More & Different Regional Summit

Building on the insights and recommendations from Phase 1, BBI invited stakeholders from across the health and social care world to one of our pilot sites for the first Phase 2 regional summit to highlight what we’ve accomplished so far, what we’ve learned along the way, and the critical changes needed to put our original recommendations into action. Dive in to see the highlights from the presentations and discussion in Peterborough, and how we’re shaping the next chapter and paving the way for greater impact.

The More and Different programme, launched by seven ICB Systems and two Local Authorities in 2022, has become a timely response to the urgent workforce challenges faced by health and social care sectors. These challenges have been further recognised by the Government’s Get Britain Working Again strategy, which emphasises job creation, upskilling, and workforce reintegration, as well as the NHS 10-Year Plan Review, which highlights the need for sustainable workforce solutions to meet rising healthcare demands. Both strategies call for collaboration, local flexibility and innovation, and smarter use of existing resources—principles at the heart of the More and Different programme.

At its core, the programme focuses on creating accessible career pathways anchored around the workforce needs of health and social care while prioritising the need to grow the talent pool and being able to sustain beyond the pilot phase.

Through its national community of practice, More and Different accelerates progress by enabling employers and systems to share learning, spend less on development, and focus on activating proven solutions.

The urgency of this work was underlined during the recent regional summit, hosted by Cambridgeshire and Peterborough (C&P) and Bedfordshire, Luton, and Milton Keynes (BLMK) Integrated Care Boards (ICBs).The summit coincided with key national developments, including the announcement of the closure of Luton’s Vauxhall factory, which left 1,100 workers facing unemployment. This underscored the pressing need for alternative, accessible career pathways in the region. The event itself took place the day after the launch of the Government’s Get Britain Working Again strategy and the review of Level 7 apprenticeships, both of which stress the importance of coordinated efforts to support displaced workers and future-proof the workforce.

Regional Context

The hosting ICBs, BLMK and C&P, have been at the forefront of developing innovative employment pathways, particularly targeting two groups with untapped potential: young care leavers and unpaid carers. These cohorts face significant challenges in accessing and retaining meaningful employment. Through the More and Different programme, these systems are piloting an employment pathway to integrate these groups into the local health and social care workforce, starting with trials in Fenland and Luton.

These trials not only aims to create opportunities for young care leavers and unpaid carers but also seeks to identify scalable and sustainable solutions for wider adoption.

With presentations from BBI Chairman Lord Patel of Bradford, Bedford Luton and Milton Keynes ICB Deputy Chief People Officer Bethan Billington, Cambridgeshire & Peterborough ICB Deputy Chief People Officer Dr Ade Tams, and Cambridgeshire Community Services’ (CCS) Head of Strategic Workforce Planning Lucy Dennis, who spent some time detailing the innovative work CCS have done as part of More and Different in creating a first-of-its-kind, entirely made for purpose role, there was certainly plenty of inspiration for attendees to take the bold steps required toward making the changes needed today for the workforce of the future.

For more details about the event, please contact Joel Rennie at joel.rennie@bbi.uk.com or Jacqui Gibson at jacqui.gibson@bbi.uk.com

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