Health, Wellbeing and Local Government Committee
Committee Inquiry into Health and Social Care Workforce Planning - Evidence from the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA)
1. Purpose
1.1 This report provides evidence for the Committee’s inquiry from the WLGA, based on the specific questions provided.2. Background
2.1 The Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) represents the interests of local government and promotes local democracy in Wales. It represents the 22 local authorities in Wales, with the 4 police authorities, 3 fire and rescue authorities and 3 national park authorities as associate members.
2.2 The WLGA’s primary purposes are to promote better local government, its reputation and to support authorities in the development of policies and priorities which will improve public services and democracy.
2.3 Originally established in 1996 primarily as a policy development and representative body, the WLGA has since developed into an organisation that also leads on improvement and development, equalities, procurement, employment issues and hosts a range of partner bodies supporting local government.
WLGA Employment team support for workforce planning
2.4 The WLGA employs a 'Skills and Capacity Advisor’ as a resource for authorities, to provide support on issues relating to workforce planning and development.
2.5 The WLGA in partnership with NLIAH and PSMW has created a public services workforce planning network and developed a series of learning exchanges under the title ’Making People Count’ for 2007/8. These exchanges are learning events which facilitate the sharing of knowledge, experience and practice across public services. The events are currently provided at no cost to participants and are reliant on the goodwill of all partners.
2.6 The WLGA has issued guidance and provides information on workforce planning to local authorities and other members via its website.
2.7 The WLGA has launched an annual Skills Summit which with the support of PSMW and NLIAH will be extended to include the wider public services for 2008. The Skills Summit was created to raise the profile of people development within the context of business performance and improvement and the next event is titled 'developing capacity for collaboration and change’ focusing on aspects of organisational development and talent management.
2.8 Local Government Analysis and Research (LGAR) in London is currently working on a national minimum dataset for local government in England, which plans to incorporate the national minimum dataset for social care also developed in England. The WLGA and Local Government Data Unit (LGDU) are keeping a watching brief and will have access to this work when complete in Autumn 2008. It is hoped that this may provide a useful reference for any similar developments in Wales.
Social Services Improvement Agency
2.9 The Social Services Improvement Agency (SSIA) was established in 2006. Funded by the Welsh Assembly Government and hosted by the WLGA, the Agency has the express aim of supporting step improvements across Social Services in Wales. This is delivered through an ambitious and wide-ranging work programme supporting individual authorities, pilot programmes focused on particular areas of service, and facilitation and support of collaborative working at a regional level. Working with a range of partners, including ADSS Cymru, CSSIW and Care Council for Wales, elements of the work programme focus on workforce-related issues. These include: the formulation of development programmes for strategic leaders and team managers (see Paragraph 2.30), development of a combined public sector social care agency in South East Wales to improve the supply and quality of contingency staff: a collaborative workforce development project in South East Wales; and supporting Care Council Wales and other stakeholders in scenario planning for future needs (Paragraph 2.20). In addition the Agency’s regional improvement coordinators are supporting a range of local projects focusing on staff development, including innovative mentoring and coaching programmes.
2.10 Agency programmes that focus on other areas, such as improving commissioning and enhancing assessment and care management practice, also have workforce implications in terms of skills sets required to embrace new and innovative models of service delivery. Developmental support provided (for example consultancy support to pioneer councils in the 'Better Outcomes for Children in Need’ programme aimed at improving commissioning of services for vulnerable children), seeks to address emerging needs in relation to skills and competencies.
Q1 Is workforce planning undertaken by the right agencies and in such as way that takes into account other key factors such as finance, service planning training capacity? Should it be more or less centralised?
2.11 Workforce planning is integral to strategic and business planning at a local level and should not be done in isolation on a centralised basis.
2.12 Local authorities plan, commission and deliver services in response to local needs and workforce planning done in this context benefits from the specialised knowledge and expertise of those involved in service design and delivery at that level.
2.13 Integrated workforce planning encourages workforce issues to be considered alongside other aspects of the operation, recognising the interdependencies between resources and the need to respond to business dynamics holistically.
