Looking ahead, HCPA is poised to leverage its robust membership base and strong partnerships within the system. Our role as intermediaries between providers and the system remains pivotal, and this year, our focus has been on revitalizing networking meetings, both in-person and online. We’ve heeded feedback and doubled down on enhancing our education offerings. Our approach emphasises not just training, but creating an enriching learning journey for our members, incorporating local case studies and trend monitoring to provide practical tools and resources on our member pages.
Services are at the core of our member support, and we’re committed to meeting needs. This year, we’ve shifted focus towards business support, tailoring bespoke packages to help providers assess their services, identify improvement areas, and drive change. Our array of survey tools underscores our dedication to acting on feedback, as showcased on our Business Development pages.
At HCPA, our commitment extends beyond providers and managers to front-line workers. We’ve heavily invested in the Care Professional Academy, streamlining certificate processing and incentivizing training engagement. Our outreach extends beyond Hertfordshire, fostering collaboration with other counties to broaden our impact across the care workforce.
Recruitment remains a persistent challenge, exacerbated by our proximity to London. In response, we offer comprehensive recruitment services alongside education to empower providers in tackling this issue autonomously.
Some of the highlights we are proud of which show our commitment to making a difference to the sector include:
747 Members signed up to HCPA services, receiving regular updates, news of events and accessing the website
Training for the 1,002 courses was claimed through the Mandatory Training Fund
196 Champions trained
533 Care Certificates completed
6541 Delegates trained altogether
85 services engaged with STAN+, 67 of these successfully completed with sufficient returns
5713 Member enquiries were logged on the hub
Total delegates across all F2F Events , provider forums and webinars - 2675
In December 2023 HCPA launched the new Support Services Directory ; a one-stop shop for key contacts to access support services
Prevention & Enablement - Impact: 20% reduction in falls leading to 999 request 13% reduction in falls leading to hospital admission cushion used 500 times since implementation
Impartial Assessor - 88% of care homes state a satisfaction rate of 8+ with 73% of these being 9+
DSPT in Hertfordshire and Essex, 73% of residential care services, and 51% of homecare providers have achieved compliance or are approaching standards
Impartial Feedback Service (IFS) - 108 services engaged; 74 completed, 83% of these achieved above the minimum 40% returns requirement
271 new staff have been recruited into the sector by the Good Care Service this year. Added to previous years’ activity, the project has now recruited over 3,000 care staff into the sector
The Care Professional Academy - Current number of active affiliates - 9274. Provider sites using the Provider Portal - 411
Sharon Davies OBE
Chief Executive Officer | HCPA
HCPA MEMBERSHIP & FACILITIES
Supporting adult social care providers for over 12 years, the HCPA Membership offers invaluable services to the sector in Hertfordshire that are the envy of other areas. HCPA staff provide:
In-depth sector knowledge.
Experience and expertise.
Commitment to the HCPA quality raising mission.
A service that goes above and beyond our education facilities to provide learners with an excellent training experience both face-to-face and virtual.
HCPA MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS TO THE SECTOR
TYPE OF PROVIDERS
HCPA MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS TO THE SECTOR
MANDATORY FUNDING ANALYSIS 2023/24
Summary
The funding was disbursed across the County. 3105 participants attended 1002 courses over a 12 month period.
Claimants
75 different sites claimed funding during the year.
Places by Course Subject
Courses
14 different course subjects were claimed for, however over half of the participants attended these courses on the following subjects:
Safeguarding and Protection of Adults at risk.
Basic Life Support and First Aid.
Long Term Conditions including Dementia, Neurological conditions, Autism, Mental health, and Learning Disabilities.
Training Supplier
Training for the 1,002 courses claimed was carried out by a mix of care provider’s internal training teams and external training providers quality assured by HCPA to ensure good quality and value.
MANDATORY FUNDING (CONT.)
Courses by Length and Training Provider Category
44% of all training funded was for a full day’s training and 81% was carried out by internal trainers.
Each course claimed for had an average of 4.7 participants which generally held for each subject as illustrated in the chart below.
EDUCATION (CONT.)
