|
|
| Fit for the future
To ensure we are best positioned in the current climate to deliver the key products and services needed by the sector, Skills for Health is progressing with a restructure of our organisation. Building on the positive feedback received from employers and stakeholders in recent external reviews, our new structure will centre around three core functions: business development and consultancy, products and services, and corporate services. As ever, we remain focused on listening to you the employers, and providing a high value, responsive service. This newsletter brings you many examples of the good work that is continuing at Skills for Health to help organisations across the sector operate more effectively and productively. You will continue to enjoy direct contact with Skills for Health in your country or region, although your point of contact may change. Please bear with us as we implement these changes over the next few months, and our local team will be in contact with you at the earliest opportunity. If you have any queries and to keep up to date, please visit www.skillsforhealth.org.uk John Rogers, Chief Executive, Skills for Health Broadening the scope of our rostering systems As the largest supplier of rostering systems for medics in the UK, Skills for Health is already helping to save the NHS hundreds of millions of pounds annually. Healthcare organisations using our Doctors Rostering System have reported a ten-fold return on investment within the first year and are projecting annual savings of up to 15% on agency costs. We´re very pleased to confirm the next stage development towards a multi-profession rostering system that will help to improve efficiency, communication and control of rostering of nurses, Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) and some non-registered staff groups, alongside doctors in training, consultants and other doctors. The new system will combat the complexity of managing rosters across different staff groups to support effective, multi-disciplined team work. To help shape this new system, we are looking for healthcare organisations to partner in its development – with the offer of free access for a period of time to gain a head start in achieving cost savings. We are aiming to pilot the system in spring 2012 and will work closely with all partners to develop a solution that meets their needs. Register your interest in the pilot by contacting Mani Mirzazadeh on 0207 391 7179 or email mani.mirzazadeh@skillsforhealth.org.uk Breaking down apprentice barriers for employersSkills for Health is reaching out to employers by establishing an Apprenticeship Training Agency (ATA) to support the recruitment of apprentices. With a pilot currently running in the North West of England, our ATA will support the national drive to bring apprentices into the workplace and ensure healthcare employers can experience the benefits. Through the ATA, Skills for Health will manage fixed-term apprentice contracts relieving employers of managerial and administrative burdens such as:
“Employers greatly value the energy and vitality young people can bring to the workplace” explains Judith McGregor, Head of Programmes at the Skills for Health Academy North West. Cross-sector research by the National Apprenticeships Advisory Committee shows that 80% of employers who take on apprentices agree they make the workplace more productive, with figures from Populus showing positive impacts on staff motivation and satisfaction. With support from NHS North West – the region´s strategic health authority – the ATA pilot involves 130 apprentices across health, dental, finance and business administration programmes. The aim is to trial a flexible approach that can be adapted to meet employer needs across other regions. Would you like to see Skills for Health provide a UK wide ATA? Vote now and sign up for more information on our support for apprentices. Workforce transformation delivers savings potential in excess of £200,000 Skills for Health´s ability to deliver cost savings and quality improvements for employers through strategic workforce change has been highlighted by our recent collaboration with community service providers. With a focus on improving quality and productivity, Skills for Health worked closely with six organisations to support workforce development around redesigned care pathways and service areas. The changes were part of a pilot for the Department of Health (England) Transforming Community Service programme, but the lessons learned and benefits gained can be widely replicated. Building on our competence based approach, skills transfer events and tools training were used to implement new ways of thinking, examine the workforce implications and deliver more effective outcomes. Collaborations and partnership working across health and social care were encouraged through patient and staff forums. Having realigned their processes for end of life care to better suit patients´ needs, two organisations in Bury and Cheshire have projected a combined annual saving in excess of £200,000 from reduced hospital admissions alone. The Cheshire pilot has forecast savings of £2,000 per patient. Better understanding of patient requirements has also helped to deliver targeted training, with the Bury pilot achieving a 50% increase in the ability of staff to identify certain needs. The time these organisations invested with Skills for Health to engage stakeholders and build internal capacity means the annual savings are expected to increase as all six now move to embed and extend this approach. We can offer a wide range of services to help transform your workforce and find the most productive ways to deliver high quality care. For a free consultation, please get in touch with your local Skills for Health contact or visit www.skillsforhealth.org.uk/transform Target effective investments with our Training Needs Analysis programmeDue to launch later this year, our new Training Needs Analysis Programme will help ensure that, as the largest commissioners of education and training in the country, health sector employers focus their investment effectively to meet real skills needs in the workplace and maximise return. The programme will provide employers with a detailed, objective assessment to pinpoint the most effective way of improving performance and tackling skills gaps. Included within the service is:
