It has been quite some time since I have posted a blog, so thought I would take this opportunity to update you all with projects progress.
So between January and March 2014 the final draft of the ID workforce report that includes a number of recommendations for workforce commissioning and improvement was finished this then was submitted to HEKSS for review and sign off.
On the 22nd of January I had the opportunity to present our finding and summarise the potential recommendation from the project to the Strengthening the Commitment implementation group for England. The net result of the work we have done with StC is that the workforce scoping project has been referenced as a positive practice example in:
In February 2014, the international Care Ethics Observatory which is a collaboration between Surrey University and the Ethox foundation decided that it was important that Intellectual disabilities was included on its agenda for future ethical research projects.
In May 2014 Strengthening the Commitment implementation group for England again met with increased discussion around the need for Local education and training board involvement nationally to aid in ID workforce development.
In June 2014 as part of the skills development strategy for compassionate care from within Heath Education Kent, Surrey and Sussex a decision was taken to commission a change management project with the core subject being around heath and Intellectual disabilities.
In the same month the Kent and Medway Learning disability Community of Practice, ran an addressing Health Inequality Conference, where I presented on behalf of the project the Kent based findings.
In July 2014 HEKSS attempted to run their first workforce engagement and commissioning event for providers of ID NHS funded care. Due to uptake this event was postponed, due to poor provider engagement. On reflection this may have been as a result of the assumption that providers outside of the NHS would know who Health Education was and how they could potentially help develop the workforce.
Towards the end of July 2014 I had the opportunity to attend the Positive and Safe: workforce, training and development event hosted by Skills for Care in London to further raise the issue of workforce and development.
In August 2014 The 2nd Independent Sector Collaborative for Strengthening the commitment was held in York where for the first time including the work done by providers in HEKSS there where a further 7 Letbs around the table to discuss ID workforce development.
The ID Workforce report still remains pending but a meeting has been arranged with HEKSS in the next few weeks to discuss the report’s recommendations, which should lead to the final version of the report and its launch publically so that others can use it as a tool for change locally and nationally.
This project must only be the start of things to come and hopefully will aid others in further developing this work to create a sustainable workforce for all who require it.
Fingers cross the next post will be to share the ID workforce report produced for HEKSS
Workforce Development for & with People with Intellectual Disabilities 