In this article, we hear from Skills for Care on how the ‘Workforce Strategy for Adult Social Care’ is supporting increased innovation within our sector, leading to higher quality care, new job roles and better working conditions.
On 18 July 2024, the ‘Workforce Strategy for Adult Social Care’ was launched. The Strategy represents the combined efforts of many people and organisations across England.
The Strategy sets out a path for the progression of the adult social care sector, making recommendations to ensure it can support the demand for adult social care services and lead to better working conditions for those working within it. It focuses on three key areas:
- Attract and retain
- Train
- Transform
To achieve improvements across these areas, the Strategy makes recommendations and outlines its justifications using the most recent adult social care data. Many of these recommendations relate to how we can continue to grow the sector through the use of innovative models of care, research, technology and job roles.
Artificial intelligence (AI), tech and data all play a big part in the Strategy’s vision for the future. These areas are recognised as crucial in the shift towards more modern working spaces and better forms of care. Investment in care technology is highlighted as an important step towards increased productivity for those working in care, while better digital systems could allow for increased integration between health and social care services, leading to better care outcomes.
In addition to new technology, digital skills are an important part of building a workforce that’s capable of embracing technological innovations. The Strategy recommends expanding our existing provision for digital skills training to address the current skills gap that exists within the sector, in addition to proposing a new job role specifically geared towards care technology.
Taking inspiration from a pilot programme operated by Scottish Care, the Strategy calls for a nationwide pilot of the ‘care technologist’ job role, dedicated specifically to improving care by recommending and deploying care technology for people drawing on care and support, alongside creating digital care plans. The concluding report[i] for Scottish Care’s pilot programme demonstrated ‘significant social value’ to those it reached. Not only will this make people’s lives better but may open up a pathway into a more tech focused career for care staff and attract skills from other sectors.
The Strategy also makes recommendations for an increased budget to be made available for research activities. Health research investment sits in the billions of pounds per year, whereas social care receives just a fraction of this. To the adult social care sector, increased research is valuable tool for developing more innovative approaches to care and offers demonstrable benefits in terms of care outcomes.
The Strategy recommends that Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) should evaluate current research paths to ensure their suitability and that adult social care be prioritised by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). It also calls for a clear national strategy and infrastructure to support research initiatives which includes participation by the government, research bodies and integrated care systems.
With the successful launch of the ‘Workforce Strategy for Adult Social Care’, we’re delighted with the response that we’ve seen both within the sector and externally. In terms of pushing forward innovation, we’re hopeful that the Strategy encourages a great deal of optimism as it paves the way for improvements to the lives of those being supported.
Find out more about the ‘Workforce Strategy for Adult Social Care’ by reading the complete Strategy[ii] or by checking out campaign hub[iii].
[i] scottishcare.org/the-care-technologist-project/
[ii] skillsforcare.org.uk/Workforce-Strategy/resources/Supporting-resources/A-Workforce-Strategy-for-Adult-Social-Care-in-England.pdf
[iii] skillsforcare.org.uk/DrivingChangeInSocialCare
@skillsforcare
skillsforcare.org.uk
