Agenda item

Report by the Director of Adult Social Care

91.1    Tom Hook, Assistant Director for Planning, Performance and Engagement introduced the report by saying that good progress has been made with implementing the Committee’s recommendations, although the Covid-19 pandemic has had an impact on some areas.  Key developments include: 

• Improved levels of joint working between Adult Social Care and the Employment and Skills team.
• The online offer for the independent care sector has also been enhanced as there now a dedicated web page on East Sussex County Council’s website which is used for recruitment.  
• In terms of other workforce support for the independent care sector during the pandemic, the Department provided a range of resources which included training and recruitment advice and regular email bulletins.   The Department also helped the sector access various government support such as the £1.3m Work Force Capacity Fund.

91.2    Sara Lewis, Adult Social Care Training Manager, briefed the Committee on the national ‘Call to Care Campaign’ (which ran between 1 February and 31 March 2021). The campaign was launched in response to an urgent need to boost the numbers of short-term staff available during the Covid-19 pandemic.   As a result of the campaign, the Department received once a week a list of contact details for individuals who had registered an interest in working in the care sector.  At the time of the meeting there had been 69 applicants, 21 of which have been screened and forwarded on to interested provider services.  It is hoped that a significant number of the individuals recruited as a result of the campaign will value their new roles and want to stay within the sector.

91.3Councillor Trevor Webb, as Chair of the Adult Social Care Workforce Scrutiny

Review Board welcomed the report and the progress being made with implementing the Committee’s recommendations.  Although he also noted that the workforce environment has been subject to considerable change since the report was published given the impact of the pandemic.  The Committee then discussed the report in detail.  Set out below is a summary of the key issues discussed:

• In response to a query about what would happen after the Call to Care Campaign ended, Members were informed that the Department will follow-up with every individual who has registered an interest.  Other work includes, for example, exploring opportunities with the job centre service and the provision of regular workshops with provider services where workforce issues and challenges can be discussed. 

• The Committee noted that the details of individuals who had indicated they were not prepared to deliver personal care (in response to the Call to Care Campaign) were not forwarded on to service providers.  However, some Members also noted that there are roles where this may not be a requirement and asked for clarification as to whether these individuals could be considered for such vacancies.  In response, Mark Stainton informed Members that older people services have a high number of clients who require support with personal care.  As a result, a willingness to provide personal care was a crucial factor for the Department when assessing expressions of interest.  Although going forward the Department will explore if there are suitable vacancies within the working age range of services.

• The Committee discussed the impact of Covid-19 and sought clarification about rates of workforce turnover in the sector.  In response Members were informed that sadly due to the number of excess deaths, some care homes have furloughed staff and temporarily closed down units.  As a result, rates of turnover have remained relatively stable in recent months.  Although it is anticipated that   demand for staff is likely to increase as the demand for care services picks-up as the national emergency eases.  With regard to potential workforce challenges relating to Brexit, Members were informed that the full impact was not yet clear.  Although to help mitigate its potential impact the Department are, via providers, encouraging relevant staff to complete by the government deadline documentation which will enable them to remain in the United Kingdom.   In conclusion therefore, Mr Stainton stated that the current level of vacancies is not representative of the normal situation or of his future expectations.

• The Committee asked for clarification from the Department about the promotion of a career in adult social care to young people. </AI10>

<TRAILER_SECTION>

 In response Members were informed that this is an area of ongoing work with the Employment and Skills Group and that the Department will continue to engage with young people and promote the benefits of a career in adult social care.

91.4    The Committee RESOLVED to note the report, and welcome the progress being made implementing the People Scrutiny Committee’s recommendations.