CAREmagazine

Our sector New nursing associate films Supported managers are crucial

60 seconds on the value of mentoring with Registered Manager Val Mathew

Let’s connect, be supportive and get creative

Funding available for developing social care managers

Conversations are the key to staff wellbeing

autumn/winter 2019

Our eventsWe run events across the country that provide you with an opportunity to find out more about a particular area of interest and how we can support you, as well as offering networking opportunities. Upcoming events include:

■ local area roadshows

■ getting started with values and behaviours- based recruitment

■ becoming a confident mentor

■ supporting individual employers and personal assistants

■ valuable conversations – conversations that count with your team.

Visit our website for details on our latest events and how to book your place www.skillsforcare.org.uk/events

As we approach the end of the year and look forward to 2020, it’s a great time to look back at our achievements despite the many challenges we face in the sector. I’m personally looking forward to our annual Accolades awards evening in January when we can showcase and celebrate everything that’s great in our sector and reveal our worthy winners.

As always, in this packed edition of CARE magazine, we cover a range of topics around how to recruit, develop and lead your teams.

We look at the challenges of those staff who work on their own and how services can support them. We remind you of the available funding towards developing yourself and your teams, through our Workforce Development Fund. Have you claimed yours yet?

As we continue to recognise that registered managers are at the heart of our sector, three managers share their thoughts on the value of networking, mentoring and wellbeing. Marlene Kelly talks about the benefits that our Registered Manager Networks offer. This is reinforced by Justin Charnock who also gives us an insight into how open conversations with his team supports their wellbeing. Val Mathew discusses how mentoring has contributed towards their ‘outstanding’ rating.

This time, we have dedicated supplements around recruiting the right staff, aligned with the national recruitment campaign by the Department of Health and Social Care and another on the benefits of learning and development. We hope you find them useful.

Finally, let me be one of the first to say, enjoy the festive season. I know that our sector doesn’t stand still over this period, so I do hope you manage to take a well-earned break.

All the very best

Andy TildenInterim Chief Executive Officer, Skills for Care

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Welcome to the autumn/winter edition of CARE magazine

Have you signed up for our enews?Every fortnight we send out an e-bulletin featuring our latest news, resources and events. Sign up at www.skillsforcare.org.uk/enews

Let’s connect, be supportive and get creative

14

Features

3summer 2019

News

4 Supporting staff that regularly work alone

5 Liberty Protection Safeguards

5 Well supported managers are crucial to quality care

6 What we know about our sector

8 Sharing the benefits of learning and development

8 The Leader in Adult Care apprenticeship

9 New films shine the spotlight on nursing associate role 60 seconds on the

value of mentoring

16

Funding available for developing social care managers 10

In this issue...

Conversations are the key to staff wellbeing 12

The Skills for Care Accolades recognise adult social care employers committed to delivering high quality care and share best practice across the sector.

This year we had a record number of entries and heard many inspiring stories from employers. Finalists will be announced at the end of November, so keep an eye on our website.

Finalists will be invited to our glittering gala event in London on Wednesday 22 January 2020.

We’d like to say a big thank you once again to our sponsors – without them, the Accolades wouldn’t be the success they are.

Find out more at www.skillsforcare.org.uk/accolades

awards

Get ready for the Accolades awards 2020

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News

Ensure that lone workers are supported by managersThis ensures that lone workers keep up-to-date with what’s happening and can seek advice when needed. In our research, managers said that monthly newsletters, regular supervisions, 24/7 support including out-of-hours, staff intranet and text alerts are some of the best ways to support lone workers.

Support lone workers to keep in touch Giving lone workers the opportunity to network with colleagues is a great way for them to feel supported. It enables them to share learning, discuss challenges and feel a valued part of a team. Group training, team lunches and social media groups are some of the ways to do this.

Take measures to support personal safetyThere are lots of measures you can implement to ensure that lone workers are safe, for example, issuing mobile phones, personal alarms and torches, or using GPS tracking to know their location.

They could be part of a mobile kit for workers to take with them or you could negotiate for this to be available where the service is provided, for example, in someone’s home.

