC ‘actively developing’ approach to innovation in care

The report details how the CQC is applying what it has learned and how it will continue to put this into practice.

The report outlines the 6 key conclusions that the CQC has drawn from the project.

Overall, they say it is clear there is more they can do to deliver regulation that supports innovation in care while also ensuring more people receive high-quality care. They are now going to actively develop their innovation approach “while continuing to focus on the impact of innovation on the quality of care people receive.”

The CQC’s key findings are:

Effective innovation relies on an improvement culture – Innovators require support and recognition throughout their journey to improvement, accepting false starts and ensuring that learnings are made when tings go wrong.
Innovators need more information and clarity on CQC’s regulatory approach to innovative practice, including safety and risk management implications – Improved transparency will help providers feel safer to share and explore best practice. The CQC will look to build on the positive collaboration in projects such as the AI and Digital Regulations Service and will also ensure that language and messaging on innovation is consistent and always focuses on the impact and outcomes for people receiving care.
Effective innovation support requires CQC to develop its approach to using their impact mechanisms, particularly stakeholder and relational impacts – participants in the project’s roundtables said they would like to see the CQC use stakeholder and relational impact mechanisms and exercise softer influence through relationships and influencing to support innovation over direct regulatory action. The CQC says that developing its approach to these impact mechanisms will support and inform its implementation of the new single assessment framework, which has been developed to promote improvement cultures that support effective innovation.
People matter most – The CQC learned that they should not be prescriptive in describing the best ways for care providers to innovate but instead should use their strategic insight to identify gaps. To enable innovation in care, the regulator should:

Focus on the impact on outcomes for people using services
Actively look for innovation cultures
Signpost and work with other relevant bodies
Actively share stories and examples
Support care providers to become more innovative
Embody these characteristics itself as an organisation with an improvement culture

Innovators are unsure where to find information about innovation requirements and support – the CQC needs to work closely with system partners so that providers and innovators can be more aware of risks, opportunities and support available. The idea is that speaking to the right organisation at the right time will help avoid duplication and burden, while better collaboration will lead to greater clarity and efficiency, and add value through shared knowledge and experience.
There are unique opportunities now to improve our impact on innovation through our new powers and the single assessment framework – The CQC received feedback that it needs to hold LAs and ICSs to account around how they are supporting innovation in care. The new single assessment framework is intended to promote improvement cultures and be more flexible and responsive to changing or innovative care provision, but it should also help the CQC collect evidence and knowledge in a way that makes it easier to share learning about good practice.

You can read the full report online, and you can also view the CQC’s innovation journey map and example case studies showing how innovation in care can link in to the quality statements in their new single assessment framework.

Ongoing development for care services

First Response Training (FRT) is a leading, national training provider.

They deliver over 7,000 courses each year in the fields of health and safety, first aid, fire safety, food safety, mental health, health and social care and other special focus topics.

Their diverse portfolio includes training awards designed for care workers, such as Infection Control and Prevention, Safeguarding Adults, Duty of Care, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Person Centred Care and Support and many others.

Their course portfolio spans Care Certificate standards, mandatory training awards, clinical skills, special focus courses and training for supervisors and managers.

A Trainer at FRT, says:

“It is clear that health and social care services need to innovate and we have heard much about the digital transformation of care and new ways of working, including Digital Health Passports.

“It’s great that the CQC is looking at how they can support this with their regulatory practices while always ensuring the focus is on high quality, safe, effective and compassionate care and support for the people using services.

“We provide a range of innovative training solutions for those working in health and social care, including e-learning, live and interactive webinar sessions and blended learning solutions.”

For more information on the training provided by FRT, please call them on freephone 0800 310 2300 or send an e-mail to info@firstresponsetraining.com.

Skills for Care campaign supports social care recruitment

The latest campaign from Skills for Care is aimed at supporting and diversifying social care recruitment.

The workforce development charity wants to support employers in the adult social care sector to #RecruitRight with their latest campaign, after data they published in July revealed that vacancy rates across the sector remain high.

Skills for Care’s annual Size and structure of the adult social care sector and workforce report showed that vacancies in the sector have actually fallen by around 11,000 since the previous year, but still remain high at 9.9%, or around 152,000 unfilled posts on any given day.

The #RecruitRight campaign addresses the fact that employers are still grappling with the “key challenge” of social care recruitment and retention.

Push to diversify social care recruitment

Skills for Care are providing information and resources about how to diversify social care recruitment approaches as part of the campaign.

Running throughout September across Skills for Care’s website, social media and other communication channels, the #RecruitRight campaign will also include information about how to use values-based recruitment and how to ensure that all social care recruitment is conducted safely, fairly and ethically, including international recruitment.

Recruiters in social care can read blogs and real-life insights from recruitment experts and social care organisations who have managed to establish an effective staff recruitment and retention strategy.

Neil Eastwood, the founder of Care Friends and author of ‘Saving Social Care’ is also joining in with the campaign by participating in a live episode of Skills for Care’s podcast, ‘The care exchange’, on 28^th September.

Skills for Care says that social care recruitment needs to focus on attracting more younger people and more men into the sector.

On their website they explain:

“We need to attract younger people into long-term careers in care to ensure we have the right people in the right roles to meet the future care needs of our communities.

“It’s important to attract more men into social care roles at all levels to ensure our care workforce represents the people it supports, and to make sure the social care sector is supported and recognised as a rewarding career option for all.”

The #RecruitRight campaign includes advice and information about how to attract people from different demographics, with social care recruiters advised that they need to “actively seek out people from a diverse range of groups.”

Resources available include guidance on employing younger workers, which covers best practice and legal expectation when employing people aged 16 and 17, who can be developed to become loyal and long-lasting members of a care team.

Skills for Care also offers a safe and fair recruitment guide and a values-based recruitment toolkit, as well as guidance about widening your talent pool.

Social care recruitment remains a ‘key challenge’

The Deputy CEO of Skills for Care, Tristram Gardner, explains:

“While it’s positive that our latest data shows vacancy rates have fallen, we know from our discussions with employers that recruitment and retention remains a key challenge.

“It’s vital that we’re able to find and keep the right people to work in social care. Our campaign aims to support social care employers in taking different approaches to recruitment and utilising resources that can support them.

“Our data also shows that there’s been a notable increase in the number of people recruited from abroad into direct are roles. While international recruitment can be one solution to recruitment challenges, it’s vital that this is done in an ethical way. This campaign will highlight the support available for employers when recruiting internationally to ensure this is the case.”

Find out more about the social care recruitment campaign and how you can get involved at Skills for Care’s website.

You can also follow the campaign on social media and join in the conversation using the hashtag #RecruitRight.

Meanwhile, social care employers can sign up for the live podcast online.

