Sector Skills Insights: Health and Social Care

Introduction

The UK Commission is working to transform the UK’s approach to investing in skills to help secure jobs and growth. Key to our ambition is the need to encourage greater employer ownership of skills, working to secure long term sustainable partnerships.

This slide pack and accompanying evidence report present the case for more employers in this sector to invest in the skills of their people. It does so by presenting real-life, skill-based business solutions that have been used by leading employers to tackle the performance challenges they face and by drawing on examples of the investments being made by the UK Commission through its investment funds.

There are several determinants of employers’ skills needs and training behaviour including firm size, strategy and location but it is by sector which the strongest variations appear. Hence this work focuses on the Health & Social Care sector. Slide packs and reports are also available for a number of other sectors from: http://www.ukces.org.uk/ourwork/sector-skills-insights. Each of the sectors are important to the economy in terms of employment, productivity or their future potential.

For information about this slide pack and accompanying report please contact:

Rebecca Jones, rebecca.jones@ukces.org.uk

Source information can be found in the notes section of each slide

Storyboard

What key skills challenges are being faced in

Health and Social Care?

Performance challenge (1)

doing more with less

Performance challenge (4) management

capability

The importance of Health and Social Care sector today

Performance challenge (2)

attracting talented individuals

Tackling these performance challenges:

Growth through skills

Imagine where the sector could

be tomorrow

Performance challenge (3)

key skills shortages

Benefits to organisations

What services do the Health and Social care sector offer?

Hospital activities

and nursing homes

Residential care

Child day care

Dental practice

s

GP practice

s

Social work

activities

Specialist practices

What key skills challenges are being faced overall?

Doing more with lessThe NHS in particular is facing major restructuring including significant reductions in management and administrative costs and further efficiency savings are planned across all UK nations. Reduction in public spending is likely to result in significant cost pressures for the Health and Social care sector.

Research has demonstrated that management skills are correlated with financial performance and better patient outcomes.

Attracting and retaining the necessary talent An ageing population, and an ageing workforce produce a combination of increasing demand for services coupled with high rates of retirement of existing employees.

Almost 1.7 million job openings are expected across health and social care by 2020 (both new

demand and the replacement of retiring staff). This includes 881,000 job openings for managers, professionals and associate professionals (160, 000 new job openings).

Some parts of the social care sub-sector have high staff turnover and vacancy rates.

Reducing skills gaps among the existing workforce A lack of proficiency has been reported in the areas of strategic management, team-working andcommunication skills. Skills gaps can typically make it harder for organisations to meet quality standards, increase the workload of other staff and create additional operational costs. At the same time, new technology is expected to have wide ranging impact across the sector with assistive

technologies shifting the delivery of care towards the home and local providers. Technology will increase

demand for high level skills, with potentially negative consequences for the skills gaps in the sector.

Health and social care matter: where the sector is today

6

• Growth in output in the sector is projected to increase by 2.4% a year to 2020. When taking qualitative measures into account, productivity has increased over the last decade

• Employment in health is dominated by the NHS (over 75%), whereas 47% of employment in adult social care is in the private sector

• There is strong female participation in the sector (79%) and high rates of part-time working (40%), compared to an all-economy average of 47% and 28% respectively.

• The influence of health & social care extends beyond the sector: it provides a large market for UK life sciences industry and other industrial supply chains.

• However, the health and social care sectors have relatively low rates of innovation and investment compared to other sectors.

• The health and social care sector is fundamental to the success of the economy as a major employer employing almost 4 million people.

• Data suggests approximately 1/3 of health and social care employees work within small organisations (under 25 employees) and 1/3 work in large organisations (500 or more employees).

• The importance of health and social care lies in its contribution to all other aspects of the economy: a healthy population is more productive, and more economically active.  

• The health workforce is much better qualified than average. Almost a third work in professional occupations compared with a fifth in the labour market as a whole.

• Exporting innovative ideas and expertise, provides business opportunities for UK-based companies.

