National Care Service: workforce charter summary of co-design findings

What we learned

1. A sense of belonging is important to members of the workforce who will be part of the National Care Service

Workforce members feel that it would be good to have a workforce charter. In particular it would be helpful to give a common national identity to all the members of the workforce and make them feel part of one single, unified workforce with a common sense of purpose. It could also create a sense of belonging in the National Care Service and support a change in culture and leadership.

Workforce representatives feel a workforce charter could be a way to bring people together and should apply to people employed by:

• different organisations
• employers of all sizes
• different sectors

Here are some of the things people said during our discussions:

"Do we want or need one [a Workforce Charter]? Yes. I think its role and function can be about unifying the National Care Service because it will bring together people that are employed by different agencies, etc."

"[It would be] beneficial to have a charter that gives staff identity as part of a joint workforce."

"People in the NHS have a strong sense of belonging, but in the social care sector, they maybe feel they belong to the individual organisation that they are employed by. But the charter says that you belong in something that is new, different, and bigger than just your organisation – the NCS."

How we will use this

We will continue to engage with members of the workforce and their representatives as we develop workforce charter prototypes. We will think about how a workforce charter could be used to create a sense of belonging and connection. We will check with the workforce to make sure a charter will benefit them.

2. It is important to understand who we mean when we talk about the National Care Service workforce

Members of the workforce felt the scope of the National Care Service workforce needs to be better defined. This would make it clearer who a charter applies to as members of the workforce from different sectors and employers will deliver services on behalf of the National Care Service.

Members of the workforce also suggested that:

• it is unclear who we mean when we talk about the National Care Service workforce
• a National Care Service workforce charter should focus on services and not on groups of workers, such as social workers, social care workers, community health workers
• a workforce charter should apply to people working in the public, private and voluntary sectors to create consistency across the National Care Service

Here are some of the things people said during our discussions:

"As you develop the charter there needs to be consultation to understand these things like different services, etc to ensure it is clear who exactly is in scope."

"The mistake made with [other legislation] was that they focused on labelling areas of the workforce – community health, social care, social work – but didn't focus on the services they are delivering."

"If it only includes some parts of the workforce, e.g. including local authority but not the third sector, then it will create differences, disparity, and distance between areas of the workforce."

How we will use this

When working on the workforce charter prototypes, we will consider how we define who the workforce is to make this easier to understand. We will work with key stakeholders to test out a definition of the National Care Service workforce.

3. The workforce must be able to understand and uphold shared values

Members of the workforce are unsure of how a values section in a workforce charter can protect them or be upheld.

Members of the workforce also felt:

• for values to be put into practice, the workforce needs access to the correct resources
• if values were unspecific, it could be difficult to know if these were being upheld
• a workforce charter would need to ensure values are clear and could be put into practice, for them to be beneficial to the workforce

Here are some of the things people said during our discussions:

"The importance of values is around how well they are implemented. Fine to commit and having something is worthwhile but need to implement, have resources to implement and staff signing up."

"What does this really mean in practice, in absolute reality, and how does the Workforce Charter protect me in terms of this value? How do I challenge things when a value isn't being upheld? How can I do this when a statement is so broad?"

"It is important to know what the values are, what we are sharing, and that people know about them. Having that very clear is important."

How we will use this

We will continue to work with members of the workforce, through co-design, and with our stakeholder advisory group to understand shared values across the workforce. We will explore how we can capture these in a workforce charter.

4. Having employment rights in a workforce charter would make them easier to find

Members of the workforce feel a rights section would be beneficial as they are not always easy to find. However, it would be important to consider what employment rights to include.

Members of the workforce also told us:

• rights included in a workforce charter should be employment rights which apply to all members of the workforce and not just certain sectors
• we should include rights such as disability, maternity, sick pay, annual leave and the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations, 2006 (commonly referred to as TUPE) as well as other important rights such as carer's rights and flexible working
• the rights section should be easy to understand and not too detailed
• we need to make it clear that these are legal rights and not just guidance

Here are some of the things people said during our discussions:

"Don't think it would do any harm [a section on rights] but need to be clear your employment contract may state additional things. Not always easy to find on your own so could be a good thing to include. Can't think of a reason not to include it."

"This section isn't guidance – this is my legal rights through employment legislation that everyone is entitled to, and this section needs to make that clear that this isn't guidance, it's the law."

"Need to be rights that apply to all of the workforce, not just certain parts of the workforce that are in scope."

