Graduate Management Training Scheme Return on investment executive summary - cohort six January 2016 - January 2017 1
Foreword I care deeply about developing the skills and knowledge of our leaders and managers, which is why I am so pleased that our Graduate Management Training Scheme has been such a success. Our 19 graduate management trainees are an impressive group of highly motivated and now highly skilled people, who I know we will see in senior leadership roles in the not too distant future. It has never made sense to me that we didn t actively recruit the brightest and best graduates when other sectors do that so successfully. This scheme is a direct response to that and it s worth noting that successful trainees had to succeed in a highly competitive process to secure their place on the scheme. Once on the scheme they were faced with tough challenges in their host organisations as well as 24 days of scheme learning from Skills for Care and outside experts. I want to take this opportunity to thank all our host organisations that play such a key role in preparing our graduates for the realities of working in our sector. Without their active support there would be no scheme. Skills for Care Chair, Dame Moira Gibb, was impressed by our graduates when she presented their graduation certificates. That is some accolade since she is one of our sector s most impressive leaders. Dame Moira took that opportunity to offer her reflections on four key behaviours that make someone a great social care leader, which the trainees found very useful: 1. unrelenting focus on the frontline 2. investing in our staff and building leadership capacity 3. collaborating and building relationships 4. telling our social care story better. Reading through the feedback in the return on investment report it is clear that two very powerful things happened over the year. The first and most important - is that trainees responded to the challenges they were set, with many having life changing experiences that will stay with them as they develop their careers. The second is how they collectively added real value and saved their host organisations thousands of pounds as they improved systems and introduced some really smart initiatives. I look forward to meeting our trainees in the future as they develop their leadership careers, and who knows, one day one of them might well be doing my job. Let s hope so. Sharon Allen, OBE Chief Executive Officer, Skills for Care 2
Introduction We launched our first Graduate Management Training Scheme in 2009, going on to deliver five more cohorts, identifying and bringing together bright, ambitious, future leaders, with an opportunity to accelerate their careers for the benefit of social care. Skills for Care has partnered with over 95 different and diverse care provisions from national strategic bodies to independent care homes. The scheme design has been refined, extended and enhanced, considering current and future needs of social care organisations. This scheme invests in the talent pipeline, which will benefit succession planning now and into the future, as these current 120 leaders move throughout our system. The key aims of the scheme are: to identify and develop future leaders for adult social care to lead and manage organisations to achieve well-led services to provide outstanding care for each and everyone to promote social care as a career of choice for top graduates with the right values to widen the diversity of leaders in social care. By putting quality leadership and management in care organisations, we aim to assist in retaining quality staff and enhancing the achievements of organisations. We have gained a well-grounded, intelligent graduate into our team permanently. Louise Joslin, Head of Learning and Development, the Good Care Group 3
Practical experience We know that practical experience is invaluable to succeeding in our sector, and this is why we devote 90% of the training year to placement-based learning. The quality of our placement hosts is assured through a competitive process resulting in carefully selected organisations where trainees are supported to maximise their experience. Placements are fast-paced, challenging and provide ownership and responsibility for complex projects, including elements of both frontline and strategic responsibilities. Our trainee took a pivotal role in creating a new health project, and the support they received from Skills for Care was invaluable throughout their time here. Sean Ray, Digital Inclusion Coordinator and Social Activities Officer, Age UK Cheshire Graduates bring a different perspective and skill set into our business; support offered by Skills for Care to ensure this programme works and being fortunate enough to be able to tailor this scheme where possible to the individual. Graduates have developed and achieved ambitious personal development plans, drawing on objectives around skills, knowledge, confidence and experience. Some trainees have a fixed post, whereas others have maximised the opportunities working across a variety of areas of responsibility or beyond their organisation with an outplacement. Knowledge, research and best practice An additional 24 days of classroom-based learning consists of: a fast-track introduction to adult social care A six month research project action learning sets peer mentoring leadership and management qualification. 4