Health and social care: imagine where we want to be tomorrow

•T

he sector offers w

orld-leading standards of care and public health supporting the w

ell-being and econom

ic activity of the population, so supporting the perform

ance of other sectors

•W

orld-class m

anagers drive continuous im

provement

and maxim

ise the contribution of em

ployees to deliver service excellence

•S

ervices are delivered in an efficient w

ay that m

aximise

value for m

oney

•T

he UK

leads the w

orld in term

s of efficiency and innovation in the delivery of H

ealth and S

ocial Care

services

•T

he sector attracts the most talented individuals for

both training and practice

•T

he sector recognises talent as a source of com

petitive advantage

•F

irms and individuals invest optim

ally in their skills

•E

mployers collaborate on, lead and ow

n skills solutions to the sector’s perform

ance challenges in pursuit of m

utual gain

The sector tomorrow: increasing demand for skills in Health and Social Care

•E

mp

loym

ent o

verall is pro

jected to

gro

w by 1.3

per cent (social care +4.9%

, health -1.3%)

between 2010 and 2020 (below

all sector average of 5.1 per cent). H

owever, the expansion and

retraction for different occupations reveals a more

challenging picture.

•T

he majo

rity of em

plo

ymen

t gro

wth

is p

rojected

amo

ng

hig

hly skilled

occu

patio

ns

(9% across m

anagers, directors and senior officials, professional occupations, associate professional and technical) but this is low

er than across all sectors (16%

), therefore competition for

skills is likely to be high.

•E

mploym

ent among positions u

sing

hig

her level

qu

alification

s (first degree level and above) is projected to increase from

28% in health, 26%

in care in 2010 to 39%

for both sectors in 2020. At

both time points this is higher than the all sector

average, 24% in 2020 to 32%

in 2020 across all sectors

•N

ew jo

b o

pen

ing

s due to retirement and

employm

ent growth is significant: 485,000 jobs in

professional and 570,000 jobs in caring, leisure and other services occupations by 2020

•E

mploym

ent is also expected to increase among

caring, leisure and other services occupations particularly in S

ocial Care (12%

for Social C

are, but 9%

for Health w

hich is on a par with the all

sector average)

•P

ositions are expected to decrease among

administrative and secretarial (31%

) and skilled trade occupations (33%

), much m

ore so than across all sectors (11%

and 7% respectively).

The sector tomorrow: doing more with less

Doing more...• The UK population is growing and ageing which is likely to lead to a 20% increase in

demand for residential care, home care, day centres and meals per decade.

• The number of children referred to Social Services is rising in England (613K referrals year ending March 2011, 608K in 2010, 547K in 2009, 539K in 2008)

• Obesity is steadily increasing across the UK, associated with an extra 7 million cases of diabetes, 6.5 million cases of heart disease and stroke, and between 492,000 and 669,000 additional cases of cancer by 2030.

• Alcohol-related hospital admissions is rising as is the incidence of binge drinking

With less...• Targets of 5% in efficiency savings have been announced across the NHS, requiring

annual savings worth £20 billion by 2014/15.

• The NHS is facing major restructuring (Health and Social Care Act 2012) including a challenge to reduce bureaucracy, and reduce the resulting management and administrative costs.    

• The pay freeze means salaries are under pressure, in the health sector especially: “the pressure to pay more in real terms will be immense; by 2012-13 GPs will have had their pay frozen for four years, consultants for three and everyone else for two years.” (John Appleby of the King's Fund)

9

The performance challenge Quality of management capability

Ma

na

ge

me

nt p

ractice

in h

osp

itals a

re stro

ng

ly rela

ted

to

qu

ality

of p

atie

nt c

are

an

d b

ette

r pro

du

ctiv

ity. Im

pro

ve

d

ma

na

ge

me

nt p

rac

tice

s a

re a

ss

oc

iate

d w

ith:

•S

ign

ifican

tly low

er m

orta

lity ra

tes

•B

ette

r fina

nc

ial p

erfo

rma

nc

e

•Q

ua

lity pa

tien

t ca

reT

he

re is a

ge

ne

ral p

erce

ptio

n o

f po

or m

an

ag

em

en

t skills in th

e

H&

SC

secto

r, ho

we

ver re

sea

rch* h

as sh

ow

n th

at th

e U

K

de

live

rs s

tron

g h

os

pita

l-ma

na

ge

me

nt p

rac

tice

s re

lative

to

he

alth

exp

en

ditu

re. T

ha

t said

, va

riatio

n in

the

qu

ality

of

ma

na

ge

me

nt a

nd

ou

tcom

es is e

vide

nt; in

tha

t, be

tter

ma

na

ge

me

nt sco

res ca

n b

e fo

un

d a

mo

ng

:•

Ho

spita

ls with

clinica

lly qu

alifie

d m

an

ag

ers a

ssocia

ted

with

be

tter

ma

na

ge

me

nt sco

res.

