Written Evidence for the Health Devolution Commission
UPDATE: The full report has now been published and can be accessed here!
In May this year, Breaking Barriers Innovations was invited to submit evidence to the Health Devolution Commission, drawn from the place-based programmes we have been working on in partnership with Health Education England (HEE). These programmes address the social determinants of health, including considering the education, training and workforce transformation implications at a local and national level.
The key points we make in this submission are summarised as follows:
- Our programme provides a unique evidence-based methodology that identifies a dominant strategic and tangible objective at the outset that every local organisation can get on board with. This is critical for moving beyond the planning stage for place.
- There is a significant, latent appetite across local NHS providers to plan and deliver with non-traditional partners i.e. housing, education and regeneration.
- A system is a more efficient means of marshalling resources, but not in itself “place”.
- Responsibility for a place cannot rest with a single system leader or organisation, but requires organisations to work collaboratively on a truly joint basis for planning and commissioning in a local area.
- Industry have an important role to play from the outset of the programme – they should not be seen as solely part of the supply chain, but as partners in development and innovation.
- Place provides the canvas for us to radically rethink workforce planning and to consider skills and competencies required in the workforce, rather than the professionally defined roles and tasks. Traditional professional and organisational siloes constrain the ability to consider what roles would make the greatest difference in promoting good health and making earlier interventions.
- Service improvement (including digital improvement/transformation, and data and evidence-based decision-making) and population health are two sides of the same coin and should not be mutually exclusive.
Education, training and workforce transformation cannot take place in isolation, but must be part of the wider strategies and approach to service transformation. For example, filling the gaps in recruitment is only part of the solution, what is needed is a radical rethink about the nature and type of roles that are required and how to leverage workforce planning to meet the twin aims of delivering services and improving population health. There is a need for workforce planning and transformation at local levels that can support:
- greater integration of health and social care strategy and delivery;
- a radical uplift in the approach to prevention, public health management and addressing the social determinants of health;
- increasing digital competency and development and use of technological health innovations;
- public engagement and participation;
- improving and protecting staff welfare;
- “growing your own workforce” by maximising the use of local employment markets to transform local workforces, and through relevant education and training opportunities;
- broadening the recruitment base for health and social care through skills passports, competency based learning and cross profession/sector skills ladders.
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