Return on investment An integral part of this cohort s graduation was their individual report identifying and measuring the benefits that they brought to their placement hosts. The activity was designed to encourage reflection on their leadership and management journey, to understand their personal impact, their political awareness in shaping their environments and their business acumen. There was a particular focus on outcomes, impact and value for money against three key areas: 1. benefits to service-user experience (improving effectiveness by achieving better outcomes) 2. benefits to organisational systems and processes (improving efficiencies) 3. financial impact (improving economy by cutting costs or generating income) where applicable. Once again Sanctuary Care has found the scheme invaluable We do hope it continues within the sector as other recruitment arms are vital to ensure the sector is attractive to those seeking employment and more importantly careers in social care. Tracy Cole, Senior Learning and Development Manager, Sanctuary Care For this executive summary the content of the full report has been reviewed and summarised, detailing three examples of the work undertaken by our graduates in the case studies that follow. In addition, you can read about all 19 graduates who have chosen their favourite project from the year. In each example the impact on those who use services has been recognised along with any links to the following three areas: recruitment and retention; integration and workforce development; and sustainability. The most positive aspect of the scheme has been observing, supporting and facilitating the growth and development of an individual; noting the change/development in the individual s knowledge and skills of social care as they progress through the programme; 5
Case study 1 Yunus Giwa, Sanctuary Care Overseas nurse recruitment and retention strategy Sanctuary Care relies on high quality dedicated nursing staff in a global market. It was vital to use an agency that could provide them with nurses whose nurse training mirrored that of the UK s, who spoke good English and who had completed most of their training in order for them to get their Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) pin (this indicates they are formally registered to work as a nurse or midwife within the UK). Yunus was tasked to review issues in the quality of agency nursing staff, in terms of recruitment and retention rates. Yunus undertook research into the quality of candidates and high turnover rates of nurses provided by agencies. He created a strategic short, medium and long-term recruitment structure referencing values-based recruitment. Using his strong interpersonal skills he established and built a new working relationship with an agency based in Nigeria. The journey for EU and Non-EU candidates was analysed through a mapping exercise, identifying communication issues and areas for improvement. Introduction packs were created for prospective nurses to ensure they all had relevant information at their fingertips about working for Sanctuary and living in the UK. Yunus addressed the high cost of suitable accommodation in London for overseas nurses through an innovative approach, looking beyond the existing processes and working closely with another area of the business, Sanctuary Housing to use empty housing stock, reduce headline costs to the business and create a substantial cost-saving. Nurses were offered the free Kaplan English language and cultural awareness course, as part of their induction. It was introduced to encourage retention and help them to become accustomed to the way of life in England and to build confidence. Improvements Implementation of values-based recruitment. Identification of a more effective and efficient agency. Kaplan English language and cultural awareness course for overseas nurses. Identification of affordable housing arrangements. Raised entry level of candidates with training and experiences similar to those provided in the UK. Significant savings could be made in relation to staff time, resources and funding. Impact Improved quality of care provided by better trained staff. Agency cost-savings of approximately 8,200 for every nurse that does not leave after they have received their NMC pin. Increase retention rates - more consistency in care delivery and saving the business 4,000 per candidate who is recruited based on values-based recruitment. 6
Case study 2 Lee James, London Borough of Camden Step down review and options appraisal Lee was tasked to analyse the performance of London Borough of Camden s two intermediate care models, step down* models, including the Bridgeside Lodge model for those who require nursing care after in-patient stay and the St Pancras Hospital model for those awaiting rehabilitation. He analysed the data, and using benchmarking, compared these to other local comparators and the national picture. The aim was to take this information to improve both costeffectiveness and to reduce Delayed Transfers of Care (DToC) across the wider health and social system in the whole of the London Borough of Camden. Lee developed a set of recommendations relating to service model development, performance reporting, finance and staffing. He then engaged wider stakeholders, including the directors of local social and healthcare providers to develop the options further and agree the most appropriate and beneficial way forward. The options took advantage of informal staff sharing which had been made available due to staffing pressures and formalised these joint working arrangements. *The term step down falls under the umbrella of intermediate care the care that people require between hospital and home. Step down beds refer to the beds that someone may be put into when they have finished their planned in-patient care, but cannot yet return home. Improvements Service model development Identifying causes of in-patient delayed transfers of care in order to improve. Address low occupancy rates of day centres. Performance reporting Develop outcomes-based reporting. Improve lines of communication between commissioners and Finance. Address overspend of social care placements. Staffing Address high vacancy rates, reviewing the skills mix and level of staffing to holistically meet the needs of service users. Impact Reduction of agency staff and streamlining of posts will achieve a saving of 240,000 per annum. This will benefit those who use services by: ensuring continuity of support supporting staff between rehab and step down settings efficient transfer of care between rehab and step down increased quality care through rehab and step down professionals supporting each other (mitigating current staff pressures). 7