•H

igh

er-sco

ring

ho

spita

ls give

ma

na

ge

rs hig

he

r leve

ls of a

uto

no

my

•L

arg

er h

osp

itals a

re b

ette

r ma

na

ge

d.

•P

rivate

ho

spita

ls (inclu

din

g n

ot-fo

r-pro

fits) ach

ieve

hig

he

r ma

na

ge

me

nt

score

s tha

n p

ub

lic ho

spita

ls.

Ac

ros

s b

oth

se

cto

rs th

e s

kills

lev

els

an

d tra

inin

g o

f s

en

ior s

taff a

re s

tron

g:

•B

oth

secto

rs fare

very w

ell w

he

n co

mp

are

d to

the

all se

ctor

ave

rag

e fo

r Ma

na

ge

rs an

d p

rofe

ssion

al w

itho

ut L

4 o

r ab

ove

q

ua

lificatio

n (H

ea

lth 1

5%

, Ca

re 3

0%

, all se

ctor a

vera

ge

3

9%

)

•E

qu

ally, e

mp

loye

es re

ceivin

g tra

inin

g a

t Ma

na

ge

r, Dire

ctor

an

d se

nio

r Officia

l Occu

pa

tion

s is we

ll ab

ove

the

all se

ctor

ave

rag

e o

f 45

%. (H

ea

lth 6

1%

, Ca

re 6

0%

)B

ut, w

hile

on

the

wh

ole

skills sho

rtag

e va

can

cies a

re lo

we

r th

an

the

UK

ave

rag

e, th

e o

ccurre

nce

of s

kills

sh

orta

ge

v

ac

an

cie

s a

s %

of a

ll va

ca

nc

ies

is c

on

ce

ntra

ted

in th

e

ma

na

ge

rial a

nd

pro

fes

sio

na

l oc

cu

pa

tion

s (fo

r he

alth

, 42

%

of a

ll vaca

ncie

s for m

an

ag

ers a

re S

SV

’s, an

d in

care

this is

24

%)

.

A key outcome of the Health & Social Care Act is a reduction in bureaucracy and a consequent reduction in management and administrative costs. The challenge to do more with less means

what is good now will need to be better.

The performance challenge Quality of management capability

Looking ahead at demand for management skills: • Small growth is expected in the workforce in health and care sectors between 2010-2020.

However, the share of the workforce made up from the top three occupation levels plus caring occupations is expected to grow while others are expected to retract.

• Demand for skills at level from degree level to doctorate level is expected to increase during 2010-2020 across all sectors including health and care

– But, demand for higher degree and doctorate level in expected to increase above the level for all sectors. In 2010 the share of employment at QCF 7-8 is around 9-10% for health and social care, in line with the all sector average. By 2020 this is expected to increase to just over 15% for health and social care and just under 15% for all sectors

• Meanwhile, the demand from other sectors for skills at the top three occupational levels is also set to increase, competition to attract these skills will be high which increase the need to nurture and promote from within the sector.

Meanwhile, if we look at High Performance Working in the sectors the role of good management is important in enabling the execution of the four indicators used to measure HPW. Here both health and social care have variable strengths and some weaknesses in relation to the sector average

– Identifying talent is a strength for both sectors ( 20% health, 28% care and 214% all sectors) – For both variety in work and discretion in tasks, health is lower than the all sector average

(variety - 51% health, 59% care and 55% UK) (discretion – 42% health, 53% care and 52% UK)– Flexible working is lower for both sector than the all sector average (27% health, care and UK)

The increased demand for higher levels across the economy will mean increased competition to attract talent and nurture these skills. Key outcomes of HPW are effective skills utilisation and

progression – this could help to nurture talent and meet future the demand for higher level skills from growth and replacement demand.

12

The problem

MacIntyre found that managers in the Care sector were often lacking key management and leadership skills and also lacking confidence in the role.

The approach

The National Skills Academy for Social Care developed the Leader’s programme, designed for those working or leading to develop the language and values of leadership and peer learning. The course helped first-line managers respond to high rates of attrition (40% in first year, 60% in the second year).

The benefits

The programme helped managers better manage their role and gave them the confidence to cope effectively with the tougher, more personal aspects of the role.

