In order to resolve the challenges the home-support sector faces, I have established a cross-departmental Strategic Workforce Advisory Group.
Following a call for submissions from relevant stakeholders, I opened the first meeting of the cross-departmental Strategic Workforce Advisory Group in March 2022. The remit of the Group is to identify—and formulate recommendations to address—strategic workforce challenges in the home-support and nursing home sectors. Accordingly, the Group is examining issues such as the recruitment, retention, training, career-development, and pay and conditions of front-line carers in these sectors so that solutions can be found. Recruitment issues related to employment of non-EEA citizens have been considered and a number of Departments consulted.
To date the Group has met five times and it’s deliberations have been informed by a structured programme of stakeholder-engagement consisting of a series of bilateral meetings and a facilitated workshop. Engagement with key stakeholders in the home-support and nursing home sectors continues to inform the Group’s exploration of the issues arising.
The Group will submit a report outlining key findings and recommendations for my consideration by end of September 2022.