Our Final Health and Social Care Forum
Our final Health and Social Care Forum 'Celebrating Success, Achievement and the Future' was held on 17th May 2011 at Dorney Lake, Windsor. The aim of this final Forum was for partners and stakeholders in the sector to celebrate the successes of the last few years.
Professor David Sines CBE set the scene with a presentation on 'Change ... Real Change'. Professor Sines spoke about the challenges likely to be faced by the NHS over the next few years and the priorities for the workforce, referring to the likelihood of continued demand for trained health and social care practitioners at Levels 3 and 4. Highlighted was the need to continue driving forward and improving the skills and competencies of the workforce, particularly in the light of the additional demands likely to be placed on Bands 3 and 4 staff as a result of the introduction of an all-graduate nursing workforce.
This was followed by a series of 'Experience the impact' presentations, focusing on various successful projects funded by Progress South Central. Anna Prygodzicz, NHS South Central SHA's Education Commissioning Manager, referred to the small proportion of annual training and development spend in the NHS and social care sectors that is targeted at staff working in support roles, and discussed four projects funded by Progress South Central that have addressed this by focusing specifically on Bands 1 to 4. Karen Stevens of Skills for Care spoke about the role of Dementia Champions in the domiciliary care workforce. Another presentation focused on the 'Oliver's Story' and 'Lily's Story' projects, part of the 'Berkshire Care Ambassadors 2011' project being run by Bracknell & Wokingham College on behalf of Progress South Central. Stephen Fox, Head of Bucks New University's School of Social Sciences (Primary Care and Education) spoke of 'the ripple effect', referring to the outcomes and impacts of LLN-funded projects at Bucks New University over the last few years. Gail Irvine of Dynamic Training UK Ltd spoke about the three projects that Dynamic Training have delivered with LLN funding, including the Work Health Trainer project which has been a great success and has the potential to be rolled out nationally.
The Forum ended on an upbeat note, with partners being encouraged to focus on the impact and sustainability of the work supported by the LLN and ensure the LLN's continuing legacy as things move forward.