Quality training can boost recruitment and retention

First Response Training (FRT) is a leading, national training provider.

They deliver over 7,000 courses each year in the fields of health and safety, first aid, fire safety, food safety, mental health, health and social care and other special focus topics.

Their course portfolio spans Care Certificate standards, mandatory training awards, clinical skills, special focus courses and higher level training for supervisors and managers.

A Trainer at FRT, says:

“Any social care recruitment activity needs to be focused on recruiting the right people who can provide compassionate, person centred and dignified care for those who need it.

“That’s why campaigns such as this one from Skills for Care are so important – more and more people have high level or complex needs and require care and support, and so we need to recruit more and more people to deliver this, safely and effectively.

“The advice, guidance and best practice stories shared by this campaign can help employers in the sector recruit the best people, and training and developing these people can help to boost their skills, make them feel valued, confident and competent and improve staff retention rates.”

For more information on the training provided by FRT, please call them on freephone 0800 310 2300 or send an e-mail to info@firstresponsetraining.com.

Skills for Care updates Manager Induction Standards

Skills for Care have reviewed and updated the Manager Induction Standards to offer new and aspiring managers better support.

The Manager Induction Standards 2023 have been revised to better reflect the expectations of what a new manager in a care setting should be working towards within the first six months of starting their role.

Designed to help managers perform well in their role, the standards can be used as a “tool to assess development and provide information on what areas a potential or new manager needs to develop further,” explains Skills for Care.

The workforce development charity partnered with a range of organisations to redevelop the standards, ensuring they’re fit-for-purpose.

They also engaged with the adult social care sector, inviting managers and learning and development leads from across the industry to be involved in consultation sessions to help inform the development of the updated standards. Once they were in draft form, Skills for Care then sought further guidance from the sector, with over 100 social care employers and managers responding to a survey in late 2022. The resulting feedback was used to finalise the new Manager Induction Standards.

New Manager Induction Standards added

The updating process included changes to some of the existing standards and the addition of two new standards, namely:

This means there are now a total of 11 Manager Induction Standards, and each one includes subsections detailing specific knowledge areas. Some new sections which have been added as part of the revisions are:

Leadership and management styles
Market provision
Health and safety
Integrated approaches
Recruitment and employment practices
Conflict management
Co-production
Sexuality and relationships
Relationships and community
Health and wellbeing
Creating change
Personal wellbeing

Manager Induction Standards updated for changing priorities

The updates were in part necessitated by the significant changes that have taken place within the care sector in recent years. The Covid-19 pandemic, government policy changes, the new CQC inspection framework and Integrated Care Systems have all led to changing priorities. The updated Manager Induction Standards reflect these new areas of focus and aim to better prepare new and aspiring managers in care to operate effectively.

Skills for Care says that managers must “recognise their own responsibility in being aware of and responding to changes in the sector,” and that they “[…] need to ensure that they’re keeping up to date and horizon scanning for the latest changes that may impact their practice and their service.”

In particular, managers need to lead on the vision of an integrated health and social care service, and the new standards will support them to do this.

“Skills for Care is committed to ensuring that these standards reflect the expectations of new and aspiring managers in the sector and will continue to review and update them as needed.”

New and aspiring managers can work through the updated Manager Induction Standards by undertaking the also redeveloped Introductory Modules for Managers which have been shaped around them. You can find out more about these modules on Skills for Care’s website.

Training and support for managers in care

First Response Training (FRT) is a leading, national training provider.

They deliver over 7,000 courses each year in the fields of health and safety, first aid, fire safety, food safety, mental health, health and social care and other special focus topics.

Their course portfolio spans Care Certificate standards, mandatory training awards, clinical skills, special focus courses and higher level training for supervisors and managers.

A Trainer at FRT, says:

“There are currently around 23,500 CQC-registered managers in the adult social care sector in England. As the sector grows and evolves, new and aspiring managers require robust and appropriate support to ensure they can perform effectively in their role and deliver well-led services that offer safe, compassionate care to all those who need it.

“Learning and development – both as they commence a management role and throughout their time in such a position – is vital to ensuring that managers and their staff can continue to provide the services we need.”

For more information on the training provided by FRT, please call them on freephone 0800 310 2300 or send an e-mail to info@firstresponsetraining.com.

Care providers prepare for CQC’s Single Assessment Framework

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is set to roll out its new Single Assessment Framework before the end of the year.

England’s care watchdog first published the new framework for providers and stakeholders to review in July 2022, saying they would be introducing it in phases. It is to be rolled out for adult social care providers in November.

Currently, the CQC operates four different assessment frameworks, and there is much duplication across these.

Developed following months of consultation with providers, stakeholders and those using services, the new Single Assessment Framework will be used to judge quality on all types of services, including independent care providers, local authorities and integrated care systems.

Single Assessment Framework to ‘make things simpler’

Although the CQC will retain its current quality ratings and five ‘key questions’, the new framework replaces the existing key lines of enquiry (KLOEs) and prompts with 34 new ‘quality statements.’ Known as ‘we statements’, these are written from a provider’s perspective and will allow the regulator to focus on specific topic areas under each of their key questions, while also linking directly to relevant regulations.

It is hoped this new approach to assessment will make it easier for care providers to understand what is expected of them.

The CQC has overhauled their assessment system and introduced the new Single Assessment Framework for three key reasons:

To make things simpler so they can focus on what really matters to people
To better reflect how care is actually delivered by different types of services as well as across a local area
To create one framework that connects CQC registration activity to its assessments of quality

In order to make their quality judgments more structured and consistent, the CQC has also defined six categories for the evidence it will collect. These are:

People’s experiences
Feedback from staff and leaders
Observations of care
Feedback from partners
Processes
Outcomes of care

The categories of evidence used will vary for each quality statement and will also change depending on the type of service and the level at which the CQC is assessing.

The watchdog says that the new Single Assessment Framework “emphasises the need to create cultures that learn and improve, and we set expectations for how services and providers need to work together, and within systems, to plan and deliver safe, person-centred care.”

Preparing providers for the Single Assessment Framework

Skills for Care has developed a range of resources to help care providers prepare for the CQC’s new approach to monitoring and inspection.

The adult social care workforce development charity provides recommendations, examples and resources covering the 34 new quality statements from the framework within their Good and Outstanding inspection toolkit, which is available online.

The toolkit has been developed in partnership with organisations such as the SCIE and NICE.

Skills for Care says:

“Whilst every CQC inspection is different, you can be prepared by understanding the criteria they will use to rate your service.

“Understanding what Good and Outstanding care looks like can not only help you achieve success in your inspections but ensure you are continuously providing high quality care.”

Helping providers deliver outstanding care

First Response Training (FRT) is a leading, national training provider.