Case study 3 Grace Fry, Stroke Association Improved service effectiveness and increased value for money Grace undertook primary research, working with staff and service users to review the existing Life After Stroke Centre in Bromsgrove that had been identified as needing support. Grace identified issues faced by the service. Grace reviewed the Stroke Recovery Service, evaluating problems and possible solutions. This involved working with staff on a one-toone basis to identify any gaps in their skills or knowledge, looking at how this was reflected in the work produced. She recorded this on the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system. Grace created and presented a report of her findings and suggested improvements to the service and centre. These have been used by senior management to widen the review and explore whether the issues identified are affecting other regions. Improvements Identification of issues in service set-up shared through lessons learned and alternative approaches to be considered. Establishment of the new reporting systems enable managers to analyse the service delivery and make improvements. Reports will be made available to staff throughout the organisation for ongoing reference to inform continuous improvement of systems and processes. Impact Both reports were acted upon and are integral to improving the way The Stroke Association delivers services. As a result, those who use services will benefit from both pieces of work. The reports offered constructive quality improvement opportunities, which will also improve overall value for money. The report has also been shared with regional management so that any gaps can be explored further. 8
Return on investment summary One project example for each graduate is provided in the table below. These projects offer a flavour of the variety of work graduates have been involved in, and how they have had a significant impact on the host organisations and on those who use their services. Project Impact for service users Marie Baker, St Anne s Community Services Reviewing and updating the exit interview process Melissa Davies, Age UK Cheshire Training, researching and writing bid for digital inclusion project Grace Fry, Stroke Association Volunteering system: Recruitment system improvement and training package development (emotional support presentation) Yunus Giwa, Sanctuary Care Review and improve the overseas nurse recruitment and retention strategy for Sanctuary Care The work will help to improve service provision, communication and staff satisfaction in their role. This will ultimately affect service delivery and the service user experience. Potential to alleviate fuel poverty amongst the elderly, something high on the agenda with the local authority. With more dedicated volunteers, services (and therefore staff) have more resources to enable them to apply their time to other priorities, providing a higher quality service. Higher calibre of candidates with training and experiences similar to those provided in the UK. Expectations of higher retention rates and higher quality of care and support provided to clients, and significant savings relating to staff time, resources and funding could be made. Other Department of Health (DH) priority areas Recruitment and retention - potential to improve through learning what is and isn t working and making changes as a result. Sustainability - more efficient use of HR resources. Sustainability - potential to secure 10,000 for digital inclusion project by securing funding from the Smart Energy GB body. Integration and workforce development - working in collaboration with universities and outside communities. Sustainability - more efficient and effective recruitment approach and use of volunteer resources. Recruitment and retention - potential for higher calibre of nurses recruited and better retention rates. Integration and workforce development working with housing and the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). Sustainability potential for significant savings and a more efficient process for the organisation. 9
Project Impact for service users Melissa Hall, Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust Bedford Court - 15 minutes with residents initiative Improving staff and resident morale. Improving communications and relationships throughout the home. Providing evidence of one-to-one interactions and good practice for CQC inspections and Leeds County Council (LCC). Lee James, Camden Council London Borough of This will benefit service users by: Camden step down ensuring continuity of supporting staff between review and options rehab and step down settings appraisal efficient transfer of care between rehab and step down improved quality care through rehab and step down professionals supporting each other reducing staff pressures. Brenda Jobber, Community Integrated Care (CIC) - Central Liverpool transformation project In 2015 CIC was successful in retaining Tier1 status with Liverpool City Council. Laura Johnson, The Good Care Group (TGCG) Project completing in breach pathway cases The tender was redesigned to encourage services to be personalised, transformed and redesigned in order for people supported to still live full lives, despite less money being available. More person-centred care with better outcomes for the people supported, in addition to a higher quality of care being provided. Reduction in the number of in breach cases and ensuring client and carer pathway actions were completed to meet contractual agreements, providing a reliable and quality service. Other Department of Health (DH) priority areas Recruitment and retention - improving the wellbeing and morale of staff could lead to greater retention rates. Integration and workforce development - formalising joint working arrangements. Reducing delayed transfers of care across the system from hospital to care homes. Sustainability - reduction of agency staff and streamlining of posts will achieve a saving of 240,000 per annum. Sustainability - Tier 1 status for Community Integrated Care means they retain priority status to bid for support packages within the Liverpool area. Longer-term impact: Greater chance of retaining Tier 1 status. Potentially substantial financial impact of retaining the contract. Sustainability - investing at this stage potentially saves significant resource further down the line due to avoidance of contracts being formally breached. 10
