People Plan for Social Care launched at the House of Lords

The Institute of Health and Social Care Management

The Institute of Health and Social Care Management (IHSCM) has launched its People Plan for Social Care in the House of Lords.

The plan focuses on five areas: public image, recruitment, retention and wellbeing, training and pay and conditions.

Labour’s frontbench spokesperson for social care in the House of Lords Baroness Wheeler, said at the opening of the event: “Social care is a huge and diverse sector, aside from the service receivers themselves, our number-one priority must be the development and retention of a workforce that is skilled, motivated, inspired and experts in delivering the services required.”

IHSCM said the plan was written through co-operation with people working in and using care and has a strong focus on how approaches can change to reform the workforce, providing workers with a real professional identity and recognising them as skilled individuals.

Baroness Wheeler added: “The health and social care workforce and the need for an effective long-term plan features strongly in the recent deliberations of both Houses on the Health and Care Bill. The Institute’s people plan is therefore particularly timely, the development of a joined-up people plan to address all the requirements is vital, and I’m most grateful to the Institute for stepping up and creating one.”

In his speech, Jon Wilks chief executive of the IHSCM, congratulated the main writers of the plan, Adam Purnell, director of social care for IHSCM; Palvi Dodhia director and founder of Serene Care; Jasmeet Rai, associate director at RCH Care Homes; and Joan Bothma head of care at Carepoint Services, on creating a plan that was “relevant, accurate, and above all else honest.”

Purnell added: “We, the sector, are experts in what we do. We have the ability to influence and inspire. The future of care, the hope for reform, great leadership, it starts at the top, it isn’t about one single person shining, it isn’t about us or them. It’s about collaboration and coproduction.”

The plan is now heading into its second consultation period and the IHSCM will be hosting a series of round tables to capture even more voices and opinions to help inform the next version of the plan.

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