Better cross-sector collaboration key to unlocking health and care staff shortages in the capital
Although one in five Londoners are economically inactive, employers across all sectors especially health and care, continue to struggle to recruit the people they need. The recently published London Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP), led by Business LDN and supported by the GLA, has identified over 30,000 vacancies across a wide variety of health service roles in the capital together with major shortages in social care – highlighting the scale of the task for those working to deliver the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan (LTWP) and the LSIP.
Against this backdrop, NHS and social care representatives in SE London met with local leaders from higher and further education (H&FE) and BusinessLDN recently to discuss how greater cross-sector collaboration could help address staff shortages, transform our workforce and improve services.
The event, organised by BusinessLDN and hosted by King’s Health Partners (KHP), focussed on how skills and knowledge gaps might be tackled to enable more local people, especially those from underrepresented groups, to secure good jobs in health and care services and how our existing staff could be upskilled to better equip them for current and future needs.
Chaired by Mark Hilton, Policy Delivery Director, BusinessLDN, the panel of speakers included Jacqui Wakefield, SEL ICS Clinical and Care Professional Lead for Education – also Director of Education for KHP and Clinical Service Lead Neurorehabilitation for King’s College Hospital NHS Trust.
A range of potential new approaches was discussed, including how application processes for work experience students might be streamlined and how under-used simulation facilities in some colleges could be used to help upskill social care staff and non-clinical professionals.
It was also agreed that an assessment needed to be made around what core digital and data skills were needed to ensure all staff had a basic level of understanding and competence, as we move towards an increasingly paperless working environment.
A key theme was the mutual benefits of improved engagement – for example better alignment of strategic planning between H&FE providers and employers, and between employers, professional bodies and education on the development of new roles. It was also suggested that greater collaboration between LSIP partners could improve access to more funding streams.
Jacqui Wakefield said: “It was fantastic to have the opportunity to be part of this event and to share the KHP Education Strategy and the SEL ICS delivery plan for education.
“It is rare that we get the chance to meet and debate the education needs of our workforce with partners from health, social care, further and higher education and heartening, although unsurprising to hear that we share the same vision to grow the workface through the sharing of ideas, resources and aligning to the LTW plan. I look forward to further engagement to come with those in the room and to future sessions.”
