People Plan for Social Care by Julie Hopkins
The Institute of Health and Social Care Management (IHSCM) has launched its People Plan for Social Care in the House of Lords, after initial discussions dating back to August 2021.
The People Plan’s subgroup connected with people working in and receiving care in order to obtain feedback on how approaches can change to reform the workforce, citing that the ‘voice’ needs to come from the social care sector itself with the Plan including tips and ideas for the social care sector and its sustainability.
The Plan emphasis a focus on the development and retention of a workforce that is skilled, motivated, and inspired with career plans and continuous development, with emphasis on ‘collaboration and coproduction’ (Adam Purnell, director of social care for IHSCM).
The Plan focuses on five key areas being:
v Public image and perception
v Recruitment
v Retention & wellbeing
v Training
v Pay, reward & conditions
The above includes greener care, equality, and inclusion, alongside the great satisfaction of working in the social care sector with many people having transferable skills.
Innovation will come from outside the social care sector as well as within with digital advances accelerating to enhance the lives of people working in the social care sector as well as those they care for.
The Plan aims to bolster the public understanding of the social care sector, maintaining momentum which started with the pandemic.
The Plan will start its next consultation period with the IHSCM hosting a series of round table events to gather more feedback for the next version of the Plan.