2.14 There is value in developing a unified system for workforce planning across local authorities that would promote consistency and enable local plans to be aggregated at a regional and/or national level. However, it is important that ownership of this information local, given that a large proportion of the service and workforce is located in large numbers of small, but economically important, local businesses.
Q2 Is the information available to workforce planning of sufficient quantity and quality to ensure effective planning?
2.15 Many local authorities have recently upgraded or employed new computerised HR systems which will improve the quality, quantity and accessibility of workforce information in the future.
2.16 Local authorities routinely complete a plethora of workforce information returns but each has been developed or evolved in response to different needs. The result is duplication and a diversity of information which may be incompatible and has limited impact on workforce planning. Improved coordination is required to promote greater consistency and coherence, harmonise existing activity, reduce the burden on local authorities and maximise data use and effectiveness.
2.17 Currently there are many different areas within the assembly looking at workforce information, in addition cross-cutting themes such as Making the Connections and the Children and Young People’s Plans will place an increasing emphasis on cross-sector workforce planning. It is suggested that a long term goal should be greater co-ordination between departments within the Welsh Assembly Government leading to the harmonisation of workforce information systems across the Welsh public services.
2.18. The creation of a national minimum data set would assist in establishing a single approach to Social Services workforce planning and a common framework across the sector however this will need to be consistent/ synergise with corporate systems. Local authorities cannot be expected to manage a series of different data collection exercises for different service areas across the business, which when complete do not allow a corporate overview.
Q3 Is workforce planning undertaken with sufficient regard to future patterns of demand for services?
2.19 Demographic changes will continue to both create an increasing demand for social services and impact the nature and availability of labour supply. Due to the demographic shifts, individual needs are becoming more complex, for example as the life expectancy for young people with severe physical and learning disabilities increases, and the size of the very elderly population continues to grow. These are key considerations in workforce and service planning.
2.20 Workforce planning is integral to service planning and therefore attempts to predict and take account of future needs however improvements in information supply and support for workforce planning to enable better results to be achieved is to be encouraged. There is a multiplicity of process guidance available but little investment in the workforce planning infrastructure and practical tools and techniques to aid workforce planning activity on the ground. It is suggested that the Welsh Assembly Government invests in skills development in areas such as scenario planning and future forecasting and practical support, such as the current project by Care Council Wales to design a workforce planning tool.
Q4 Are all stakeholders included in process e.g. from the statutory, voluntary and private sectors?
2.21 Local authorities employ a relatively low number of employees within the sector directly but are major commissioners of services and within the context of one sector one workforce actively engage and involve colleagues from across the statutory, voluntary and private sectors to determine workforce development needs and priorities. It is important to recognise that employer engagement is difficult and whilst a significant number of suppliers readily participate, not all wish to engage and some find it difficult to identify and articulate their future needs when business pressures are forcing them to focus on the 'here and now’.
Q5 To what extent do current arrangements support or hinder effective joint working between health and social care and across the statutory, voluntary and private sectors?
2.22 It is important to recognise that workforce planning within both health and social care originated and has developed from a different base. The NHS has been workforce planning since 1988 whereas the requirement within social services is by contrast relatively new, having been introduced in the last five years. The systems, processes and support available to support workforce planning within each sector were developed separately and are different.
2.23 The creation of a national minimum data set that promotes consistency across social care and where possible the health service would greatly assist a shared approach. Similarly investment in the workforce planning infrastructure including personal development and support systems similar to that provided for the health service would be welcomed.
2.24 Health, Social Care and Wellbeing strategies will continue to have a key role in encouraging the development of joint planning and commissioning, and the development of an effective health and social care workforce for adult’s services.
Q6 What are the arrangements for workforce planning in areas with cross border patterns of service use (e.g. health service in north Wales)?
2.25 We have no information relating to such activity at present.
Q7 To what extent do current workforce planning arrangements affect the use of agency staff and what is the impact of this on budgets?
2.26 Further to 'Social Work in Wales: A Profession to Value’ local authorities continue to actively recruit to address skills shortages, these recruitment initiatives should in time create changes in the workforce including the numbers of agency staff required to fill gaps.
Q8 Are the current arrangements addressing the need for Welsh speaking and Black and Minority Ethnic staff?