Feedback from attendees has been very positive generating high levels of enthusiasm, helping participants learn and think about themselves and their roles differently.

Case study - Front-line leaders programme

The performance challenge Key skills shortages

•In the

Health sector, the

over-whe

lming

resp

onse from

employers in regard

to skills requirem

ents was for

greater le

vels of job

spec

ific skills (77%

of health

employers identified this as a need com

pared to 54% in

Care and 66%

across all sectors)

•In S

ocial Care sector, em

ployer skills requirem

ents were

hig

he

st for jo

b sp

ecific skills. In addition to this em

ployers reported similar levels o

f needs across:

plan

nin

g skills, co

mm

un

ication

skills (writte

n and oral), cu

stom

er han

dlin

g, ability to

wo

rk in te

ams and

p

rob

lem so

lving

(all at higher levels than the all sector averag

e for the skill type)

•D

espite g

enerally high proportions of w

ell qualified staff overall (61

% qualified to N

QF

Level 4 and above, com

pared to 36% in w

hole econom

y) there a

re still sig

nifican

t po

ckets o

f low

qu

alified em

plo

yees (e.g. 16%

of employees in the

sector have either no qua

lification, or are educated to NQ

F Level 1 or

equiva

lent compared

to a 19% econo

my average).

•D

espite h

igh instance

s of formal and

inform

al training in

both sectors

•In the

Health sector, em

plo

yees in

skilled

pro

cess, p

lant an

d m

achin

e op

erative roles w

ere the only occup

ational category less like

ly to

exp

erience

trainin

g th

an th

e sector av

erage

•W

hereas in the Care

sector, emp

loye

es receivin

g

trainin

g w

as low

er than

the all sec

tor averag

e for professional occupations, asso

ciate pro

fessional and

custome

r service occupations

•A

cross the three

main im

plications of skills

gap

s em

ployers in both health and care report simila

r experie

nce of these im

plica

tions as fo

r all firm

s

•Increased w

orklo

ad fo

r othe

r staff (82 per cent for

both health and care, 78%

across all sectors),

increased o

peratin

g co

sts (40% h

ealth, 33%

care, 45%

all sectors), and d

ifficulty in mee

ting q

uality

stand

ards (39%

health 38%

care and 40% all

sectors)

•H

owe

ver, a particu

lar issue for health and

care em

ployers is difficulties intro

du

cing

new

wo

rking

p

ractic

es (44% h

ealth and 48% care com

pared to 38%

of all firms).

The health of the workforce skills and experience of training is variable across occupations. The repercussions are felt more widely. In health and social care, new working practices and their consistent adoption are a fundamental to effective delivery. Investment in skills is key.

Case study – Creating new roles to reduce emergency hospital admissions

Th

e pro

blem

Over 75%

of 999 calls to the ambulance service result

in admission to an em

ergency department. T

his is resource-intensive and creates traum

a for patients. S

kills for Health developed a com

petency framew

ork for em

ergency, urgent and unscheduled care to devise

a new role and learning program

me for E

mergency

Care P

ractitioners (EC

Ps)

Th

e app

roach

EC

Ps are up-skilled to assess and treat patients at the

scene, provide clinical support and advice, support prim

ary care staff in home visits or out of hours cover

and work in m

inor injury units.

Th

e ben

efits

EC

Ps have reduced em

ergency admissions: alm

ost a third of

patients avoided transfer to an emergency departm

ent w

hen treated by an EC

P at the scene. A

lmost a half of

elderly patients suffering a fall and seen by an EC

P did

not need to be admitted.

Patient satisfaction is higher; as generally patients

prefer to be treated close to or in their own hom

es. The

new com

petency framew

ork provides staff with the

opportunity to develop and progress.

.

ECP attendance costs less than sending an ambulance in response

to a 999 call.

The performance challenge Attracting talented individuals

In H

ea

lth•

Ho

we

ver, th

ere

is a co

nce

ntra

tion

of S

kills Sh

orta

ge

V

aca

ncie

s rep

orte

d a

mo

ng

pro

fes

sio

na

l oc

cu

pa

tion

s

in H

ea

lth (4

7%

com

pa

red

to 1

6%

for S

ocia

l Ca

re a

nd

1

8%

acro

ss the

eco

no

my).