The tips are from our ‘Supporting staff that regularly work alone’ guide. Download your free copy from www.skillsforcare.org.uk/loneworking

I have a fantastic manager who is always on the other end of the phone if I need her. Live-in carer

I made friends during my induction and now talk to those ladies on WhatsApp. Domiciliary/home care worker

Supporting staff that regularly work aloneThere are lots of adult social care roles where lone working might happen. These tips, based on research with workers and managers, will help employers to support lone workers to stay well and safe at work.

Think about specific skills development for lone workingWorkers might need training to develop skills that are associated with lone working, for example, making decisions independently, resilience and personal safety. Including these topics in your training programme will help workers to feel more confident and competent at work.

Training gives me the confidence to make the correct decisions. Domiciliary/home care worker

Well supported managers are crucial to quality careRegistered managers work hard to deliver a caring and quality service, which needs to meet and exceed the standards set by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

For managers to thrive and look after others, their staff and the people using their services, they need to look after themselves. The good news is there’s lots of support available.

As the membership organisation for registered managers in England, we’ve developed an offer to help managers look after, and develop, themselves.

When signing up, members receive a copy of our ‘Social care manager’s handbook’; a companion resource for busy managers, monthly newsletters with features from sector experts and members, and discounts on products and services. We also put members in touch through our mentoring scheme and busy Facebook group.

We’re inviting you to join the thousands of registered manager members of Skills for Care, for only £35 for 12 months. Go to www.skillsforcare.org.uk/membership

5autumn/winter 2019

Liberty Protection Safeguards In May 2019, the Mental Capacity (Amendment) Act became law. It replaces the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) with a new scheme called the Liberty Protection Safeguards (LPS), which will be introduced from 1 October 2020.

A Code of Practice is being developed to explain how the LPS will work and will offer examples of best practice, with a target completion date of June 2020.

Any learning around the LPS should be linked to this Code, which means that any training delivered before it’s been finalised may not meet the required standards. Our advice is that adult social care employers do not commission training around LPS until the Code of Practice is finalised and made public.

Skills for Care is developing a programme of support to help adult social care employers implement the LPS, including learning resources and workforce guidance.

Sign up to our enews to keep up-to-date at www.skillsforcare.org.uk/enews

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1.62 million jobs

in adult social care in England

Our sector contributes

£40.5 billion per annum to the

economy in England

24% of workers were employed on

zero-hours contracts

What we know about our sector The workforce is key to the quality of adult social care experienced by those who need care and support, the success of care providers and the funding needed for the sector. So, it’s important we understand the workforce and the issues affecting it.

Skills for Care is the leading source of intelligence for the adult social care workforce in England. The data we hold is crucial and informs thousands of decisions that affect how care is delivered, who delivers it and what our future sector looks like.

Our latest ‘State of the adult social care sector and workforce in England, 2019’ report was published in October 2019. Here are the key findings.

Nationality and ethnicity

84% of the workforce is British nationality

21% are from a black, Asian, minority ethnic

group

We always need peopleIn any given day

there are 122,000 vacancies

It’s bigger than you might think

There are 1.49 million people working in our

sector

We’re experienced The average care worker is 44 years old and has

an average 8 years’ experience of working in

care

The workforce is

83% female

17% male

News

7autumn/winter 2019

The Adult Social Care Workforce Data Set (ASC-WDS) is an online data collection service that covers the adult social care workforce in England. It was previously known as the National Minimum Data Set for Social Care (NMDS-SC). Thanks to our account holders, we have a very accurate picture of what’s happening in our sector.

There are over 20,000 care locations in the ASC-WDS providing information on over 650,000 care staff. These services value the need to provide that evidence, knowing that it’s used by the Government, the Care Quality Commission (CQC), local authorities, Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) the media, and other sector stakeholders who need access to high quality adult social care workforce information. In doing so, they also get a range of benefits their own organisation, including being able to access money for qualifications and learning programmes through the Workforce Development Funding (WDF).

The new ASC-WDS service is now up and running. All account holders have received an email with a link to their ASC-WDS account so please go and take a look at the new service.