They deliver over 7,000 courses each year in the fields of health and safety, first aid, fire safety, food safety, mental health, health and social care and other special focus topics.

Their course portfolio spans Care Certificate standards, mandatory training awards, clinical skills, special focus courses and training for supervisors and managers.

A Trainer at FRT, says:

“We work with hundreds of care providers across the country and know that they are committed to providing the best possible care for the people they support.

“It is great that the new Single Assessment Framework has been developed to make things clear and simple for providers so that they can focus in on exactly what is needed to provide high quality, safe and compassionate care to all those who need it.”

For more information on the training provided by FRT, please call them on freephone 0800 310 2300 or send an e-mail to info@firstresponsetraining.com.

Annual report shows social care workforce is growing again

Skills for Care have published their annual report into the state of the adult social care workforce in England, and it reveals that it has started growing again but will continue to face challenges posed by an ageing population.

The Size and Structure of the Adult Social Care Sector and Workforce in England report is based on data from Skills for Care’s Adult Social Care Workforce Data Set (ASC-WDS) and other sources for the period from April 2022 until March 2023.

The report shows that the number of filled posts in the sector increased by around 1% – or 20,000 workers – during the past year.

It comes after the workforce fell for the first time on record the previous year, with the number of filled posts dropping by around 4% or 60,000 workers.

Meanwhile, the new report also shows that the vacancy rate in the sector fell to 9.9%, or around 152,000 posts on any given day, compared to 10.6% (around 164,000 posts) in the previous year.

Adult social care workforce faces recruitment and retention challenges

Skills for Care says that the sector continues to face recruitment and retention challenges and that some employers are turning to international recruitment to overcome this issue, with around 70,000 workers being recruited from abroad into direct care-providing roles.

Figures from the Home Office indicate that around 58,000 people received Skilled Worker visas as a result of adult social care being added to the Shortage Occupation List back in February 2022. Other international recruits will have arrived in the UK via other routes such as family permits.

In the independent sector, international recruitment has helped the rate of new starters increase from 32% to 34%, while the turnover rate decreased from 32% to 30%.

Data from the ASC-WDS suggests that the staff turnover rate for international recruits was around half that of workers recruited from within the UK.

Adult social care workforce bigger than other major workforces

In total, the adult social care workforce had an estimated 1.635 million filled posts in 2022-23, and these were filled by 1.52 million people. This equates to 5.2% of England’s total workforce and outnumbers the amount of people working in the NHS, schools or food or drink manufacturing.

When filled and vacant posts were taken into account, the total number of posts in the adult social care workforce in England numbered 1.79 million in 2022-23. This represents a rise of 0.5% from the year before.

The growing number of posts in adult social care serves to underline the long-term challenges facing the sector and its workforce.

Skills for Care advises that, if the workforce grows proportionally to the projected number of people aged 65 and over in the population, the number of posts will need to increase by around 445,000 posts to around 2.23 million workers by 2035.

Sustainable plan needed for adult social care

The CEO of Skills for Care, Oonagh Smyth, thanked workers in the adult social care sector “for the work that they do supporting people to live the lives they choose every day,” and said that it was “a very fulfilling career.”

She added:

“It is encouraging that the number of filled posts has gone up and the vacancy rate has come down. Nevertheless, the data shared by employers with our Adult Social Care Workforce Data Set still show significant pressure on them to find and keep people with the right values needed to work in care.

“It’s positive that we now have a workforce plan for the NHS, which recognises how health and social care are dependent on each other. Our data supports the case for a social care workforce plan, including consideration of terms and conditions to support social care roles to be competitive in local labour markets. This will help to make sure that we have enough people with the right skills in the right places to support people who draw on care and support now, and for future generations.

“Any workforce plan needs to involve a range of partners as social care is a large and diverse sector. Skills for Care is ready to work with local and national Government, employers, people who draw on care and support and our sector partners to help deliver a sustainable plan for the adult social care workforce.

“We’re hugely grateful to all the care providers who share their data with us, as this helps us to build a rich and accurate picture of what’s happening in the sector and identify and address the challenges it faces.”

Quality training for care workers

First Response Training (FRT) is a leading, national training provider.

They deliver over 7,000 courses each year in the fields of health and safety, first aid, fire safety, food safety, mental health, health and social care and other special focus topics.

Their course portfolio spans Care Certificate standards, mandatory training awards, clinical skills, special focus courses and training for supervisors and managers.

A Trainer at FRT, says:

“The adult social care workforce is vital for the country, and it needs to continue to grow.

“Quality training can help employers in the care sector with recruitment and retention and it will also help ensure that workers have the right skills and knowledge to provide high quality, safe, compassionate and person centred care and support to all those that need it most.”

For more information on the training provided by FRT, please call them on freephone 0800 310 2300 or send an e-mail to info@firstresponsetraining.com.

Good Care Month celebrates valuable work of care sector

July is Good Care Month in the UK, designed to raise the profile of the social care sector, celebrate its workforce and highlight career and development opportunities.

Spearheaded by the Hertfordshire Care Providers Association (HCPA), the annual awareness campaign puts the spotlight on the good care provided by social care workers every day throughout the year.

The HCPA says Good Care Month can help people who may be considering a career in care but is also “a perfect opportunity for you to recognise and appreciate your staff by sharing stories and achievements in their career in care.”

Share positive stories for Good Care Month

They want to challenge people’s perceptions of what the adult social care sector is all about.

Providers in the sector can get involved by:

Sharing photos and videos of daily care and activities within your care setting to spread a positive image of social care
Share short video messages from staff about why they love working in care
Ask people receiving support for a piece of advice they would share with younger generations. This can be written on to a board including their first name and you can take a photo of them with it and share on social media, with permissions

These images and messages can be shared on social media with the hashtag #GoodCare or #GoodCareMonth to help keep the conversation going.

Recruitment is key for the care workforce

Speaking about the reasons behind the campaign, the HCPA says:

“With both an ageing population and individuals of all ages with more complex needs that require additional social care support, there is an increasing requirement to recruit and retain staff in the adult social care sector.

“In Hertfordshire alone, we currently need to recruit around 4,000 paid carers each year. The Good Care campaign is about celebrating the great work you and your staff do each and every day and sharing it via the campaign. It is your chance to engage and inspire the public to consider social care as a great career choice and recruit more people to work for you.

“We are campaigning to raise the profile of the social care sector and to promote the great career opportunities and progression available to those who choose a career in social care.”

It comes as Skills for Care run their own campaign throughout June and July 2023 to support social care teams to develop a positive workplace culture, something which will help providers to retain any staff they do attract.

They are developing an updated workplace culture toolkit, sharing insights and best practice and have also held a webinar for registered managers.

