Improvement support programme 2023-24: case studies

How was support identified?

We engaged with councils through the regional ADASS meetings to discuss workforce planning and our workforce modelling and capacity planning tool. Councils were offered support to understand their adult social care workforce data at a place level and to consider the implications of the data for a more collaborative approach to strategic workforce planning. The London borough did not have a workforce strategy, so the ADASS SLI Lead at the time facilitated further discussion with us on the direct support offer.

What was the issue?

Most adult social care (ASC) workforce strategies tend to focus internally on the directly employed workforce, however workforce data indicated that the internal workforce makes up just 9 per cent of the ASC workforce. If we want to deliver high quality of care, this will be limited without investment across the whole workforce. In addition, there are shared challenges across different organisations and that a more collaborative approach could be more effective. The London borough recognised this, so to build capacity and expertise they recruited a strategic workforce lead and engaged with our support offered to facilitate greater collaboration across the borough and engender a shared understanding of challenges.

What support was delivered and who was involved?

A data pack was produced using the workforce modelling and capacity planning tool and providing the London borough with a workforce profile for the current workforce and the projected workforce needed in five years. This provides a place-based view of vacancies, anticipated growth, turnover and the scale of recruitment required each year. Two workshops were held with a range of senior managers for different council-provided services, together with representatives from HR and several care providers. In addition, coaching support has been provided to the strategic lead to support her in producing a more collaborative workforce strategy.

What difference did this make?

The London borough developed a workforce strategy which includes the commissioned workforce, enabling a more collaborative approach to developing the workforce over the next five years. There is buy-in and commitment across the council and with providers to work together to implement this and take a collaborative approach to social care recruitment.

“This is incredibly helpful. I totally agree with all of your reflections, and actually a couple of them we have gone round in circles with already. Thank you so much – the most helpful feedback I have received in a long time. I really appreciate your time reading this document and providing such detailed feedback.” – Strategic Workforce Lead, London Borough Council

…a big thank you – this is the first time I have requested this level of support - and I was really pleased with the outcome.”

Between 1 April 2024 and 30 June 2024, our market sustainability and strategic commissioning webinar series delivered its ‘High-cost placements support’ webinar series. Sessions focused on helping support councils commissioning services in negotiating placements for adult social care. This includes supporting councils to:

• negotiate new places—establishing a solid foundation and ensuring accuracy from the start of placements
• negotiate existing current placements—managing increasing costs and requests for uplifts effectively
• myth busting common issues related to placement negotiation.

The webinar series, encompassing eight individual sessions, saw an overall attendance of 700 people from individual councils and local support systems, achieving a 97 per cent satisfaction rating from attendees.

Everything in the workshop was very useful… The presentation was packed with information.”

Our safeguarding workstream delivered a series of webinars sharing learning from Safeguarding Adults Reviews (SARs), sharing key insights from the review process with attendees. As part of the series, we delivered a webinar on 28 November 2023, providing insights into different areas of discrimination and discriminatory abuse from a safeguarding adults’ perspective. Areas of focus for this session included:

• exploring the nature of discriminatory abuse in safeguarding through a review of SARs
• supporting attendees to understand how LGBTQI+ identities are represented in SARs
• providing expert insight into race and mental health, drawing on experiences of SAR authorship and race equalities work
• supporting attendees to explore the issues and challenges and developing professional curiosity and unconscious bias in the context of promoting anti-discriminatory practice in safeguarding adults’ work.

The event received 317 attendees and achieved a 90 per cent satisfaction rating. Key outcomes included:

• providing attendees with greater awareness and understanding regarding discrimination and discriminatory abuse practices in the provision of adult social services
• clear promotion of anti-discriminatory practices and skills to be imbedded in current council safeguarding practices
• renewed focus on person-centred care and maximising the outcomes for people who access social care services.

Session provided informative, thought-provoking content.”

Up to date real life examples, with speakers providing skills and techniques that I can use in the delivery of my current role.”

The ‘What good looks like’ (WGLL) framework was published in May 2023, working with Masons Advisory, we developed the framework on behalf of NHS Transformation Directorate. The framework sets out what good digital working looks like for adult social care. We have developed a comprehensive support offer alongside the framework which includes a self-assessment tool, a regional support offer and a direct support offer to local councils.

The aim of the direct support offer is to support councils to move forward on their digital improvement journey in a measurable and evidenced manner using the WGLL and well-developed digital maturity looks like and also describes what ‘not started’, ‘in progress’, ‘well-established’ an ‘advanced’ looks like.

The aim of the WGLL tool is to support councils to:

• benchmark and baseline themselves
• understand their achievements and their gaps for focus
• develop their digital vision
• make a case for change.

Delivery and outcomes of support

During Q3 2023-24 we piloted the WGLL support offer to three local authority regions; South West (SW), North West (NW) and North East (NE):

• forty-five out of 52 councils have completed the self-assessment, providing a standardised digital position based on the WGLL framework. We have agreed digital regional priorities for all three regions
• nine councils in the NW have been identified as good practice with the opportunity to share learning across the region
• five councils in the NE have been identified as good practice with the opportunity to share learning across the region
• four councils in the SW have been identified as good practice with the opportunity to share learning across the region
• we are utilising the results to identify good practice for digital shared records, data security and protection toolkit and digital, data and technology skills.

Council feedback

• Self-assessment tool has enabled colleagues to come together.