Project Alex Johnstone, Somerset Care Time and motion study within Somerset Care s residential homes Impact for service users Gabrielle Jones, Care Quality Commission (CQC) Development of a new public engagement strategy Lucy Kerr, Metropolitan Care and Support Guidance for working with migrants in the housing and care and support sectors Informed homes of where they could be less task-driven and save time on certain tasks in order to spend more time with customers. Spending time with residents has been key in the Investors in People interviews, so a highly relevant piece of work. Potential to improve staff wellbeing and retention rates if their workloads are managed carefully, which in turn results in more consistent and reliable care provision. The Public Engagement Strategy sets out how CQC will involve and engage with the public and people who use services in all aspects of CQC s work, to ensure their views shape its continuous improvement. The main impacts of the strategy s objectives will be: people s voices will improve care people s choices will improve care people will have access to better care. This guidance will not only be used to help guide Metropolitan s own staff but will be made available to other organisations and be built upon in the future. This has the potential to improve the quality of service and support provided by the organisation with their work with migrants. Other Department of Health (DH) priority areas Recruitment and retention - potential to improve staff retention rates and reduce absence rates could have significant financial implications. Sustainability - the report also highlighted improvements that could be made to service effectiveness and customer experience by reallocating staff time. Sustainability - reducing the misuse of health and social care services, enabling resources to be allocated where need is greatest and fulfilled by the best organisation. Integration and workforce development - working across sectors and organisations to ensure a fully informed and consistent approach. Educating staff about working with migrants. Sustainability - improving systems and processes to create efficiencies and producing a live document that can grow and change, as appropriate. 11
Project Impact for service users Nazia Khanum, Hackney Council / Vibrance Service user survey The responses are collated to look at areas of concern or improvement and to help identify appropriate solutions. It will also highlight areas that Vibrance already delivers well and service users are happy with. Sally Ann Mitchell, Trafford Council Service review and identification of alternative models Emma Robinson, Outplacement with West House Quality auditing at West House The audits are a process where an independent person visits a service and assesses a number of areas against regulation and best practice. The proposals created will have a positive impact on patient experience, including reduced waiting times, the most appropriate member of staff responding to needs, more face-to-face time with professionals and a sustainable service which will serve them for years to come. The proposals will increase the effective use of qualified staff and allow for development opportunities by increasing capacity. It will also allow for more time to be spent on complex cases, mitigating risks associated with the current system. Improved outcomes for people supported: in safety of the services in quality of support in quality of life. Production of evidence of internal monitoring and review work to feed into future developments and inspections. Potential to improve results of future inspections. Other Department of Health (DH) priority areas Sustainability - identifying areas of greater or less effectiveness enables Vibrance to target their resources with greater confidence, reducing waste and cost. Sustainability - changes will allow the council to give their residents the best possible service, whilst saving substantial sums of money and securing the future of the provision. Recruitment and retention - more satisfied staff will increase retention rates. Sustainability - helps identify where savings and efficiencies could be made within the service. Recruitment and retention - identifies where improvement can be made ensuring staff are listened to and feel greater satisfaction improving retention rates. 12
Project Albert Simango, Sonnet Care Homes Frontline leaders review and identification of areas for development or improvement Shallom Sithole, Fremantle Trust Support plans and health plans review, update and completion exercise Impact for service users Joel Trounce, Hertfordshire County Council Occupational therapy (OT) workforce strategy development Frontline leadership training workshops are scheduled to be delivered in 2017. This should have a positive impact on retention and completion of the Care Certificate and quality of care across the organisation. The residents will be confident that their home is managed by staff that are committed to giving them the best care, whilst being confident that the provider is committed to good practice. Having up-to-date support plans is crucial, it ensures shared understanding needs and best options for support. It also helps staff to identify any changes in need and is very helpful for new staff and agency staff who come into the home. The objective is to create a more effective and efficient OT workforce. Service redesign and providing appropriate support to the current workforce should enable HCC to adapt to, and meet, the changing needs of those people who use services. The end product is still to be determined as the project is ongoing, without an agreed deadline. Other Department of Health (DH) priority areas Recruitment and retention - potential to increase retention rates due to higher levels of job satisfaction. Integration and workforce development - supporting frontline leaders ongoing development and cascading good leadership skills and behaviour, including collaborative leadership, beyond the senior leadership team. Sustainability - training and development budget reduced as a result of the work, but difficult to quantify cost savings. Recruitment and retention - potential to increase OT retention. Integration and workforce development - includes identification of opportunities for OTs to work with partner agencies. Sustainability - potential to create a more effective and efficient OT workforce and service. 13