Skills for Care says that providers should focus on developing a positive workplace culture because it can “benefit both their staff and the people who they support.”

Good Care starts with good training

First Response Training (FRT) is a leading, national training provider.

They deliver over 7,000 courses each year in the fields of health and safety, first aid, fire safety, food safety, mental health, health and social care and other special focus topics.

Their course portfolio spans Care Certificate standards, mandatory training awards, clinical skills, special focus courses and training for supervisors and managers.

A Trainer at FRT, says:

“As an organisation that works with hundreds of adult social care teams every year to provide essential training, we know just how hard they work and how committed they are to their roles and to providing safe, dignified, person centred and compassionate care to all the people they support.

“We support Good Care Month and want to congratulate and thank all those who work in the care sector for the vital job they do.”

For more information on the training provided by FRT, please call them on freephone 0800 310 2300 or send an e-mail to info@firstresponsetraining.com.

Developing a positive workplace culture in social care

A new campaign from Skills for Care will support teams in the social care sector to develop a positive workplace culture.

Running throughout June and July, the campaign will see the national workforce development charity provide information and resources explaining what exactly is meant by workplace culture, and how to create a positive one.

Skills for Care will be sharing blogs and real-life insights from leadership experts and organisations in the social care sector who have already successfully established a positive workplace culture.

Supporting managers to develop a positive workplace culture

Workers and managers in social care can find the useful information and resources at Skills for Care’s website, as well as across their social media channels.

Registered managers in care can also take part in a webinar, which is scheduled to take place on Thursday 6^th July at 10-11am. This virtual training session will share valuable insight and discuss how managers can set and promote a positive workplace culture within their organisation. It will highlight best practice and offer practical ideas for managers to implement when nurturing their own workplace cultures.

Individuals from across the social care workforce are encouraged to join in the discussion using the hashtag #PositiveWorkplaceCulture.

A toolkit for managers

Skills for Care are currently working on an updated workplace culture toolkit.

Launching soon, this will be a comprehensive guide to help social care employers and managers understand workplace culture and the importance and process of building a positive culture within their own organisation.

Skills for Care’s Director of Development, Sarah-Jane Dale, who is also the Chief Operating Officer at Affina Organisation Development (AOD), part of the Skills for Care Group, says that its vital that leaders prioritise developing a positive workplace culture because it can “benefit both their staff and the people who they support.”

She explained:

“A positive workplace culture supports staff to feel a sense of belonging and confidence at work, and as a result, will lead to better outcomes for people who draw on care and support.

“[…] Culture is a core factor that the Care Quality Commission (CQC) assess when determining if an organisation is ‘Well-led’, as leaders and managers really are at the heart of creating a positive workplace culture. Having an inclusive and supportive environment where everyone feels that they belong and are able to achieve their best also helps organisations to find and keep the best quality staff, which is so important amidst current recruitment and retention challenges.

“I’m excited to see this campaign support social care leaders in fully understanding what workplace culture means and how they can create a positive one.”

The “culture” of your workplace means the character, personality and tone of your workplace and organisation, and how it makes staff members and others feel. The culture is determined by many of the shared characteristics of the people in your organisation, particularly its leadership and management teams. It encompasses values, behaviours and policies as well as traditions, beliefs, attitudes, interactions and workplace norms.

Training towards a positive workplace culture

First Response Training (FRT) is a leading, national training provider.

They deliver over 7,000 courses each year in the fields of health and safety, first aid, fire safety, food safety, mental health, health and social care and other special focus topics.

Their course portfolio spans Care Certificate standards, mandatory training awards, clinical skills, special focus courses and training for supervisors and managers.

A Trainer at FRT, says:

“As an organisation that provides learning and development opportunities for other organisations, we understand how important it is to set and nurture a positive workplace culture.

“The culture of an organisation affects how those who work within it feel and will impact the feelings, experiences and outcomes of all those receiving care and support services from that organisation. It is vitally important that it is prioritised.

“Leaders can support the development of a positive workplace culture by ensuring they provide workers with regular, effective training to help them feel confident and competent in their roles. This training should be underpinned by the key principles of personalisation, dignity, safety, compassion and inclusivity.

“Regular communication and effective supervision and appraisal is also key, and we can also provide training in these vital skills.”

For more information on the training provided by FRT, please call them on freephone 0800 310 2300 or send an e-mail to info@firstresponsetraining.com.

New guidance for digital transformation in care

The government has published new guidance frameworks to drive digital transformation across the social care sector.

The ‘What Good Looks Like’ and Digital Skills Frameworks were published by the Department of Health and Social Care on 17^th May 2023 to support social care staff, providers and UK local authorities to modernise and improve the quality of care by developing digital skills.

The government says the guidance will help social care employers to equip their staff with the right skills to use new technologies, such as the digital care record, to enhance patient care and develop their careers. It is designed to set the standard for digital transformation of adult social care in providing quality care.

Meanwhile, it is hoped that people at home and living in care settings will be better supported, through the use of new technologies, to reduce hospital admissions.

Digitising social care forms part of the government’s recently published plan to reform care, Next Steps to Put People at the Heart of Care. It has been described by Skills for Care as “an investment with the potential to pay huge dividends to adult social care and the people who draw on it.”

Digital transformation guidance for providers and local authorities

The What Good Looks Like (WGLL) framework provides guidance for local authorities and care providers “of all sizes and types of service.”

It has been developed for those who have a responsibility for digital transformation in local areas in England. This may include digital leads, directors of adult social care services, commissioners and service managers.

Described as an “aspirational framework”, it has been designed with support from the Local Government Association (LGA) and the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS). It aims to ensure the right technology is harnessed to benefit local people.

It will support settings as they make the transition to using digital technology, such as virtual 24/7 monitoring centres to provide quick support or new artificial intelligence (AI) monitoring technology which tracks the movements of people receiving care to reduce falls.

Guidance builds on the NHS England What Good Looks Like framework, which is structured around 7 success measures for digital working in adult social care services. These are:

Well-led
Ensure smart foundations
Safe practice
Support workforce
Empower people
Improve care
Healthy populations

These measures represent success under the 3 main goals for digital transformation in social care, which are: transform, digitise and connect.

Developing digital skills in the care workforce

The Digital Skills Framework provides a structure in which new skills can be developed. A free resource, it defines seven key areas of effective digital working and can be used to help social care employers plan staff training or for social care workers for their own personal development.

It can be used by:

People working in adult social care who want to develop their skills
Social care employers who need to identify training opportunities for their staff
Social care managers, business support professionals and similar roles, who are
implementing digital technologies in their organisations
Local authority and Integrated Care System (ICS) leads, to help with supporting
care providers and adult social care professionals in their local areas
Learning providers and learning and development managers, to support the
development of training and learning opportunities.

Its seven key themes are:

Using technology to support person centred care
Technical skills for using technology
Communicating through technology
Using and managing data
Being safe and secure online
Ethical use of technology
Digital learning, development and wellbeing

The framework is designed to ensure that adult social care staff have the right skills to use innovative new technologies effectively in order to enhance care.

An example of this would be systems that allow social care professionals to assess a residents’ information from their GP records through a digital social care record, to support their care from hospital to home and ensure they are receiving relevant, suitable support.

Workers in the sector will also be given training on how to use technology such as virtual care centres. These enable people receiving support to access a care worker virtually for help and reassurance 24/7. They are designed to provide recipients of care with more autonomy and independence in their own homes as they reduce the need for reoccurring or overnight checks.

Digital transformation ‘an essential journey’ for care

Minister for Care Helen Whately said:

“Technology embedded into care and support can be transformative both for people who need care and staff in the sector.

“Innovative technology in care settings improves care and can increase the time that care workers spend with the people they care for.

“The guidance and standards published today will give social care staff the support they need to improve their digital capabilities.”

Meanwhile, the System Chief Information Officer at NHS England, Sonia Patel, said publication of the frameworks was “a significant step in ensuring our digital ‘north star’ is clear in all health and care settings, helping reduce health inequalities in every community in England.”

She added:

“We’ve worked closely with social care colleagues to provide the What Good Looks Like guidance for adult social care, building on the framework we’ve already published for integrated care systems and providers which we’ll be updating later this year.”

Following publication of the guidance frameworks, the Director of Digital Transformation at Skills for Care, Nina Blackett commented:

“Digitising social care is an essential journey that will help the 1.5 million people working in the sector to improve the lives of the millions of people who draw on care and support.

“The new Digital Skills Framework – which we have worked with government and the social care sector to shape – will provide a structure for developing vital new skills. This will benefit employers and people working in care alike, creating a more highly-skilled workforce and opportunities for career development – and it will benefit those who draw on care by ensuring they’re supported by digitally-skilled and digitally-confident people.

“The Framework has two levels: skills for all staff, and skills for current and future leaders. This is important because we believe that developing confident and skilled digital leaders is key to ensuring that everyone working in care can develop the digital skills they need.

“We don’t underestimate the capacity challenges that care providers are facing – so we’ll continue to work with our partners to make the development of digital skills as easy as possible for employers and their staff. It’s an investment with the potential to pay huge dividends to adult social care and the people who draw on it.”

Training and development for social care

First Response Training (FRT) is a leading, national training provider.

They deliver over 7,000 courses each year in the fields of health and safety, first aid, fire safety, food safety, mental health, health and social care and other special focus topics.

Their course portfolio spans Care Certificate standards, mandatory training awards, clinical skills, special focus courses and training for supervisors and managers.

A Trainer at FRT, says:

“Digitising social care has long been on the agenda to ensure that those who receive care and support services can benefit from innovative new technologies.

“It’s therefore great to see that a roadmap has been laid out for providers, employers, workers and commissioners in social care to help them ensure that everyone has the required skills to adopt digital processes in the safest, most effective and person-centred way for all involved, leading to improved outcomes for those who access care and support.”

For more information on the training provided by FRT, please call them on freephone 0800 310 2300 or send an e-mail to info@firstresponsetraining.com.

CQC says oral health care has improved in care homes

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has reported an improvement in the state of oral health care in care homes in England.

The health and social care watchdog has published a follow-up to their first review of oral health in care homes, carried out in 2019, which reveals that a number of recommendations have been acted on and that there is an improved understanding of the importance of oral health.

The CQC explains that oral health “not only enhances people’s quality of life, but it is vital to making sure they can eat, drink, take medication and stay healthy.”

Greater awareness of oral health care guidelines

In the 2019 Smiling matters review, CQC found that care homes were often failing to provide people with the oral health care they needed to remain pain-free and retain their dignity.

The follow-up review, carried out in 2022 and published last month (March 2023), found:

Care homes have a greater awareness of the NICE oral health guideline, with 91% now being aware of the guidance compared to just 61% in 2019.
Almost two thirds of care plans (60%) now fully covered oral health needs, compared to just over 1 in 4 (27%) in 2019. The regulator says, however, that the sector needs to do more work to ensure that all care plans fully cover oral health.
The majority of care home providers (60%) now reported providing specific training in oral health. In 2019, only 30% of providers said this. This still means that 4 in 10 care home workers may not receive training in oral health, however, and this needs to improve.

Access to professional oral health care still an issue

Care home residents lacking vital care from dental practitioners remains an issue. CQC inspectors found that residents did not always receive professional care at the right time and in the right place. Many care home providers reported that there were not enough dentists available who were wiling and able to visit care homes and provide dental care for people who were less mobile.

In fact, 1 in 4 (25%) care home providers said that people using their care services could ‘never’ access NHS dental care. In 2019, this figure was just 6%, showing a significant decline in availability.

The CQC has made a number of further recommendations to ensure that oral health in care homes continues to improve. These include:

People should receive an oral health assessment on admission to a care home
People should be made aware of how much dental treatment should cost and who is exempt and entitled to free treatment on the NHS
Commissioners should promote cross-sector integration between care home and dental professionals
Commissioners should use funding to improve oral health in care homes – this could be through local initiatives like peer-to-peer support schemes or increasing dental access and training.

One potential solution to the lack of availability of dental care for care home residents could be the use of alternative dental services, such as Forest Hills dental implants, that may not require frequent check-ups or maintenance. Dental implants can provide a long-term solution to missing teeth and may be a viable option for those who have difficulty accessing traditional dental care. However, care home providers and commissioners must work together to ensure that residents are informed about all available options and receive the best possible care to maintain their oral health. By taking a proactive approach and implementing strategies to improve oral health in care homes, we can ensure that residents receive the care and support they need to lead healthy and fulfilling lives.

Every care home resident must have oral health needs met

The Director of Adult Social Care at the CQC, Mary Cridge, said the initial 2019 review “set out to discover how well care home and dental providers were implementing the NICE guideline on oral health,” and that inspectors found “staff awareness of the guideline recommendations was low, and not everyone was supported to keep their teeth or dentures clean.”

Commenting on the findings contained in the progress report, she added:

“While I am pleased to see that many of our recommendations from 2019 have been taken on board, and providers are more aware of how important oral health is to keeping people healthy, we recognise that there is still room for improvement.

“In particular, it is imperative that more is done to ensure people have access to vital care from dentists and that oral and dental health is included in all care plans.

“We have made further recommendations for both adult social care providers and staff, as well as dental providers, so every resident of every care home have their oral health needs met.”

Training solutions for care

First Response Training (FRT) is a leading, national training provider. They deliver over 7,000 courses each year in the fields of health and safety, first aid, fire safety, food safety, mental health, health and social care and other special focus topics.

