Workforce
Making sure the voices of staff from all ethnic backgrounds are heard are central to the objectives of the Workplace Race Equality Standard (WRES). In our first in a dedicated series of blogs, Brighton & Hove City Council’s Principal Social Workers Richard Cattell and Tom Stibbs reflect on challenges within their organisation, how the WRES supports their aims, and their commitment to transforming workplace culture.
"March has been the month when women’s contribution to the health, wealth and prosperity of our world has been emphatically celebrated. We want to tap into this rich resource of skills, empathy and lived experience" says Deborah Sturdy, Chief Nurse for Adult Social Care. "Earlier this month, we launched a consultation to inform a new Women’s Health Strategy. We need your views, concerns and ideas to help shape it and make it truly fit for purpose."
"When the pandemic first hit... everyone’s lives changed. It felt scary, especially so for staff in our care homes who provide 24 hour support to people with learning disabilities. In an effort to help everyone understand what coronavirus was, we got creative. Using arts and crafts we made signs to remind everyone to wash their hands and keep to social distancing rules. Making the residents a part of the process helped them understand the rules."
While the pandemic has reminded care staff how capable and resourceful they are in a crisis, the traumatic nature of their experiences over the last year has also meant learning to accept help from others. As a regional manager with Cygnet Health Care, Vicky Bradshaw was struck by how many of her colleagues have bonded and supported each other in ways they had not experienced before.
Across the UK, Lifeways employs almost 11,000 colleagues supporting nearly 5,000 adults with diverse and complex needs, across a variety of community settings, including our supported living services and residential homes. The COVID-19 pandemic means getting things right has never been more important for many thousands of people.
Homecare workers have demonstrated outstanding commitment, compassion and selflessness throughout the pandemic and have enabled around 850,000 older and disabled people to live safely and well at home. Vaccination of the 715,000 strong homecare workforce and the people they support is vital to protect their health and wellbeing. The more vaccines given, the more lives saved, so time is of the essence.
The roll out of new vaccines has offered a ray of hope during this challenging time. Deborah Sturdy, our Chief Nurse for Adult Social Care is delighted so many care home staff and residents have now been offered their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Deborah emphasises just how vital it it that everyone who can take up the offer of vaccination does so when their turn comes. She received the first dose recently and will be taking up the second in the next few months.
Skills for Care launched its monthly podcast series ‘The Care Exchange’ in November 2020. In each edition, its hosts talk to social care leaders and managers and invite them to share their experiences and learning, inspiring other managers and reassuring them they are not alone in the challenges they face.
In the current situation, opportunities to network with other managers are scarce, but listening to their podcast conversations is easy. Taking time to listen might also help your wellbeing - find out more!
Time lost but hope regained During this pandemic, milestone birthdays have been and gone, grandchildren have been born, and it’s heart-breaking our residents weren’t able to celebrate these important events with their loved ones. At Foxholes Care Home in Hertfordshire, …
This is Deborah Sturdy, Interim Chief Nurse for Adult Social Care's first blog of 2021 and one which she finds herself posting in unprecedented times. She is nonetheless honoured to have this opportunity to work with - not just the nursing profession - but the whole social care workforce, as together the sector strives to meet the continuing challenges of COVID-19.