How we will use this

We will consider how we use what we have heard to inform a rights section as we develop workforce charter prototypes. We will test these through further co-design with members of the workforce and their representatives.

5. The workforce welcomed the idea of a pledge being made to them from the National Care Service

Members of the workforce support the idea of the National Care Service making a commitment to support them in the work they do.

Members of the workforce feel that a pledge would encourage, enable and support:

• sharing of best practice
• robust reporting
• learning
• a person-centred approach

This would ultimately improve the service provided.

Members of the workforce told us:

• a pledge should also include National Care Service boards promoting the good work that the workforce do
• they would like the pledge to include a commitment to promote training and mental wellbeing for the workforce
• it would need to be clear who is making the pledge and who they were pledging to

Here are some of the things people said during our discussions:

"NCS has a responsibility to promote the good work that the care service does; actively and robustly reporting the good work that's done right across our sector. Would be a really good way of recognising and valuing the staff."

"Learning from feedback from those using care is just as important, so may be worth having an addition on how we have made a difference and how this is shared around us, out with complaints. Interactions and human relations also improve service as it goes on. Getting feedback and learning from those using the service – capturing this is important."

"I want to see the charter strengthen the commitment to protecting the workforce to look after their wellbeing."

"Protected time for training during work hours needs to be written in here [in charter] somewhere."

How we will use this

We will continue to consider what we have heard as we develop prototypes of a workforce charter and test these with members of the workforce and our stakeholders.

6. A workforce charter may not need to outline roles and responsibilities

Workforce members feel a charter should focus on describing how valuable the workforce is and what their rights are rather than what they are expected to do.

Members of the workforce also told us:

• their role and responsibilities are covered by their codes of practice and job contracts
• if a charter highlights how the workforce is valued and respected, it will help people to get attracted and retained in the social care discipline

Here are some of the things people said during our discussions:

"The purpose of the Charter is to show that the workforce is supported and valued. This is a list of things they need to do – this doesn't feel aligned."

"We would need to be really clear about the interaction between the NCS and respective employers - we wouldn't want to confuse the role of the employer. It needs to be clear what the role of the NCS at the national level is, and what the role of respective employers would be..."

"We know about our responsibilities to service users – we have qualifications and registrations for that!"

How we will use this

Using workforce charter prototypes, we will continue to test a roles and responsibilities section with members of the workforce and their representatives. This will help us make sure the content is consistent and does not duplicate information available elsewhere.

7. Some conditions are needed for a workforce charter to be useful to the workforce

Members of the workforce believe that the sector needs the correct resources to implement a workforce charter and that the content needs to be realistic.

Members of the workforce also told us:

• a workforce charter should not duplicate guidance and codes of practice that already exist
• organisations will need time and financial support to implement a charter
• they would like to know who will be accountable for the charter and creating an environment where it can benefit the workforce
• they worry a workforce charter would be aspirational, but not achievable due to staffing levels and diversity in roles across the workforce

Here are some of the things people said during our discussions:

"From our point of view, we are supportive of the principle of a charter. However there is little or no point of a set of rules that apply to all staff to make them feel valued if the providers and organisations don't have the funding or resources to adhere to the principles of the charter."

"I think it [charter] should also apply to the NCS Board. This is important because the board are responsible strategically at a national level – they need to be accountable under the charter and adhere to it too."

"I think it is crucial that you don't set out a workforce charter that is unattainable. It needs to be something that Scottish Government can support and finance/fund to make it achievable."

How we will use this

We will continue to think about current guidance and legislation to ensure a workforce charter will not contradict these or cause confusion for members of the workforce or their employers. We will continue to work with members of the workforce and stakeholders to ensure the content of a workforce charter is achievable.

8. An implementation plan is important

People told us that for the charter to be successfully adopted, there should be a clear implementation and monitoring plan. The plan should provide clarity on how the workforce can use the charter and who will be accountable for it.

We also heard:

• a clear implementation plan will give the workforce confidence in the use and value of a charter
• we should be measuring the impact of a workforce charter

Here are some of the things people said during our discussions:

"Implementation is key. I will be interested in the implementation plan of a charter."

"Want to demonstrate how has this made a difference/what is the learning from this/what is the difference that we expect to make/why now. It is about continuous improvement and how is that learning going to be shared to take the NCS into society."

How we will use this

We will work with stakeholders to understand how we can implement a workforce charter. We want to do this in a way that will benefit the workforce and stakeholders rather than make things more difficult or complicated. We will consider how we can monitor the success of a workforce charter, including any data we may have or may need in future.