•T

he

re a

re skills sh

orta

ge

s rep

orte

d a

mo

ng

P

ha

rma

cis

ts, D

en

tal P

rac

tition

ers

, Sp

ec

ialis

t nu

rse

s

oc

cu

pa

tion

s a

nd

in o

the

r ph

ysiolo

gica

l scien

ces a

nd

re

spira

tory p

hysio

log

y secto

rs.•

Th

e sh

are

of skills g

ap

s by o

ccup

atio

n in

he

alth

is h

igh

er fo

r pro

fessio

na

ls 8%

com

pa

red

to 4

% fo

r bo

th

care

an

d th

e a

ll secto

r ave

rag

e)

Re

lian

ce o

n in

tern

atio

na

l recru

itme

nt is le

ssen

ing

, h

ow

eve

r em

plo

yers n

ee

d to

thin

k ab

ou

t alte

rna

tive

re

cru

itme

nt c

ha

nn

els

.In

Ca

re•

Th

ere

are

pa

rticula

r Skills S

ho

rtag

e V

aca

ncie

s in

pe

rson

al se

rvice o

ccup

atio

ns in

Ca

re, o

f all th

e skills

sho

rtag

e va

can

cies in

care

52

% a

re in

the

carin

g

occu

pa

tion

s (com

pa

red

to 2

9%

for h

ea

lth) a

nd

11%

a

cross th

e e

con

om

y. •

Skills g

ap

s** are

also

hig

he

r tha

n a

vera

ge

in skille

d

trad

es (8

% co

mp

are

d to

4%

in ca

re a

nd

5%

all se

ctor

ave

rag

e) a

nd

carin

g o

ccup

atio

ns (6

% ve

rsus 4

% fo

r h

ea

lth a

nd

5%

eco

no

my a

vera

ge

).•

So

cial ca

re a

lso h

as a

hig

h sta

ff turn

ove

r rate

, of 1

8%

in

the

priva

te se

ctor, a

nd

11%

am

on

g lo

cal a

uth

oritie

s).

En

ha

ncin

g th

e a

ttractive

ne

ss of jo

bs fo

r ne

w re

cruits

imp

rove

s em

plo

yer’s a

bility to

recru

it an

d re

tain

tale

nte

d

ind

ividu

als.

* Skills shortage vacancies are hard to fill vacancies caused by a lack of applicants w

ith the skills, qualifications or experience needed

** Skills gaps are a lack of full proficiency am

ongst existing staff ie not able to do the job to the required level

The share of all vacancies which are Skills Shortage Vacancies* are lower in Health (12%) and in Care (9%) compared to the (16%) average across all sectors, but on closer inspection the need

to attract talent for specific occupations becomes apparent.

16

The Problem

As a healthcare recruitment company, specialising in recruiting and supplying care assistants, support workers and nurses, Caledonia Healthcare Limited wanted to attract, recruit, retain and motivate high calibre professionals and saw Investors in People (IiP) as a fundamental part of becoming an employer of choice and leveraging human capital.

The Approach

IiP helped Caledonia Healthcare understand what made their people happy through implementing a staff consultation process. The results revealed innovative solutions for business planning and new ways for senior managers to communicate with staff.

The benefits

In using a consistent approach to staff development, the firm experienced higher levels of staff engagement and retention. Gaining and retaining IiP has provided Caledonia Healthcare with a powerful way of demonstrating that they are a great company to work for – more people want to work for the organisation and more clients have provided positive feedback on the service they have received.

Case study - Caledonia Healthcare: Improving recruitment and retention

Case study- A new foundation degree to improve recruitment and retention

Th

e pro

blem

A rising elderly popula

tion led to increa

sing p

ressure on

comm

unity nursing services to deliver rou

tine care

such as dietary m

onitoring, su

pport for those with dia

betes, wound

dressing and other ro

utine procedures. A

t the same tim

e, care sta

ff were not q

ualified to carry out these p

rocedures lead

ing to a resourcin

g issue for both time-pressured

comm

unity nurses and care staff w

hose

capabilities w

ere bein

g underutilised. F

or C

arers, lack of suita

ble progression routes m

eant that reten

tion

was low

.

Th

e app

roach

A partnership betw

een Skills for H

ealth, Found

ation Degree

Forw

ard,

University C

am

pus S

uffolk and MO

VE

Lifelong L

earning

Netw

ork devised a new

Foun

dation Deg

ree to en

able care staff to becom

e qua

lified to offer basic care thro

ugh a blend of work-ba

sed

and

theoretical learning. C

redits can be accum

ulated and easily transferred via a structured pathw

ay for career p

rogression.