All training
In 2023/24 HCPA continued working in partnership with HCC to upskill the adult social care workforce.
Our Education Offer:
1. Care
Autistic Spectrum Condition.
Basic Life Support. Care Certificate. Care Planning.
Advocacy at the Heart of Person-centred Care: Development for Leaders.
Dementia: Creating a culture of Person-centred Care for Managers.
Governance: A guide to ensure your Care service is CARING.
Governance: A guide to ensure your Care service is EFFECTIVE.
Governance: A guide to ensure your Care service is RESPONSIVE.
Moving & Assisting.
Oliver McGowan – Tier 1 & 2.
Safe medication principles.
Safeguarding & Capacity.
Understanding Mental Health.
Governance: A guide to ensure your Care service is SAFE.
Governance: A guide to ensure your Care service is WELL-LED.
Medication Governance.
Mental Capacity Manager Responsibilities.
Safeguarding Manager Responsibilities.
EDUCATION (CONT.)
3. Leadership Skills
Embedding Career Conversations: Coaching & Scope for Growth.
Engaging and Retaining a Competent Workforce: Strategies for Leaders.
From Vision to Behaviours: Leading Cultural Transformation in Adult Social Care.
Managing Conflict: Leading through collaboration.
Managing People: Proactively Raising Productivity through Performance Management.
Mastering Complaints: Empowering Leaders for Success.
Navigating Difficult Conversations: Effective Communication Strategies for Leaders.
Recruitment with Purpose: Building a Values-Based Workforce.
Adult Disability Positive Behaviour Support.
Dementia person-centred care.
Supervision & Appraisal.
Team Leading: Navigating Leadership Styles for Organisational Success.
Time Management for Leaders: Applying the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
Mental Capacity. Safeguarding.
Please note that Prevention and Enablement Education is not included above as this is funded by separate funding that can be found later in this document.
These fully funded (or low cost) courses allow providers to send eligible members of staff on training focussing on a range of topics. The course length varies depending on the topic from half a day to six days. This supports our smaller care providers to access training for staff, and also larger organisations can utilise the specialist training for specific staff. The topics chosen are as a result of HCPA intelligence collected across the previous funding year via a range of information including surveys, topics arising via feedback from Monitoring Officers and the Safety and Quality Implementation Group, direct feedback from members and the Impartial Feedback Service/Skills Training and Needs Audit (STAN).
Our education is aimed at providing a multitude of skills, with some designed for specific care settings and more specialised roles. Whilst we sometimes look for local subject matter experts to bring this training to care staff in a way that is engaging and practical, most courses are delivered by HCPA’s own specialists.
4. Champions & Champion revalidation
EDUCATION (CONT.)
Delivery Outputs:
Despite the ongoing impact of COVID-19 recovery, as well as the cost-of-living crisis on the care sector, and the strained care workforce, we are very proud of the number of staff we have been able to support through the last year. Through the introduction of new topics and qualifications, we have been able to engage providers in education despite workforce issues.
Although we have had ongoing issues with cancellations due to outbreaks and staffing ratios, our process of two-week, one week, and one day reminders, has been able to keep cohorts full by engaging with providers when spaces become available.
In total we have trained 6541 delegates.
Value for Money:
Some of the key highlights throughout the year have been:
Continued to increase output capacity through efficiencies and intelligence.
Expanded offer of topics and qualifications.
Varied delivery offer, with online, face-to-face and hybrid.
EDUCATION (CONT.)
Key data on learners attending our education offer:
The chart below demonstrates the breakdown of the top 10 topics: Attendees by Subject (Top 10): Excluding Oliver McGowan & P&E
Care Certificate
Moving & Assisting
Basic Life Support
Moving & Assisting Induction
Safeguarding & Capacity
Infection Prevention & Control Essentials
Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW)
Safe Medication Principles
Governance: A guide to ensure your care is EFFECTIVE
Total: 196
The chart below shows the number of learners accessing more than 1 HCPA training course within the year:
This is important as Care Professionals need to have knowledge on a wide range of subjects, and it’s great to see the number of people that are coming back for further education to increase their knowledge in diverse areas and increase their quality.
EDUCATION (CONT.)