Their diverse portfolio includes training awards designed for care workers, such as Oral Health, Infection Control and Prevention, Safeguarding Adults, Duty of Care, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Person Centred Care and Support and many others.

Their course portfolio spans Care Certificate standards, mandatory training awards, clinical skills, special focus courses and training for supervisors and managers.

A Trainer at FRT, says:

“Oral health is key to the emotional and physical wellbeing of individuals who access care and receiving proper oral health care and support can contribute to them feeling that they are receiving compassionate, dignified, respectful and person centred care.”

For more information on the training provided by FRT, please call them on freephone 0800 310 2300 or send an e-mail to info@firstresponsetraining.com.

Skills for Care are #CelebratingSocialCare this April

This month, we’re joining Skills for Care in Celebrating Social Care and recognising the vital work carried out by the sector.

The national workforce development charity is celebrating the remarkable people who work in social care and is encouraging others to join in their celebrations throughout April.

They want to shine the spotlight on the people working in the sector and the important impact they have on our communities and all the people who access care and support services.

How can you get involved?

Skills for Care will be sharing good news stories from the care sector across their website and social media channels and are asking that others get involved by sharing their own positive stories and shoutouts for hard-working care workers on social media.

People can use the hashtag #CelebratingSocialCare to add their stories, support or thanks to the campaign.

Skills for Care have made a number of suggestions for how people can get involved with the #CelebratingSocialCare campaign this month, including:

Adding a shoutout for a colleague, team or manager for their great work in social care or a recent achievement in the sector
Sharing a successful initiative that a social care organisation has been working on
Sharing some of the recent activities you or your team have been doing with the people you support
Sharing some feedback from people receiving care and support, or their families, about the positive impact that care services have had on them
Sharing details about what you love most about working in the sector
Adding a shoutout for the people you support
Saying thank you to someone – or everyone – working in social care for their hard work and everything they do for the people they support

Skills for Care has provided a number of free resources on their website, including social media images and templates, selfie cards, email signatures and blog templates so people can get involved and share with others what they’re doing this April to join in with #CelebratingSocialCare.

Why we’re celebrating social care

Their course portfolio spans Care Certificate standards, mandatory training awards, clinical skills, special focus courses and training for supervisors and managers.

FRT are joining Skills for Care in #CelebratingSocialCare this April.

Amy Ridge, General Manager at FRT, says:

“People who work in social care are highly-skilled, passionate and hard-working and it’s important that we all take time to recognise the work they do and the impact this has in supporting people who draw on care to live their lives how they choose.

“That’s why at FRT we’re joining in on #CelebratingSocialCare this month.

“We work with a large number of social care providers, employers and their staff on both a regional and national level. This includes major national learning disability care providers, Dimensions (UK) Ltd, Affinity Trust and Potens, as well as Vibrance in London and the South East, Inshore Support in the West Midlands, Enham Trust in Hampshire, and the POBL Group in Wales, to name just a few.

“These organisations and others we work with provide a wide range of specialist care, support, safe accommodation and a varied programme of activities and life skills for people with learning disabilities, autism, dementia, Acquired Brain Injuries, mental health problems and complex needs and they do it with compassion, respect and an unwavering commitment to quality and safety.

“We are proud to work with them and to provide their staff with the knowledge, skills and confidence they need to provide these incredible services for the people who need them.

“It’s a privilege to see the work they do and to play a supporting role in this.

“Throughout April, we will be #CelebratingSocialCare by sharing social media posts and adding the new Skills for Care e-mail signature to our own signatures. We also want to continue to support, celebrate and shout out the incredible work of the vital organisations we work with.”

You can get involved in #CelebratingSocialCare too by sharing your support, good news stories and shoutouts for your colleagues on social media tagging @SkillsForCare and using #CelebratingSocialCare.

New framework for supporting LGBTQ+ people in later life

Skills for Care have released a new learning framework to help care workers support LGBTQ+ people in later life.

Commissioned and funded by Skills for Care, the new framework has been developed by the “innovative partnership” of Dr Trish Hafford-Letchfield of the University of Strathclyde and the Pride in Ageing programme at the LGBT Foundation.

The Chief Executive of the Foundation said he hoped it would “inspire further conversations” across the sector.

The framework focuses on developing the knowledge, skills and values of care workers to enable them to “work affirmatively, inclusively and effectively” with older people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans or queer (LGBTQ+).

It is intended to be used by social care employers, employees, training providers, regulators, commissioners, policy makers and others. It is hoped that, as well as supporting colleagues’ understanding, it will help to create learning programmes which will enable teams to better support LGBTQ+ people in later life.

The framework was created in collaboration with older people from within the LGBTQ+ community and was published as LGBT+ History Month was recognised across the UK.

Awareness of LGBTQ+ issues in care

Skills for Care states that the experiences of many older LGBTQ+ people may have had a lasting impact on them, and that its therefore vital that anyone providing care and support services for them has an understanding of these.

For example, many people from an older generation may have felt unable to be open about their sexual orientation or gender identity, also regardless of your situation the methods of STD testing are somewhat standard for any person that have sex regardless their orientation.

Some older individuals may have grown up during a time when homosexuality was illegal, or less accepted, and before transgender rights became enshrined in law. Many will have experienced discrimination both in the past and now, despite more recent improvements in the legal status of LGBTQ+ individuals.

The guidance has therefore been developed to help care workers feel confident in supporting LGBTQ+ people with all aspects of their lives, including coming out, if relevant, their personal relationships and support network, and legal rights, as well as providing information on Affordable STI testing options in Portland.

The comprehensive framework provides care workers with a background understanding of key LGBTQ+ issues and awareness and also includes information on:

Health and wellbeing issues later in life
Research about LGBTQ+ inequalities
Provision of personalised care and support, including trans-affirmative care
Intersectionality
Supporting people with dementia or HIV
Intimacy and sexuality later in life

New training programmes for LGBTQ+ awareness

The framework also includes recommendations for leadership, education and service development to enable providers to continue to improve care and support in this area.

Skills for Care says the framework can also be used by adult social care services and organisations to:

Include LGBTQ+ issues when educating and training their workforce
Include awareness of LGBTQ+ issues in everyday care and support of people in later life
Establish the aims and focus of LGBTQ+ education and training based on evidence
Carry out a training needs analysis and develop training which meets a minimum standard of performance and capability in its assessment and provision of care to LGBTQ+ individuals in later life and their communities
Ensure that relevant topics, areas, guidance and learning resources are embedded into recruitment, induction, supervision, appraisal and career progression processes

The CEO of Skills for Care, Oonagh Smyth, said:

“We’re very proud to be part of the creation of this important framework, which we know is something that people working in social care want and need.