If you don’t already have an account, you can now sign up for free. Visit www.skillsforcare.org.uk/ascwds

Sharing the benefits of learning and development People working in adult social care who regularly undertake high-quality learning opportunities can develop the skills and knowledge needed to be competent and confident in their role.

Highlighting the benefits of learning and development can help to encourage staff to participate, resulting in better development of knowledge and skills, and ultimately improving the lives of those who need care and support.

Enclosed, with this issue of CARE, is a poster highlighting the key benefits of learning and development for you to display around your service. We hope you find it useful.

A digital version of the poster can also be found in our ‘Guide to developing your staff’ which contains guidance and useful templates on how to plan, deliver and evaluate the learning and development provided for your staff.

Visitwww.skillsforcare.org.uk/developingstaff

News

8 CARE magazine

The Leader in Adult Care apprenticeshipThe eagerly awaited Leader in Adult Care apprenticeship is now close to being available for employers to use in the workplace. At the time of going to print this is subject to the Minister agreeing the funding band of £7,000 in early November.

The level 5 apprenticeship is suitable for those who have responsibility for managing community or residential-based services or for aspiring managers and those working in deputy or assistant manager roles.

As well as demonstrating they’re competent in the knowledge, skills and behaviours defined in the standard, the apprentice must successfully complete the Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Adult Care. Level 2 English and maths is also required if not already achieved. Apprentices are then assessed at the end by an independent organisation and given a final grade.

Funding for the standard is available through the Government levy system. Additional funding can also be accessed from the Workforce Development Fund for the successful completion of the diploma.

For more information on apprenticeships in adult social care and the latest news visit www.skillsforcare.org.uk/apprenticeships

New films shine the spotlight on nursing associate role

As the number of people with complex health needs increases across adult social care, a new approach to delivering care is needed. The new nursing associate role has been created to bridge the gap between a care assistant and a registered nurse.

Whilst the new role isn’t a substitute for a registered nurse, employing a nursing associate frees up time of the registered nurse to work at the upper limits of their registration.

To help the sector to understand the role better, our new films starring nursing associates, their employers and people from supporting organisations, highlight the positive impact of nursing associates in adult social care. The nursing associate role creates a new career pathway for care staff. In the film, Emily Gillott talks about how she used that route to become a registered nursing associate at Drovers Call Care Home. “Before I became a registered nursing associate, I started here as a care assistant and worked my way up through to senior carer, and then the nursing associate post came abou,.” says Emily. “The course itself has helped me massively. I didn’t have the qualifications to begin with to go on and do my nursing degree straightaway, so this is like a stepping stone to get me to where I want to be. I’m enjoying the role and seeing how it develops.”

We’re using the film, and six shorter ones, to support the sector to increase the number of nursing associates and help employers to retain highly skilled and motivated staff.

Developed by Health Education England and regulated by the Nursing and Midwifery Council, the nursing associate programme is now into its third year. The Lincolnshire partnership was part of the first test site, and there are now three registered nursing associates in Lincolnshire care homes.

Everybody is always trying to keep

high-calibre staff, so this is a perfect way of making sure you keep

them, develop them and see them grow. It adds value to the business.

Adam Knights, Managing Director of Knights Care.

“Watch the films at www.skillsforcare.org.uk/ nursingassociates

9autumn/winter 2019

Evidence shows that the presence of an effective, well supported manager has the biggest impact on the overall quality of care provided.

In the last edition of CARE magazine we told you that £3 million of the Workforce Development Fund (WDF) has been specifically allocated to support the development of managers and leaders in adult social care.

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Feature

To support new and aspiring social care managers and registered managers to develop the skills and knowledge needed to lead a high-quality service, we’ve created our suite of leadership programmes and continuing professional development (CPD) modules. The programmes are supported by the WDF and a number of funded places are also available from our endorsed providers and WDF partnerships.

Skills for Care Interim CEO Andy Tilden said: “Skills for Care believes that managers need, and deserve, the same opportunities for recognised CPD as other professionals in our sector, like social workers, nurses and occupational therapists.

“We’ve backed up that commitment with a significant amount of targeted funding to make sure managers, and those who will lead in the future, can access the CPD modules which can only lead to high quality services in our communities.”