Th

e ben

efitsC

are homes recru

it and

retain th

e volum

es of staff needed

to mee

t future dem

and, benefitting from

greater efficiency and

reduce

d staff turnover. P

atients w

ould experience

more tim

ely treatm

ent and

greater

continuity of care. T

he w

ider he

alth sector experience

s redu

ced p

ressure for com

mu

nity nurses and through

reduce

d hospita

l adm

issions because of a la

ck of capacity

in care homes to provide

appropria

te care.

Growth through skillsSecuring future success

• Across the sector, raising skills is key to raising performance, but while there is no silver bullet, a mix of actions which push and pull in the same direction can help.

• Employer leadership in the development of solutions and then taking ownership of those solutions is fundamental to their success and sustainability.

Sources of investment are available to support the implementation of solutions led by business on behalf of the sector.

• The Employer Ownership pilots offers employers in England direct access to up to £250 million of public investment over the next two years to design and deliver their own training solutions.

• The Growth and Innovation Fund (£9 million invested so far, £29 million to invest in 2012-13) gives priority to solutions for the sector e.g.:• Employer commitment and investment in Apprenticeships• Creation of employer networks to overcome skill problems• Employer-backed proposals for other skills solutions such as: management and leadership;

professional standards; high performance work practices incorporating people development (e.g. Investors in People).

• Information and business advice is also important as a solution.

Ultimately this is trying to catalyse sustained investment in the development of the sector’s workforce led by employers which lies at the heart of an enterprising and dynamic nation.

Growth through skillsSecuring future success

Strong links between employers and colleges and universities have been cemented through the National Skills Academies.

The National Skills Academy for Social Care offers leadership training to:• Recent graduates through a National Management Trainee Scheme which seeks to

attract people into the sector and develop future leaders.• Front-line leaders which focuses on how the values and behaviours of leadership at the

front line are crucial to excellent care delivery.• Senior managers of the future An Aspiring Leaders programme focuses on leadership

within the commercial reality of day-to-day operations.• New Directors working with the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services

(ADASS) to run a programme to support senior managers when they’re newly promoted to lead local authority adult social services.

The social care academy also aims to raise the quality of provision by offering quality marks for organisations and individuals through awarding:• Centres of Excellence: who demonstrate exemplary commitment to meeting the needs

of learners, compliance with the social model of care, and understanding and measuring impact of provision on lives of service users.

• Recognised Providers: who demonstrate a professional approach to education and training in adult social care.

• Endorsed Practitioners: 'sole-trader' training providers who demonstrate a professional approach to education and training in adult social care.

Growth through skillsSecuring future success

The National Skills Academy for Health seeks to raise skills in the sector by offering:• Specialist Careers Advice and Information• Brokerage for employers matching training providers to need• Learning consultancy• Apprenticeship, Youth and Pre-employment Programmes, including the management of

the Joint Investment Framework• Partnerships with various organisations delivering the 14-19 diplomas, acting on their

behalf, and providing a comprehensive menu of employment engagement activities • Support to organisations on how to maintain standards both occupationally and through

qualification requirements via our Skills for Health approval process• Career development for those supporting learners with language, literacy and numeracy

development needs

Skills for Health are improving the talent pipeline of new entrants into the sector through: • The Skills Passport will provide a framework for statutory and mandatory skills. to

reduce training costs, improve productivity and increase quality of services. With investment from GIF, Skills for Health are offering to implement the framework within 60 organisations

• Skills for Health run a Cadet training programme to help young people start a career in the NHS, whilst continuing to study an academic or vocational qualification, a 14-19 diploma and young apprenticeships.

Growth through skillsSecuring future success

Apprenticeships and Workplace learning – social care

Case study research reports that employers believed that Apprenticeships and WPL, often alongside mandatory training, delivers a number of benefits:

• staff understanding of what care entails and consistency of standards;

• helping to develop staff confidence and capability to deliver a good standard of care;

• investment in training particularly beyond Level 2 offers (personal) development opportunities help to support staff motivation and retention

• when senior posts become vacant, a pool of suitably trained internal candidates for promotion will be ready to take up the opportunity to progress.*

In addition, this study of 8 sectors the net cost of WPL in social care was found to be lower than in many other sectors for both L2 Apprenticeships and L2 NVQ .