2.27 The WLGA does not have specific statistics or information around work in this area for each of the 22 local authorities, and therefore cannot make a judgement. Local Authority social care workforce plans may provide some indication. It is likely that research would be needed to make a full assessment of how successful current arrangements are.
Q9 To what extent is workforce planning anticipating changing patterns of service commissioning and provision and the changing or blurring of professional roles?
Please see Paragraphs 2.10, 2.19 and 2.20.
Q10 Does workforce planning take sufficient account of the need for trained and effective managers?
2.28 Local authorities, through the Social Care Workforce Development Partnership (SCDWP), prepare annual workforce development plans which articulate leadership and management training needs alongside other skills gaps including professional qualifications and basic skills. The plans are submitted to and are supported by funding from Welsh Assembly Government.
2.29 Improved national frameworks which support skills development and succession planning across the sector are to be welcomed. Any frameworks will need to take account of the diversity of labour supply, recognising that the workforce includes skilled labour from other occupations such as occupational therapy and youth justice, and will also need to be developed within the context of policies that promote collaborative working such as shared services and the Children and Young Peoples Partnerships.
2.30 The Social Services Improvement Agency (SSIA) has two workstreams within its current programme aimed at supporting managers at different levels to meet future challenges and provide effective leadership in social care. These include:
A Strategic Leadership Development programme to support aspiring leaders of the future, working in partnership with the National Leadership and Innovation Agency for Health (NLIAH), and
A programme for managers of social work staff focusing on the development and assurance of effectiveness and quality in social work practice.
2.31 Both programmes are very much aimed at reflecting forthcoming challenges brought by changes in user need and the resulting need to deliver services in new ways.
Q11 To what extent have the European working time directive and the increasingly international labour market had an impact on, and been acknowledged in workforce planning?
2.32 The working time directive has had a clear and demonstrable impact seen in the change from sleeping in arrangements to the introduction of night shifts, resulting in an increase in costs for employers as flat rates are replaced by hourly rates.
2.33 Local authorities actively recruit from the local labour market whilst acknowledging the contribution that the international labour market can make to meet hard to fill vacancies and any resulting skills shortages.
3. Summary / Recommendations
3.1 There is value in developing a unified system for workforce planning across local authorities that would promote consistency and enable local plans to be aggregated at a regional and/or national level.
3.2 Local authorities routinely complete a plethora of workforce information returns but each has been developed or evolved in response to different needs. The result is duplication and a diversity of information which may be incompatible and has limited impact on workforce planning. Improved coordination is required to promote greater consistency and coherence, harmonise existing activity, reduce the burden on local authorities and maximise data use and effectiveness.
3.3 Currently there are many different areas within the assembly looking at workforce information, in addition cross-cutting themes such as Making the Connections and the Children and Young People’s Plans will place and increasing emphasis on cross-sector workforce planning. It is suggested that a long term goal should be greater co-ordination between departments within the Welsh Assembly Government leading to the harmonisation of workforce information systems across the Welsh public services.
3.4 The creation of a national minimum data set would assist in establishing a single approach to Social Services workforce planning and a common framework across the sector however this will need to be consistent/ synergise with corporate systems. Local authorities cannot be expected to manage a series of different data collection exercises for different service areas across the business, which when complete do not allow a corporate overview.
3.5 Workforce planning is integral to service planning and therefore attempts to predict and take account of future needs however improvements in information supply and support for workforce planning to enable better results to be achieved is to be encouraged. There is a multiplicity of process guidance available but little investment in the workforce planning infrastructure and practical tools and techniques to aid workforce planning activity on the ground. It is suggested that the Welsh Assembly Government invests in skills development in areas such as scenario planning and future forecasting and practical support, such as the current project by the Care Council to design a workforce planning tool.
3.6 Improved national frameworks which support skills development and succession planning across the sector are to be welcomed. Any frameworks will need to take account of the diversity of labour supply, recognising that the workforce includes skilled labour from other occupations such as occupational therapy and youth justice, and will also need to be developed within the context of policies that promote collaborative working such as shared services and the Children and Young Peoples Partnerships.