By monitoring performance, the programme will help you to optimise the value derived from the analysis and encourage a cycle of continuous improvement. North Somerset Community Services has been involved in a pilot and Julie Brook, Professional Education Lead, is very positive about the results: “The audit is useful because it raised issues that we may not have considered.” “We are asking all staff across bands 2 to 6 to complete the training needs analysis, and it was very well received by the service head.” To register your interest in the Training Needs Analysis programme, please email info@skillsforhealth.org.uk Funding secured for a new National Skills Academy for Health Skills for Health has been awarded a grant from the UK Government to expand our employer services through a “National Skills Academy for Health” with a target launch date of April 2012. One of the conditions of the grant is that the title of “National Skills Academy for Health” must be used, although the Growth and Innovation Fund, which is supporting this work, only funds developments in England. The Growth and Innovation Fund exists to help sector bodies with employer representation develop skills solutions that enable high performance and business growth. The investment secured by Skills for Health will support an initial planning period, followed by three years of development work with £1.5m match-funded Government investment. Building on our commitment to cost-effective, employer-led solutions to give health sector staff the right skills to realise quality improvements and cost savings, the new offer will be shaped by the key challenges and priorities identified by businesses across the sector – including the need to redesign and expand many existing roles. As well as exploring online services, the National Skills Academy will work closely with employers to access funding for short courses, vocational qualifications and Apprenticeships through partnerships and consortia. Our virtual reference group will be central to the planning process over the next six months, and includes both senior management and operational staff from National Health Service organsations, private organisations and training providers. Although this funding is for England only, we will be exploring how we can build on this development to provide additional services to Scotland, Wales and N Ireland. To join the group and help shape the new employer offering, please email john.bateson@skillsforhealth.org.uk E-learning support for equality, diversity and out of hours care Our latest e-learning courses will help all healthcare staff understand the latest equality and diversity legislation, and support Hospital at Night (HaN) multidisciplinary teams to achieve excellence in out of hours care. The Equality and Diversity course reflects provisions for gender and disabilities in the Equality Act 2010. We have worked with specialist equality and health sector experts to understand the key issues in order to improve staff awareness, help Trusts with compliance and ensure that health services are sensitive to individual needs. Based on a programme originally developed by Liverpool Primary Care Trust/Liverpool Community Health Trust, the new course offers an improved user experience and enhanced educational quality. Staff can save their progress and gain CPD evidence, while employers can monitor completions. Visit our website for more information or register for a free trial. Developed by e-Learning for Healthcare (e-LfH) with Skills for Health and the London Deanery, the HaN e-learning programme is also supported by the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of Nursing. Clinical Lead, Louella Vaughan, said: “E-learning is a key part of the vision to make HaN a mainstream component in the delivery of safe and effective clinical care to NHS patients. It will support the training of junior doctors – particularly those in foundation and core programmes – and nursing staff, while providing a resource for others involved in the delivery and support of out of hours care.” The programme includes around 20 sessions split into two courses:
Skills for Health has helped to develop HaN services for the NHS with several international health services also adopting the approach. You can access our HaN resources through the Healthcare Workforce Portal or find out more about the e-learning course from the e-LfH website. A partnership approach to support local dementia care In collaboration with local partners, Skills for Health has tailored the common core principles for supporting people with dementia to meet the challenge of caring for East Anglia´s elderly population. With the number of dementia sufferers nationwide predicted to rise by 51 per cent in the next 15 years, Norfolk and Suffolk are expecting increases of 62 per cent and 65 per cent respectively over the same period. Norfolk & Suffolk Dementia Alliance was involved in finalising the national core principles, which provide a foundation for good practice and support learning and development. Skills for Health and the Alliance have since consulted with a wide range of local groups and individuals to add two further core principles, identify skills needs and prioritise training for healthcare professionals and the wider population. The partnership will address the gap between the Alliance´s vision for dementia care and the current situation. Our work has already highlighted a lack of understanding that will now be tackled through a regional awareness-raising campaign. For more information about our support to tackle dementia – including the common core principles – please visit the dementia service area of our website. News in Brief Setting the standards for infection prevention and control Staff involved in infection prevention and control (IPC) are encouraged to share their views on the current National Occupational Standards (NOS) throughout September and October. The associated knowledge and skills are vital to ensure high quality patient care and safety for all within the health sector. The updated NOS will inform future education and training development. Find out more about the consultation from our website. Updated chemotherapy standards will inform new transferable roles Following joint working with the National Cancer Action Team (England) and input from UK practitioners, the revised NOS for chemotherapy and chemotherapy-related pharmacy have been approved by UKCES and the UK NOS Panel. The new standards will shape the development of new transferable roles for chemotherapy practitioners. For guidance on how NOS can be used to enhance service provision, please visit the Skills for Health website. About us
Skills for Health (SfH), is the employer-led Sector Skills Council for the health sector, serving the NHS,
independent and voluntary sectors (2.1m employees throughout the UK). SfH was relicensed in 2009 with an
‘outstanding’ contribution to workforce redesign. We are the authoritative voice on skills issues for the health
sector and offer employers proven workforce solutions and tools – with the expertise and experience to use
them effectively. To sign up for our newsletter please visit: http://www.skillsforhealth.org.uk/newsletters |