Partnerships with employers – Health

• Skills for Health worked with Whittington Hospital NHS Trust to pioneered a competence based leadership programme for front line managers. The benefits included: managers able to deal with issues without dependence on senior support , more proactive and raised confidence and morale.

• NHS Nottingham City and University of Nottingham have developed a ‘competency matrix’ to support staff development for End of Life Care. This has reaped benefits for: patient centred care, multidisciplinary approaches and increased competence and confidence in clinical practice.

Benefits of training to organisations•

Evid

ence

across a

num

ber of sectors

sugg

ests that em

plo

yers w

ho inve

st in

train

ing

are m

ore

likely to s

urviv

e th

an

tho

se wh

o do

n’t .....

–Train

ing

imp

roves o

rgan

isation

al survival

rates. Non-training organisations in the H

ealth sector are 1.2 tim

es more likely to close

compared to training organisations in H

ealth*.

•A

nd, w

hat is m

ore

, the p

rod

uc

tivity

g

ain

s fo

r firms fro

m in

vesting

in tra

ining

are se

en to

be h

igh

er tha

n th

e in

crea

se

in wa

ges exp

erien

ced

by e

mp

loyees

•D

evelo

pmen

t of co

mm

un

icatio

n s

kills

re

sults in

a d

em

on

strable

shift in

staff

beh

avio

urs toward

s pa

tients. S

taff sho

w

grea

ter e

mpa

thy, gre

ate

r resp

onsive

ness

to pa

tient cu

es a

nd b

etter style

of

que

stionin

g. T

he e

vide

nce sh

ows tha

t cha

nge

is susta

ined

over th

e lo

ng te

rm.

•G

oo

d pe

op

le m

an

ag

em

en

t pra

ctice

s

are stron

gly rela

ted to

low

er p

atient

mo

rtality ra

tes. T

he

exten

t an

d sop

histica

tion o

f ap

pra

isal is pa

rticula

rly stro

ng

ly relate

d, b

ut the

re are

links too

w

ith the leve

l of tra

ining

for sta

ff, an

d the

wa

y work is org

anised

, for exa

mp

le the

prop

ortio

n o

f staff w

orkin

g in

tea

ms.

Benefits of training to organisationsIn

the

So

cial C

are

secto

r, be

tter

pe

rform

ing

Ca

re

ho

me

s ha

ve:

•H

igh

er p

rop

ortio

ns o

f staff w

ith

rele

va

nt q

ua

lifica

tion

s

inclu

din

g m

an

ag

eria

l an

d

sup

erviso

ry staff, se

nio

r care

w

orke

rs an

d ca

re w

orke

rs

•G

rea

ter p

rop

ortio

ns o

f wo

rkers

with

hig

he

r lev

el

qu

alific

atio

ns

(inclu

din

g ca

re

wo

rkers a

t leve

l 3 a

nd

m

an

ag

ers w

ith p

rofe

ssion

al

an

d m

an

ag

eria

l qu

alifica

tion

s)

•M

ore

ex

pe

rien

ce

d s

taff o

n

ha

nd

.

Key messagesT

he health and social care is a majo

r sector in

em

plo

ymen

t and

econ

om

ic terms now

and demand

for services is projected to grow over the next decade.

Against a backdrop of fiscal constraint, several

challenges exist which threaten the sector’s

performance:

• attracting talented individuals to the sector

• overcom

ing skills gaps among pockets of low

-qualified em

ployees

• im

proving the quality of managem

ent capability across the sector

Exam

ples exist of where these ch

alleng

es are bein

g

tackled su

ccessfully through em

ployer-led skills solutions. If the sector is to realise its potential, this action m

ust be scaled-up and emp

loyers m

ust p

lay a g

reater role in developing the skills needed by their

respective workforces.

By providing training and skills developm

ent in the context of an em

ployment relationship w

hich recognises the im

portance of career progression, there are benefits to both em

ployer and employee .

Work w

ith employers to tran

sform

the U

K’s ap

pro

ach

to in

vesting

in skills of its people to

secure g

row

th

and

pro

sperity. T

he UK

Com

mission is looking to w

ork w

ith employers to tran

sform

the U

K’s ap

pro

ach to

in

vesting

in th

e skills of its people to secure growth

and prosperity. More inform

ation about the UK

C

omm

ission’s investment funds is available here.