An overview of the programmes

Lead to SucceedLead to Succeed is a five-day leadership programme designed to help aspiring leaders and managers develop their leadership and management potential, gain knowledge and be supported and challenged to put this into practice. Employers can claim up to £500 from the WDF towards the cost of the programme. After completing the course one aspiring manager told us:

“I’ve learnt a lot from the Lead to Succeed programme. My confidence grew massively as I realised that I knew a lot of things already. I just didn’t put it into practice. I’ve already been able to use my new skills and knowledge in my job.”

Well-led programmeWell-led is a four-day leadership programme aimed at registered managers and other managers in adult social care. It supports them to deliver care in line with the expectations of a well-led service and employers can claim up to £500 from the WDF towards the costs of the programme. Registered Manager, Sharon Smith, completed the Well-led programme in July 2018.

CPD modules‘Understanding Performance Management’, ‘Understanding Self-management Skills’ and ‘Understanding Workplace Culture’ are three new one-day CPD modules developed by Skills for Care for registered managers and other managers in adult social care.

The interactive modules will help managers understand how successful behaviours and practical strategies can support them in their day-to-day work. They’ll be challenged to put these into practice, boosting their capacity to lead and manage effectively. There’s also an emphasis on reflection, helping managers to learn from their day-to-day experiences and think about how they can do things differently or get better at recognising what they do well.

Where can I find a learning provider?The leadership programmes and CPD modules are all delivered by Skills for Care’s endorsed learning providers who are recognised for delivering high-quality learning and development in adult social care.

You can search for an endorsed provider in our directory at www.skillsforcare.org.uk/findaprovider

Find out moreTo find out more about the leadership programmes and CPD modules visit www.skillsforcare.org.uk/leadersandmanagers

11autumn/winter 2019

“The programme has had such a positive effect on our home and the quality of care that we provide.”

Conversations are the key to staff wellbeing

Supporting your staff with their wellbeing helps them to stay well at work. It can increase productivity and retention, reduce sickness days and improve resilience. It also ensures that your service continues to deliver high-quality care and support.

There are strong links between staff engagement and workplace wellbeing. When staff feel supported, valued and empowered, they’re more likely to feel happy and healthy at work – and conversations are the key to achieving this.

Way Ahead Care, a domiciliary care service in South West England, operates an open-door policy and encourages conversations across all levels of the organisation.

In his role as registered manager, Justin Charnock tells us how he facilitates this.

“I’ve found that the best way to improve staff wellbeing is to create a supportive and open culture, where staff feel comfortable to have conversations with each other and the management team.

“As a manager, it’s easy to get caught up in paperwork and emails. I try to remember that emails will still be there in the morning – but if you ignore your staff, they might not be.

“For example, the other week a colleague came into the office considering leaving because they were concerned about their working hours. We had a conversation about it and amended their working hours – without this conversation, we could have lost a valued member of staff.

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Feature

“We also embed conversations in our staff engagement strategy. During induction, our in-house trainer acts as a ‘buddy’ and regularly engages with new starters to ask how they’re getting on, and all of our supervisions start with the question ‘how are you’? This helps to prevent any issues building up and gives us the chance to address any concerns that are impacting on staff wellbeing.

“Our office is open every day, where staff can socialise, talk to managers or take a break between visits. There’s an open kitchen and we restock fresh fruit every week.

“These are just some of the small things that you can do, that really have a big impact on staff wellbeing.”

Justin also recognises the importance of looking after his own wellbeing and takes the chance to talk to other registered managers to support him.

“Being a registered manager in a small organisation can be lonely at times. Attending my local Registered Manager Network is a great opportunity to share ideas, discuss problems and identify solutions, in a non-judgemental environment, and with other peers. Having conversations with other registered managers is invaluable, and really helps me to keep a positive mind at work.”

Resources to helpOur practical guides can help managers to build staff resilience and wellbeing and support their own wellbeing. Visit www.skillsforcare.org.uk/resilience

In our latest satisfaction and wellbeing survey, staff said that they appreciated that managers know their name and make time to talk to them.

