System clients: Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care System (N&W ICS)
WCP® led and developed the #WeCareTogether People Plan for the Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care System. This set out the system wide strategies to grow, retain and upskill the workforce across health and care services. This involved active participation with 91 organisations and engaged over 1,000 people to develop and test the strategies.
Post-Covid WCP were asked to revisit the strategies and developed the Refreshed #WeCareTogether People Plan for the Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care System, focusing on workforce challenges and strategies for the period 2023-2028.
The drivers for refreshing the People Plan included addressing workforce challenges, aligning with national and system influences, planning for future population needs. A system-level approach was taken to workforce planning, investing in the social care workforce, building a stronger pipeline of domestic supply, providing flexible training and education programs, developing leadership skills, creating career structures for growth and progression, changing infrastructure and systems. Critical to this, was taking consistent and concerted action at a local and national level, incorporating the views and feedback of the workforce, and planning for the future.
System level Diagnostic Workforce Transformation Workshop
To assist the Norfolk & Waveney Integrated Care System in considering the challenges around the diagnostic services workforce, WCP developed and ran a service specific workshop (September 2023). Engaging with local leaders, short and long term challenges and priorities were agreed with potential solutions to work on.
The key themes and opportunities identified include clinical engagement, skill-mix initiatives, collaboration with independent sectors, upskilling and developing new roles, and attracting multiple generations into diagnostic roles.
Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care System (HWE ICS)
WCP® was asked to undertake an external review of Virtual Wards/Virtual Hospitals at the ICS and Place level and provide recommendations for improvement. The focus was on improving training and development, clarifying roles and responsibilities, fostering a positive culture, providing effective leadership, improving systems and processes, and ensuring quality and safety in the Virtual Ward model. WCP then developed and facilitated system level workshops to support the implementation of the recommendations.
Mid and South Essex Integrated Care System (MSE ICS)
Mid and South Essex Integrated Care System had a challenge to bring together key stakeholders and organisations across the system to address high vacancy rates, staff absence and high turnover. To address this WCP developed the Health and Care Refreshed People Plan for the System, setting out strategies to address the challenges over the period of 2023-2028.
The People Plan provided a structured and collaborative approach to building capacity, capability, competencies, career structures, and infrastructure within the MSE ICS. It aligned with the aims and purpose of the ICS and incorporated WCP's Ripple Workforce Framework to support the retention and growth of the health and care workforce in the coming years.
Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care System (SNEE)
WCP® has worked with SNEE over a number of years to address workforce related challenges. WCP has developed and implemented strategies and health and wellbeing programmes, including the 'Can Do' People Plan, System Pharmacy Workforce Strategy and Medical Workforce Strategy.
The "Can Do" system Pharmacy Workforce Strategy 2022-2027 was developed using system level engagement with pharmacy workforce across the sectors. The purpose of the SNEE Pharmacy Workforce Strategy was to address the current and future challenges facing the pharmacy workforce, including recruitment and retention difficulties, burnout, and pharmacy closures. Plus transform pharmacy services in anticipation of future professional changes, such as the graduation of pharmacy undergraduate students as qualified Independent Prescribers (IP) in 2025/26. A number of system level workshops to support the implementation of the strategy were delivered.
WCP led and developed the draft of the Medical Workforce Strategy for the period 2023 to 2033 in SNEE, focusing on the retention, recruitment, and transformation of the medical workforce to meet the healthcare needs of the local population.
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Integrated Care System
WCP® led the system development and workforce plan for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough ICS, outlining the current workforce, challenges, and strategies for growth and improvement.
The plan focuses on the eight system workforce priorities:
- Growing the workforce
- Looking after our people
- New ways of delivering care
- Belonging
- Leadership and culture
- Creating healthy communities
- Efficient and effective processes
- Workforce/service transformation
Bedfordshire, Luton & Milton Keynes (BLMK) Integrated Care Services (ICS)
Currently leading on the system staff engagement and implementation of the national Digital Staff Passport programme. Supporting the enablement of health and social care workers to move between organisations more easily and create a stronger "one workforce" ethos. Delivering activities such as scoping exercises, staff engagement surveys, interviews with key stakeholders, project management, and on-going evaluation of the implementation.
East of England Clinical Senate Council
WCP® facilitated a focused workshop at a development day for the East of England Clinical Senate Council on 'The current and future workforce challenges'. WCP subsequently developed 'What have we learned about the current and future workforce challenges?'' report for the East of England Clinical Senate Council.
The report highlights the national workforce crisis, including the loss of skills, lack of flexibility, and low morale among staff. It emphasises the need to grow the workforce, invest in apprenticeships, and develop new roles and models of care. It also introduces the WCP Ripple Framework, which outlines five areas of focus for workforce transformation, and the Growth and Leadership Model, which suggests a shift in the role of registrants to focus on nurturing others, delivering advanced skills, and self-development. The report contains some concluding recommendations for the Clinical Senate Council to influence workforce transformation initiatives and promote flexibility, retention, and training opportunities.
Organisational clients
Delivered bespoke engagements to large NHS organisations including North East London Foundation Trust, Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, community providers such as Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust, GP primary care organisations within East of England and London areas, and Care Home organisations such as East Anglia Care Homes. These engagements range from service redesign, developing new patient pathways, workforce planning, workforce transformation, skill mix reviews, team coaching to improve performance and effectiveness, deep dives into services, and employee relations and recruitment programmes.
We offer individual coaching, team coaching, coaching supervision and clinical supervision to both private and public clients and teams. The range of professional coaches working for WCP are from both private and public sector backgrounds.
Strategy and Transformation engagements
Working with Workforce Challenge Partners was an absolute game-changer for our directorate. Their team's expertise and dedication to our projects were evident from day one. They took the time to truly understand our needs and objectives, providing specific solutions that exceeded our expectations.
NELFT