Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 12
12
The Chief Nursing Officer of NHSE&I emphasised how the COVID-19 pandemic has illustrated the importance...
Conclusion
The Chief Nursing Officer of NHSE&I emphasised how the COVID-19 pandemic has illustrated the importance of social care and the value of better integration between health and social care. She commented that “if anything good can come out of it [the pandemic], that will be the focus on social care” and “if there is anything to learn from the pandemic, it is about how we have closer integration between health and social care … which therefore includes the workforce.”22 However, the Department told us that social care will not be included in the NHS People Plan as the focus of the plan is on developing the workforce to deliver the Long Term Plan for the NHS.23 Social care nurses are also not included in the NHSE&I and HEE model of the supply and demand of nurses to the NHS, which supports the People Plan .24 The Department argued that it would be too challenging to develop an integrated workforce plan for health and social care as the sectors have different statutory bases and its powers and influences over them are not the same.25
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
4.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Spring 2021 4.2 Whilst the government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation, it does not agree with the conclusion that the nursing needs of social care are an unaddressed afterthought. DHSC, NHSE&I, HEE and nursing partners work closely in planning the nursing workforce, taking account of the number of nursing staff who go into social care, the private sector and other employment, as well as those employed in the NHS. 4.3 Unlike the NHS, the adult social care workforce is not nationally administered – rather it is a diverse sector, with 1.5 million staff employed in around 24,000 employers. The department recognises the need to support the whole workforce and fund programmes and initiatives to support nurse recruitment, retention, development and wellbeing. 4.4 In 2020-21, the department provided £26.3 million funding to Skills for Care to deliver strategic social care workforce priorities, including £300,000 to support the Registered Nursing and Registered Nursing Associate workforce, reflecting variation across sectors and disciplines. Activities include tailored advice and guidance on recruitment and retention, alongside specific COVID-19 activity, including supporting nurse deployment through NSHE&I’s Bring Back Staff Programme. 4.5 Skills for Care have supported development of the Nursing Associate Apprenticeship and Registered Nurse Degree Apprenticeship and advocate for their take up by social care employers. The department is committed to increasing Nursing Associates in social care, which will contribute to capacity for core nursing work and free up registered nurses to focus on more complex clinical care. 4.6 The department’s 2020 to 2021 Social Care Winter Plan includes the appointment of a Chief Nurse for Social Care, to provide professional leadership to the workforce and help achieve parity with the NHS nursing workforce.