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Developing and investing in our workforce, culture and clinical and professional leadership

What are our overall aims by 2028?

System Culture and Organisational Development – People across our system will have better relationships, feel more connected and better understand the diversity of each other’s roles, contributions, value and experiences.  Our ICS will have compassionate leaders who proactively align to system, Place and organisational goals.

Attract; Recruit; Retain – We will collaborate in new and novel ways with system partners to attract and recruit people with right skills, values and capabilities, in ways that address structural inequalities and help build stronger socioeconomic outcomes and improved health and wellbeing for all.  Our retention priorities will be grounded in a solid evidence base and be context specific.

People Development – Organisations across our system will be supported in new and powerful ways to help their people fulfil their potential in both their professional development and personal wellbeing.  Neither background nor privilege will advantage or disadvantage people’s professional journeys.

Workforce Innovation – The system will have support to: (1) capture ICS level workforce opportunities at the intersection of workforce redesign, tech innovation and data innovation, and (2) create system level workforce innovations that respond to two needs: the delivery of enhanced efficiency and productivity from current models of care; and the delivery of new services or entirely new ways of working within new models of care and health for our workforce broadly, and for our people services.

 

What’s our starting point?

The Coventry and Warwickshire One People Plan was co-developed via an extensive multi-stakeholder engagement and research project, which demonstrated consensus of support for a One People Plan that spans the ICS. At the heart of this support was a call for the achievement of the four priorities for system level action set out above.  These priorities enable, but are not responsible for, Place based activity and deeply respect organisational autonomy.  

They also ensure the delivery of the NHS People Plan 2020/21, the 10 expectations of a People Function and the ICB Clinical and Care Professional Leadership Framework.  

Delivery of the One People Plan will be led by the ICB People Board through aligned subgroups and associated task and finish groups focused on improving the things that we currently do, as well as enabling innovation and transformation.

 

What are some of the key links to other parts of the plan?

The health and care workforce, and accordingly this section of the plan, support the delivery of all three strategic priorities and nine aligned areas of focus set out in our Integrated Care Strategy and shared across this plan.

Our people are our biggest asset and value is created for our population by the skills, experience and expertise of the people working within our system. Ensuring that we have the right mix of skilled staff in all parts of our system will support the improvement of health outcomes and reduce inequalities across Coventry and Warwickshire.

Our priorities in relation to clinical and care professional leadership are set out in detail in the System Transformation section.

 

What will we be focusing on in the next 2 years?

System Culture and Organisational Development 

Scope, design and deliver cultural competency interventions to support the creation of an inclusive and compassionate culture, piloting an Active Bystander Programme across the ICS. 

Develop plan to design and implement of career development interventions for current and future leaders that support increased inclusion for under-represented groups across the ICS and are aligned to the Coventry and Warwickshire Clinical and Care Professional Leadership Framework.

Further develop focus on the wellbeing of the health and care workforce through a co-ordinated offer across the ICS incorporating targeted interventions relating to mental wellbeing; financial wellbeing; physical health improvement and support for women going through the menopause. 
 

Attract; Recruit; Retain 

Through the Employability Task and Finish Group, widening access to employment and training opportunities for under-represented groups. Initially focusing on care leavers; refugees; people with a disability and routes to employment through volunteering.

Through our Project 1000 Programme transforming nursing education, recruitment and retention through a range of initiatives, including developing a nursing careers support package to support local recruitment to nursing programmes. Working with education partners to implement the Nursing Education Transformation Framework, focusing on developing education pathways from school or Further Education college; improving nursing undergraduate placement quality and experience; preparation for nursing practice; and improved employment progression models for nursing. 

Working with schools, colleges and career changers, to provide access to health and care vacancies, careers, apprenticeships, work experience and employability schemes.

Developing retention initiatives based on our assessment against the national Nursing Retention Self-assessment Tool. For nurses in mid career focusing on enhanced practice and flexible career pathways.  For nurses in later career focusing on access to information and guidance and legacy opportunities.  
 

People Development 

Building career pathways from entry level to experienced professional across professional groups, including apprenticeship strategy and new roles strategy for primary care.
 

Workforce Innovation 

Piloting the development of a Transformational Workforce Plan to support and enable the delivery of change aligned to another area of focus in this plan.

Developing a System Workforce Plan in response to the National Workforce Plan.

Digitising the People Functions across NHS organisations – scoping opportunities and viability, and agreeing accountabilities.  Focusing on pre-employment checks in year 1.  
 

Updating the priorities in this plan to ensure alignment to the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan (published June 2023).
 

Key Challenges 

Vacancy rates and skill shortages including nursing, therapies and support to care roles particularly in social care.

Planning for future workforce within funding constraints and uncertainty of organisation and education funding streams.

Retention of workforce – providing an environment that enables our workforce to be well-led, supported in their development and wellbeing. 

Diversity of workforce – ensuring that our workforce reflects the population that we serve and provides equality of opportunity within the health and care workforce. 

 

Key Metrics and Deliverables

System Culture and Organisational Development 

Achievement of a 5% sickness absence rate across NHS organisations.

Highest ranked Midlands ICS against identified NHS Staff Survey measures ‘We are safe and healthy’ and ‘We are compassionate and inclusive’ by 2025/26 i.e. over the initial two year period of this plan.

Improved pipeline of talent and increased black and minority ethnic representation at senior levels i.e. band 6 and above by 2025/6. 

Reduced turnover for black and minority ethnic staff.  
 

Attract; Recruit; Retain 

Highest ranked Midlands ICS against identified NHS Staff Survey measures ‘We work flexibly’; ‘I would recommend my organisation as a place to work’; and ‘If a friend or relative needed treatment I would be happy with the standard of care provided by this organisation’.

Workforce turnover rates.

Zero vacancy rate for adult nurses by end of 2026/27.

Increased UK and international nurse recruitment. 

Scaling up of Nursing Associate recruitment.

The offer of employability and education programmes to 400 individuals in 2023/24 with a 25% conversion rate to employment.
 

People Development 

Highest ranked Midlands ICS against NHS Staff Survey measure ‘We are always learning’ by 2025/26 i.e. over the initial two year period of this plan.

Reduction in vacancy rates for nursing and health care assistants.

Reduced nurse turnover and improved nurse retention at all levels from undergraduate to late career. 

Apprenticeship development entrants/completions increased 10% year on year.
 

Workforce Innovation 

Programme efficiency targets to be developed.