Agenda item

In July the committee requested updates on the wellbeing of health and social care staff following media coverage suggesting many workers were facing extreme challenges after 18 months of working intensively. The committee has already received an update from health partners; this second report updates on the work taking place within the council to support its staff and in consequence ensure ongoing service delivery continues to be effective.

The Director Adult Care Operations; Access and Reablement referred the Committee to the report contained in the agenda pack and gave an overview of the key findings. Recruitment was identified as a key challenge, particularly in certain teams where the vacancy rate is up to 31 percent. Whilst the council was successful in recruiting newly qualified staff there were issues with retaining experienced staff and turnover was higher than the national average. Challenges had also been identified in providing peer support given that many staff were working remotely during Covid-19. An overarching workforce strategy was being developed in order to address the issues identified. The strategy would include a range of measures to improve recruitment, such as further engagement with universities over placements and supporting degree apprenticeships. Other measures would focus on allowing staff time for recovery and building a supportive working environment.

During the course of the discussion the following points were made:

• Concerns were raised about feedback from a staff survey identifying the drawbacks of remote working, such as creating social isolation and making communication more difficult. Given that some staff may prefer the chance to return to the office, questions were asked about the ratio of staff to available desk spaces and whether staff, who wanted to, had been given the chance to return to work. The director noted that there had been a variety of feedback and work was underway with different teams to provide support for individuals. Due to the varying requirements of different teams some teams needed more of a presence in County Hall whilst others were able to carry out more work remotely.

• Members noted that a reduced level of staff sickness had been reported over the past year and the director explained that they would monitor this to see if levels increased once staff were attending the office on a frequent basis.

• It was noted that experienced staff numbers were the greatest area of focus and concern. A range of measures were being considered to address this issue, such as encouraging those who had left the profession to return to work and allowing more flexible working.

• Questions were asked about whether information was available about where staff went after they left their roles, such as whether the left the profession or took a similar job with a different employer. It was noted that they left for a variety of reasons but that exit interviews were being undertaken.

• The Director of People was also present and noted that senior managers met with a staff reference group, representing all adult social care teams, to discuss the workforce strategy.

• Officers were unable to confirm whether members of a supported graduate scheme were expected to stay with the council for a minimum period of time upon qualification. However, they did note that staff had to have worked for the council for a certain period on order to be applicable for an apprenticeship.

Resolved:

1)    To thank officers for the update.

2)    To note the work taking place to address adult social care challenges and its associated impact on wellbeing of staff.

3)    To invite an update in the spring of 2022 about the work undertaken to prepare for the government’s new Health and Social Care Bill.