Agenda item

Briefing Note of the Chief People Officer, NHS Coventry & Warwickshire ICB

The Board considered a report and presentation of the Chief People Officer and the Head of Strategic Education and Skills at Coventry and Warwickshire ICB regarding an update on the work in progress and the work planned on the future skills in health and social care.

Since 2022, providers across Coventry & Warwickshire Integrated Care System (ICS), had collaborated to focus on adult nursing recruitment and retention through a project called Project 1000 (P1K).  Through the P1K project, recruitment processes had been overhauled for newly qualified nurses to improve the recruitment experience and to remove blockers for candidates applying for roles. Flexible rostering and legacy mentors had also been introduced as part of the project to improve the experience colleagues faced.

As a result, adult nursing vacancies had been reduced from 13.7% at the end of 22/23 to 8.8% in July 2024 and nursing leavers had reduced from 9.1% in March 2023 to 8.2% in July 2024.

The Future Skills Board had been established to take a strategic approach to ensuring Coventry & Warwickshire could grow its health and care workforce of the future in sufficient numbers and with the right skills to provide services that met the needs of the population.

The recruitment and retention of health and social care support workers would link into the ICB’s health and social care employability academy programme, where the vision was to create meaningful and accessible education, employment and training opportunities to ensure diversity and inclusion for care leavers, people with disabilities, people with refugee status and disadvantaged people across the Coventry & Warwickshire ICS.

A reduction in the number of applications to undergraduate programmes had been seen and the C&W ICS had partnered with Coventry University on a successful bid from Office Student Funding to support an increase in level 6 apprenticeships.

This funding would enable the creation of an infrastructure to support the expansion of apprenticeship programmes across Health and Social Care.

The Cabinet Member for Adult Services, Councillor L Bigham, commended the update, highlighting the constant changing needs in circumstances and the importance of carers not being disadvantaged.

The Cabinet Member for Public Health, Sport and Wellbeing, Councillor K Caan, recognised the importance of the work of carers who were ‘everyday heros’ referring to enforcing prevention so carers could grow their skills and benefit their families whilst also looking after their own health and wellbeing.

Councillor K Caan declared an interest in this item of business as Deputy Chair of the Integrated Care Partnership (ICP).

Members of the Scrutiny Board, having considered the content of the report and presentation, asked questions and received information from officers on the following matters:

• A pilot was underway with Coventry College looking at upskilling support workers so that they felt invested.  The NHS supported clinical educators in social care so the ICB was piloting 3 clinical educators in order to make a positive impact.
• In order to remain competitive with other industries, the ICB focused on staff experience, how to improve culture within the organisation, health and wellbeing, upskilling the workforce in technology, with the ambition to retain those technically skilled against other competitive industries, and career pathways.
• Retention and leaving rates were average within the West Midlands.
• The Employability Academy supported diversity and inclusion across Coventry and Warwickshire in education and employment was helping to fill the gaps in the workforce.  Students moved through the academy on a career pathway and into an entry level carer role.  Apprenticeships were used to grow the existing workforce.
• Health and social care roles were on the skills shortage list and therefore were not impacted by visas.  Health and social care were able to offer sponsorships for international recruitment.
• Barriers to recruitment eg. complex application processes; were being addressed by attendance at jobs fairs and linking with government departments to bring people back into work. Work was ongoing to make the Employability Academy sustainable.  Roles were currently advertised on the ‘Your Route to Nursing’ website. Programmes to support disadvantaged groups into employment were running and these were looking to expand further.  Funding was in place to work with the employability academy until March 2026.
• Work was ongoing with Councils and schools regarding the promotion of careers within health and social care through schools and the curriculum.
• Improved promotion required for apprenticeships which could be taken up to Masters level and open to individuals of any age.
• In Adult Social Care there was a clear pathway for progress from a role with caring responsibilities into other roles.
• Bank or agency staff did not have access to the same development opportunities as permanent members of staff.  Agency spend had been driven down however, health and social care was heavily reliant on bank staff.

The Board requested:

·  Officers liaise with veterans (specifically armed forces breakfast clubs) offering opportunities available within the Health Sector.

RESOLVED that the Health and Social Care Scrutiny Board (5):

1)  Note the progress and future plans.

2)  The Cabinet Member for Education and Skills and the Cabinet Member for Jobs, Regeneration and Climate Change consider the following feedback and consider the barriers to recruitment within the health sector and how these can be addressed in Coventry:

a.  Cabinet Member for Education and Skills

  i.  Support for ICB to visit schools/be involved in curriculum setting to influence teachers, parents and children from an early age regarding children’s future career paths within health.

b.  Cabinet Member for Jobs, Regeneration and Climate Change

ii.  Promotion of Apprenticeships within the Health Sector and highlight and communicate that apprenticeships can be undertaken up to master’s degree level and open to all ages.