“It’s vital that care workers are comfortable supporting people with all aspects of their lives and identities, which includes their sexual and gender identity and personal relationships.

“We know that older LGBTQ+ people may face specific inequalities and challenges, and care workers need to understand these issues so that they can provide the most effective person-centred support to each person drawing on care and support.”

Dr Paul Martin OBE, Chief Executive of the LGBT Foundation said they welcomed the launch of the new framework and added:

“We would like to thank all of those with lived experience who took part in coproduction sessions to develop the themes of this framework, and we hope this piece of work inspires further conversations across the social care workforce around access to equitable, inclusive and affirmative social care for LGBTQ+ communities.”

You can view the framework online now.

Training and development for care workers

Their diverse portfolio includes training awards designed for health and social care organisations, such as Infection Control and Prevention, Safeguarding Adults, Duty of Care, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Person Centred Care and Support and many others.

Their course portfolio spans Care Certificate standards, Level 2 and Level 3 Awards and training for supervisors and managers.

A trainer from FRT says:

“It’s important that care workers have the right skills, knowledge and values to provide safe, person-centred, compassionate and dignified care to all individuals who need their support. This, of course, includes people from gender and sexually diverse communities.

“It’s also important that care organisations and settings are actively promoting and supporting equality, diversity and inclusion and ensuring that their workforce has the right skills to provide truly inclusive care. We are excited to see the impact this new learning framework has and even to work with organisations to develop relevant training programmes as a result.”

For more information on the training provided by FRT, please call them on freephone 0800 310 2300 or send an e-mail to info@firstresponsetraining.com.

How First Response Training is responding to the latest vaccination requirements

National workplace training provider, First Response Training (FRT), has taken decisive steps to ensure the health, safety and welfare of its staff, clients, learners and they people they support.

The leading training provider, which works with hundreds of local and national health and social care providers on a regular basis, has confirmed that all of its trainers are double vaccinated.

FRT have verified that all of their trainers have received two doses of an approved Covid-19 vaccine and have stated that it is their policy, for the foreseeable future, not to recruit or deploy any trainers that remain unvaccinated.

In addition to this, all trainers carry out Lateral Flow Tests (LFT) on a twice-weekly basis and the results are recorded centrally. Trainers can only deliver courses if they have evidence of a negative test result.

Providing Covid-19 secure training

The training provider continued to provide a wide range of workplace training throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, adopting stringent safety procedures to control the risk of transmission. Their Covid-19 Secure Pledge encompassed a number of measures in line with government guidelines, recommendations and changing lockdown rules. This included the development and regular updating of a Covid-19 risk assessment addressing their training activities and additional secure measures for practical training.

FRT also supported many of their clients to move their staff training programmes across to the virtual learning environment, delivering over 2,000 live, remote webinars as well as providing bespoke e-learning courses throughout the pandemic.

The company was also able to access priority vaccination for their trainers due to their role in delivering essential training to frontline workers within settings which housed or supported vulnerable people.

Vaccination requirements for care home workers

Current government guidelines state that all care home workers must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 by 11^th November 2021 in order to continue to carry out work within a residential care setting, although certain exemptions do apply. Many care services have also confirmed that they will not be allowing anyone who has not been vaccinated to enter their setting.

As a major provider of training to the adult social care sector, with Skills for Care Endorsed Learning Provider status, FRT takes its position on this matter very seriously.

Amy Ridge, Managing Director at FRT, explained: “We deliver training for some of the providers and frontline workers who were hardest hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. They require certain assurances from us, and we are committed to protecting their safety and to enabling them to continue to provide safe, high-quality care through the provision of essential training.

“We must therefore confirm, after careful consideration, that we have made the decision to only utilise trainers who have received both doses of a Covid-19 vaccine. Our entire training team is double vaccinated, and we will not be using any trainers who remain unvaccinated.

“We understand that taking up the offer of vaccination is a personal choice, and can be a sensitive issue, but we have to take steps to protect the health, safety and welfare of our staff, our clients, our learners and the people they support – many of whom are among the most vulnerable members of society.”

You can view and download First Response Training’s poster regarding their policy on vaccination for trainers here.

Annual social care report reveals impact of pandemic

The latest report into adult social care serves as a “stark reminder” that sector bosses face “significant recruitment challenges” with vacancy rates steadily rising since the pandemic.

Skills for Care have published their annual report on ‘The State of the adult social care sector and workforce in England.’

The report, which is based on data provided by sector employers to the Adult Social Care Workforce Data Set (ASC-WDS), shines a light on the significant impact that the Covid-19 pandemic in the UK has had on both the short- and long-term challenges faced within the sector.

Rise in care worker vacancies, turnover and absences

The data shows that, on average, 6.8% of adult social care roles were vacant in 2020-21, which equates to around 105,000 vacancies being advertised on an average day.

Vacancy rates have steadily risen in the sector since May 2021, when lockdown measures began to ease, and the wider economy started to open back up. By August, vacancy rates had reached their pre-pandemic levels.

The vacancy rate within the sector has remained high at above 6% for the previous 6 years, with turnover rates also persistently high, hitting 28.5% in 2020-21. Turnover did fall during the pandemic, but since March 2021, many adult social care employers have reported that staff retention is now more of a struggle than it was pre-pandemic.

For registered nurses in adult social care, the turnover rate stood at 38.2%, which is much higher than for their counterparts in the NHS (8.8%).

The issue has no doubt been exacerbated by a rise in staff absences, which have nearly doubled from an average of 5.1 days lost in 2019-20 to 9.5 in 2020-21.

Recruitment and retention struggles in care

The report shows that, since March 2021, filled posts have also fallen by around -1.8%. It represents the first time that the number of jobs (filled posts) has fallen in the sector, and as it is happening at the same time that vacancy rates are increasing, it indicates that care providers are struggling with both recruitment and retention.

Skills for Care says that it is important “to make a strong case that these jobs offer highly-skilled careers where you can progress to leadership positions.”

They say that listening to people who use care and support services can help recruiters understand what they want. They need to be supported by people who have the right skills to do so, and people who are trained and developed are then less likely to leave their roles.

Indeed, the report found that adult social care employers with “favourable workplace metrics”, such as high levels of learning and development, had lower staff turnover.

People want to be supported at home

The report also reveals that the steady shift from people receiving support in care homes to receiving support to live in their own homes has been accelerated by the pandemic.

Domiciliary care services were largely responsible for the 2.8% increase in jobs across the adult social care sector, with 40,000 additional jobs recorded within domiciliary care specifically – an increase of 7.4%.

At the same time, care home occupancy rates fell from 86% prior to the pandemic to 77% in March 2021.

Skills for Care says that reforms in the adult social care sector must recognise the desire for people to remain in their own homes.

Recognition and reward for care workers

Although the National Living Wage (NLW) has helped to boost the median nominal care worker hourly rate by 6% since March 2020, the report reveals that employers in the sector have found it more difficult to maintain differentials for more experienced workers.

Care workers with five years’ or more experience in the sector are currently being paid, on average, just 6p more per hour than those who have less than one year of experience.

Skills for Care says that social care is a growing market which currently contributes £50.3 billion to the nation’s economy.

They are now calling for the 1.54 million people who “worked tirelessly throughout lockdown” to be recognised and properly rewarded for their efforts.

They also highlight the fact that social care workers from a Black, Asian or minority ethnicity currently make up more than a fifth (21%) of the workforce. The workforce is also 82% female and almost a third of its members (27%) are aged over 55.

The workforce development charity says that the adult social care sector must embrace this opportunity to become an employer for all.

Skills for Care is committed to working with government and stakeholders across the sector on the upcoming whitepaper to develop a shared vision for a workforce “which enables people to live the lives they want, where they want.”

Creating a sustainable adult social care workforce

The CEO of Skills for Care, Oonagh Smith, commented:

“This report is a stark reminder that our recruitment challenges continue, and to help tackle that we need to properly reward and value care workers for their high skill levels and dedication. We know that this is a priority for the new Government White Paper expected on adult social care this year and look forwarded to seeing the measures contained.”

She added that the social care sector enables “people in our families, our friends and people in our communities to be supported to live the lives they choose. And the workforce in social care are the people that provide that support every day, in every single community.”

Creating a sustainable workforce is now a top priority for Skills for Care, but Ms Smith says: “[…] we know from speaking to employers that the pandemic has had a huge impact on people working in social care. The rich data from this authoritative annual report confirms this pressure, as well as showing us longer term trends in adult social care.”

One doctor told the BBC that a shortage of adult social care workers would have a knock-on effect on the NHS this winter.

Dr Owden, who worked in a hospital discharge ward at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, told the BBC that carers needed to be better paid, with a proper career structure and recognition of their skills. He said a better resourced system would relieve pressure from the NHS when they need it most.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson from the Department of Health and Social Care said they appreciated “the dedication and tireless efforts of care workers throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond,” and said they would be providing “at least £500 million” to support the workforce.

They added: “We are also working to ensure we have the right number of staff with the skills to deliver high quality care to meet increasing demands. This includes running regular national recruitment campaigns and providing councils with over £1 billion of additional funding for social care this year.”

You can download a copy of The state of the adult social care sector and workforce in England report and an infographic showing all the key findings online.

Learning and development opportunities for care

First Response Training (FRT) is a leading, national training provider. They deliver over 7,000 courses each year in the fields of health and safety, first aid, fire safety, food hygiene, mental health, health and social care and other special focus topics.

Their course portfolio spans Care Certificate standards, Level 2 and Level 3 Awards and training for supervisors and managers.

They also offer a portfolio of e-learning training courses, including COVID-19 Infection prevention, identification and control.

A trainer from FRT explains:

“It is vitally important that the most vulnerable people in our communities can be provided with high quality, compassionate and person-centred care from the right people at the right time, in the right place.

“We need to recognise and reward the adult social care workforce to ensure this essential care and support is provided.

“There is evidence that providing proper training and further development opportunities can help to improve recruitment and retention issues for employers.”

For more information on the training that FRT can provide, please call them today on freephone 0800 310 2300 or send an e-mail to info@firstresponsetraining.com.

Skills for Care launch Day of Remembrance and Reflection

Skills for Care have joined with 20 other social care bodies in England to launch the new Social Care Day of Remembrance and Reflection.

Supported by the Department of Health and Social Care and the Minister of State for Social Care, Helen Whately, the memorial day will honour the work of the adult social care workforce throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and remember those who sadly lost their lives.

The first Social Care Day of Remembrance and Reflection will be held in March 2022.

Twenty-one organisations came together to launch the memorial day after the adult social care workforce experienced a particularly challenging 18 months.

It is intended to honour the tireless work and huge sacrifices made by social care workers during the pandemic as well as to remember the estimated 922 staff members who tragically lost their lives to Covid-19 between March 2020 and May 2021.

Tributes to remember care workers

Tributes to care workers can be shared on The Care Workers’ Charity website, where they have launched a dedicated Memorial Wall and Thank You Wall.

Care providers, care workers and those who use care and support services are also encouraged to honour the day through other activities, such as by planting a tree in honour of a lost care worker, holding a minute’s silence or creating a piece of art.

The CEO of Skills for Care, Oonagh Smith, said the workforce development charity was “delighted” to launch the Social Care Day of Remembrance and Reflection, which would thank social care workers for their crucial care and support.

She added:

“As we lead up to the day itself in March, we encourage those who work in social care, those who draw on care and support, and all members of the public to share their tributes to those people in the social care workforce who have had a positive impact on their lives and communities, through our online Memorial Wall and Thank You Wall.

“We look forward to marking the day in March – a day which is sure to be one of mixed emotions as we reflect on the vital contribution of the social care workforce during the pandemic and at all times, and we encourage as many people as possible to join in and ‘Remember Social Care’ on this day.”

Meanwhile, Helen Whately, Minister for Care, spoke of the “bravery of the social care workforce.”

She said:

“Our hearts go out to the families, friends and colleagues who have sadly lost loved ones and we will take this time to honour and remember them.

“We have worked to protect health and social care staff throughout the pandemic and we will continue to support them and their families in any way we can.”

Supporting adult social care through training

First Response Training (FRT) is a leading, national training provider.

They deliver over 7,000 courses each year in the fields of health and safety, first aid, fire safety, food hygiene, mental health, health and social care and other special focus topics.

Their diverse portfolio includes training awards designed for health and social organisations, such as Infection Control and Prevention, Safeguarding Adults, Duty of Care, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Understanding Mental Health and many others.

First Response Training are a Skills for Care Endorsed Learning Provider for the delivery of classroom, e-learning and webinar training to the social care workforce.

As an Endorsed Provider, FRT have also recently been awarded grant funding to provide free Covid-19 Essential Training for adult social care workers, including Rapid Induction training for new starters, Refresher Training Programmes for existing staff and an exclusive Volunteer Training Programme for all volunteers in the sector.

A trainer from FRT explains:

“We know first-hand from the many organisations we work with that the social care workforce are hard-working and dedicated to providing high quality, safe and compassionate care for those they support. They have been through an incredibly challenging time and wholeheartedly deserve this recognition and thanks.”

For more information on the training that FRT can provide, please call them today on freephone 0800 310 2300 or send an e-mail to info@firstresponsetraining.com.