13autumn/winter 2019

“

If you’re a registered or social care manager, when was the last time you took time out to meet up with other managers who share similar passions, challenges and understand your role? If you can’t remember, then it’s time to add ‘join my local registered manager network’ to your to-do-list this month.

Skills for Care facilitates local Registered Manager Networks across England that are led by chairs, who are also registered managers. They meet at least three times a year and offer access to expert speakers, shared knowledge, best practice and support from other managers.

To get an insight into how networks benefit managers, we caught up with Marlene Kelly who believes that networking is all about making connections and taking time out to be creative. She’s a longstanding Registered Manager at Auburn Mere residential care home in Watford. 37 people call Auburn Mere their home and they also offers short breaks and day activities to people living locally.

Marlene chairs her local network in Watford and is a member of Skills for Care’s new registered manager reference group that’s supporting us to raise the profile of this pivotal role in our sector.

Let’s connect, be supportive and get creative

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Marlene Kelly

Feature

“The registered manager role can be isolating, particularly in the smaller services, so making connections with other managers in your area is really valuable. I find it comforting to talk to others who love their role but understand the daily pressures it brings. We are all trying to do our best by achieving a balance of offering the very best service possible to those we support and managing our own and our team’s development and wellbeing.

“Our network has been going for two years and is a supportive sanctuary where we can download, share ideas and best practice. We meet four times a year and our meetings are open, honest, transparent and, sometimes, an emotional release.

“It’s great that we have managers from different types and sizes of care settings. We often have representatives from domiciliary, residential, mental health, supported living and learning disability services. It means we can share different perspectives.

“We aim to have an expert speaker at each meeting to talk about the latest hot topics and that can be anyone from a CQC inspector, the community pharmacist or a local authority representative. We also make time for open discussions and a social chat.

“Our network extends beyond the face-to-face meetings through our lively WhatsApp group that includes chat about anything from supporting staff with mental health issues, recommendations for a dentist or local vacancies. Some managers also connect outside of the network to seek advice or gain extra support which is fantastic.

“Our network is very encouraging and respectful. Some deputy managers also attend, which supports their development, confidence and contributes to local succession planning.

“Having attendees from services that require improvement is also a real bonus as they’ve stepped out of their comfort zone and feel confident to talk to other managers about their challenges. They go away having learnt from others and feel supported by a group that empathises with their situation and ultimately shares the same ethos of ‘making lives better for those people we support’.”

Find your local Registered Manager Network at www.skillsforcare.org.uk/networks

On a final note, I would say to other managers, make it your

mission to join your local network. It’s such a positive experience and

the benefits are incredible.

15autumn/winter 2019

on the value of mentoring

How did you become a mentor?I’ve been mentoring new managers and nursing staff for nine years. I was already mentoring other managers and so, looking to hone my skills, I underwent various mentoring programmes, including the Skills for Care one, which I attend through my Registered Manager Membership.

What does mentoring involve for the mentor and the mentee? For the mentor it involves teaching and facilitating a person’s professional growth by sharing resources and networks. For the mentee, it’s a fruitful way of pushing their boundaries of learning and enhancing their overall development.

What are the main benefits for the mentor?Skills for Care matched me with managers of other services, so I’ve gained insights from their management style and practice. Mentoring is also an opportunity to improve our confidence in the way we work. We put a lot of effort into trying to achieve perfection and it’s important to share this, and mentoring is one way that we can.

What are the main benefits for the mentee?It’s a great opportunity to learn from other experienced and skilled professionals in the sector. It provides creative insights into different, and often successful, management styles. Mentees are left with fewer doubts about what they do.

How does mentoring fit into your role?It’s a core part of the manager’s day-to-day role as it helps in self-evaluation and appraisal and is a way of reflecting on your own systems.

How has mentoring supported you? Mentoring has helped me to improve my performance. More specifically, it has helped me in achieving an outstanding rating, particularly in the ‘well-led’ domain.

Would you recommend the mentoring programme to others? I would strongly recommend it to all managers who are eager to improve their skills and progress in their career.

Val Mathew, Registered Manager at The Red House Care Home, talks about how mentoring has supported herself and others to develop in social care.

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Find out more about our mentoring workshops at www.skillsforcare.org.uk/mentoring