Project Belinda Vogtlin Booth, Affinity Trust Recruitment support and process improvement, including identification of staff and service user needs Ruksaar Waka, Olympus Care Services Virtual House application development Assistive Technology (AT) product Impact for service users Improved quality, capability and aligned values of new staff coming into the organisation should result in a greater quality and consistency of support provision. Increased customer satisfaction and awareness of the support and services the AT team at Olympus provides. As a result of Ruksaar s work, there is increased awareness across the organisation around the products and services that the assistive technology team provides, enabling AT products to be part of solutions. There was a steady increase in sales of over 60 purchases, over the first month. Other Department of Health (DH) priority areas Recruitment and retention - potential for higher retention rates and better quality of new staff coming into the organisation. Sustainability - decreasing the use of agency staff and increasing retention rates, reducing costs. Sustainability - streamlining and improving processes and implementing more efficient systems and ways of administration, increasing capacity and increased sales of the app. 14
Destination data for cohort six (as at March 2017) Whilst there is no expectation that a graduate will move into paid employment with their host organisation once the scheme is complete, the numbers of trainees that have been offered roles is testament to the positive impact they have had on that organisation. The retention rate within the sector for 2016, shows that 90% of cohort 6 has chosen to make social care their career, 50% have been retained by their host organisation and a further 10% have moved into roles with their outplacement organisations. This is exceptionally high retention rates for any sector. The table below shows the immediate destination data for the trainees from cohort six. Trainee name Host organisation Destination data Marie Baker St Anne s Community Services Workforce Analyst, NHS Grimsby Melissa Davies Age UK - Cheshire Business Development Officer, Alzheimer s Society Grace Fry The Stroke Association Team Leader, Jane Percy House (outplacement) Yunus Giwa Sanctuary Care Volunteering Scheme Leader, Sanctuary Care Melissa Hall Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust Relief Care and Admin Assistant, Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust Lee James Camden Council Health and Wellbeing Consultant, Camden Council Brenda Jobber CIC - Central Assistant Service Manager, St Luke s Nursing Home, CIC Laura Johnson The Good Care Group Care Manager, The Good Care Group Alex Johnstone Somerset Care Business Development Officer, Somerset Care Gabrielle Jones Care Quality Commission Provider Engagement Officer, CQC Lucy Kerr Metropolitan Housing with Care and Support Manager, Metropolitan Nazia Khanum Vibrance Short-term work before starting social worker programme in September 2017 Sally Ann Mitchell Trafford Council Assistant Business Analyst, Children s, Families and Wellbeing, Trafford Council Emma Robinson CIC - Cumbria Working with outplacement (Westhouse) Albert Simango Sonnet Care Commissioning Support Officer with Camden Council Shallom Sithole Fremantle Trust Multi-Disciplinary Team Elderly and Frailty Lead, Camden Carers Joel Trounce Hertfordshire County Council Learning and Development Officer, Hertfordshire County Council Belinda Vogtlin Booth Affinity Trust Service Manager, Accredo Support and Development Ruksaar Waka Olympus Care Looking for roles within business development 15
End note Skills for Care is driving the development of leadership in the social care sector this means raising the profile, performance and impact of leaders in the sector. The graduate trainees have a key role to play in achieving this, creating a cadre of leaders at every level. Cohort six has experienced an excellent combination of challenging work placements and educational components to ensure trainees have had significant impact on their organisations, not only improving efficiency and effectiveness, but also the experience of those who use their services. Through embracing collaborative and supportive management approaches they have improved social care provision and developed the confidence required to lead ongoing organisational transformation in their future careers. Graduate management programmes like this are crucial to securing the effective and dynamic leadership we need to ensure that social care transforms and continuously improves for staff and those who use services alike. With truly participative leadership, there is huge potential for the system to improve, and the graduate management programme is vital in achieving that. Effective leaders and dynamic leadership are essential in shaping the new social care landscape and embracing collaborative, whole-system approaches to leadership and management. These are the principles of good practice and expertise in leadership that are found in high performing organisations with outstanding care at their heart. Skills for Care, West Gate 6 Grace Street, Leeds, LS1 2RP T: 0113 245 1716 skillsforcare.org.uk