Impact:
We are always looking to see the positive impact our education is having, including seeking the voice of learners.
The chart below captures the growth in knowledge after a course has been attended.
It is important for all courses that we establish a learner’s starting point of pre-course knowledge so that we can see their ‘knowledge-growth’ based on the learning outcomes of the course. As is clear from the above chart, we can see a very positive trend across all subjects. We have noticed that some learners do score themselves higher in the pre-knowledge assessment than they in truth actually are, this is due to the ‘you don’t know what you don’t know until you have been on the course’ factor. We believe this may skew our measurements. We continue to review this to give us a more accurate picture of true knowledge-growth.
EDUCATION (CONT.)
Learner feedback:
Below is a small selection of comments received by learners following their course. Care Certificate.
Team Leading.
I would like to commend our trainer. They were very approachable and knowledgeable. They delivered the course very clearly. Every class is very productive and informative. It’s very easy to understand especially for me who is new to the care industry.
I enjoyed the course. It was extremely enlightening and educating. I will be a better and a more meticulous, and person-centred carer for it.
Safeguarding & Capacity.
I liked the way the course was delivered; it was interactive and involved lots of group question & answers that make it very proactive. The content used in this course was very up to date as well.
The trainer was extremely knowledgeable, informative, confident and politically correct. I was very impressed with their presentation and how they kept everyone stimulated right until the very end of the course.
Trainer had a great level of knowledge around the topic and wider care sector. They made the course engaging and less stressful for people with it being a sensitive topic. I would highly recommend the course and cannot wait to have more training.
Great tutor! They made the course very fun and enjoyable, got everyone involved and listened to all opinions and views. Really great course and am going to recommend to colleagues!
This is a very knowledgeable course, which should not only be taught to a newly appointed leader, but also as a refresher course to all leaders.
Governance: A guide to ensure your Care service is SAFE.
Was helpful with the updates of what CQC are now looking for when doing inspections and whether we are checking we are doing this well.
I am working towards becoming a Registered Manager and am awaiting and interview from CQC. The training was helpful and I now feel ready for this interview.
Safe Medication Principles.
This medication training should be made compulsory for every care provider. This course was an eye opener and the reason for importance of medication was emphasised.
Falls Prevention.
The session was great and very interactive. It is always a good thing to learn something from a different perspective and the trainer really put everything in perspective. Thank you very much for imparting me with your knowledge on falls prevention.
Safeguarding Managers Responsibility.
I raised a safeguarding yesterday itself, and it was that easy to take the decision after the course. Very interactive session- helped to seek more information and knowledge from other managers.
EDUCATION (CONT.)
Learner feedback (Cont.)
Below are a small selection of comments received by learners following their course...
First Aid at Work .
Trainer was brilliant. Really engaging, interactive, got everyone involved, tested knowledge as we went along, prompted us to think rather than just speaking at us and telling us the answers. Trainer was approachable and we were able to have meaningful discussions as a group as we went along. Amazing. Thank you!
Moving & Assisting .
Fabulous trainer, very kind and professional. Their method of training was easy to understand and apply. Practical pieces were thoroughly explained. Would love to attend more of their classes
As a Unit Manger, I love to attend training at HCPA. I have met a lot of people here today and the trainer was brilliant.
Care Planning .
Trainer delivered the training very well and made the subject very interesting to learn. I undoubtedly gained wealthy information and am looking forward to implementing the new changes.
Governance: A guide to ensure your Care service is RESPONSIVE.
It was a very useful training and with the current inspection trend, it was good to know what the expectation of CQC is of the providers.
Supervision & Appraisal .
I previously did a supervision course a while back with another provider and after today I feel cheated that I didn’t do this one before! It was a really good course, and the discussions were very beneficial to my line of work.
Chair Based Exercise Instructor.
It was a wonderful session with practical experience. Not one to forget in a hurry.
Great trainer, very knowledgeable and easy to listen to and work alongside with. Thank you. My confidence has grown and look forward to putting it into practice.
Day was informative and a great update of knowledge. Fantastic trainer and kept us entertained and motivated whilst gently encouraging everyone. