WF 18

Ymchwiliad i gynaliadwyedd y gweithlu iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol

Inquiry into the sustainability of the health and social care workforce

Ymateb gan: Bwrdd Iechyd Prifysgol Hywel Dda

Response from: Hywel Dda University Health Board

Do we have an accurate picture of the current health and care workforce? Are there any data gaps?

 The UHB has a detailed analysis by profession of the workforce risks and sustainability which sits within the Workforce Plan in the IMTP submitted to WG this year. There are particular challenges associated with primary/community care clinical workforce ,  the age profile, national recruitment issues for G.P’s across the UK. The same applies to registered nurses across both acute and community services and the UHB has been leading the way in the development  of the HCSW role and its value in supporting patient outcomes within integrated community teams.

Whilst the NHS workforce analysis is detailed the knowledge of the social care workforce challenges are broadly understood and we  have developed strong integrated working to be in a position prospectively to reflect the sustainability across community and social care workforce within fully integrated workforce plans which is piloted currently.

Is there a clear understanding of the Welsh Government’s vision for health and care services and the workforce needed to deliver this?

The UHB IMTP reflects the strategic plan for integrated community services and the likely workforce model. The detail has yet to be mapped, however there are likely to more integrated HCSW roles across services and professions to make best use of the workforce skills across sectors.

How well-equipped is the workforce to meet future health and care needs?

The UHB has a wide range of development programmes for registered and un registered professions with well defined career pathways some examples include:

· HCSW development from band 2-4 then able to access RGN training

· Apprenticeship programmes

· Post registration modules to develop specific skills to support clinical practice within community services

What are the factors that influence recruitment and retention of staff across Wales? This might include for example:

the opportunities for young people to find out about/experience the range of NHS and social care careers;

education and training (commissioning and/or delivery);

pay and terms of employment/contract;

Whether there are there particular issues in some geographic areas, rural or urban areas, or areas of deprivation for

example.

The Health Board continues to work towards being the Employer of Choice not only within the local community, but also to retain existing staff, therefore reducing turnover for non retirement related reasons and in doing so attracting a highly skilled workforce to join the organisation from across the UK.  To achieve this there are a range of initiatives currently in place as well as new work to strengthen our position.  This includes staff benefits, health and well-being support and thank you events.  We are supporting our staff with education and development including leadership development programmes for our medical staff and a consultant mentoring scheme.

Good staff health, well-being and sustainable engagement is proven to impact on organisational performance and  is therefore vital for ensuring that the Health Board can meet the challenges of delivering comprehensive and consistent high-quality patient care, continuing to improve services within resource and financial restraints, reinforcing and supporting public health promotion and prevention initiatives, attracting and retaining staff.

Recognising the importance of retaining current staff and undertaking effective succession planning is key to sustaining our workforce.

Some actions underway currently include: 

· continue work to publicise good practice and raise the profile of HB using social media and clinical networks to reflect best practices /service developments

· establishing a mechanism to follow up all staff appointed a year after induction to get feedback on their experience over their 12 months in the HB to inform local induction, culture, development opportunities etc

· Actively inviting experienced staff to retire and return as appropriate to support key work , where identified e.g. supporting mentorship of new starters

· Maintain and actively seek to expand staff benefits available to staff

· Develop staff to access career pathways

· Actively support CPD for all professionals

· Encourage innovation and encourage staff to contribute to development of teams and services

The rural The Health Board continues to work towards being the Employer of Choice not only within the local community, but also to retain existing staff, therefore reducing turnover for non retirement related reasons and in doing so attracting a highly skilled workforce to join the organisation from across the UK.  To achieve this there are a range of initiatives currently in place as well as new work to strengthen our position.  This includes staff benefits, health and well-being support and thank you events.  We are supporting our staff with education and development including leadership development programmes for our medical staff and a consultant mentoring scheme.

Good staff health, well-being and sustainable engagement is proven to impact on organisational performance and  is therefore vital for ensuring that the Health Board can meet the challenges of delivering comprehensive and consistent high-quality patient care, continuing to improve services within resource and financial restraints, reinforcing and supporting public health promotion and prevention initiatives, attracting and retaining staff.

Recognising the importance of retaining current staff and undertaking effective succession planning is key to sustaining our workforce. Some of the current work streams include:

· Continuing to work to publicise good practice and raise the profile of HB using social media and clinical networks to reflect best practices /service developments

· establishing a mechanism to follow up all staff appointed a year after induction to get feedback on their experience over their 12 months in the HB to inform local induction, culture, development opportunities etc

· Actively inviting experienced staff to retire and return as appropriate to support key work , where identified e.g. supporting mentorship of new starters

· Maintaining  and actively seeking to expand staff benefits available to staff

· Developing staff to access career pathways

· Actively supporting CPD for all professionals

· Encouraging innovation and encourage staff to contribute to development of teams and services

The rurality of the UHB and geographic spread of the services  does have an impact upon our recruitment  as a UHB  and our recruitment campaigns have focussed upon highlighting the benefits of working within  rural healthcare and the associated lifestyle benefits.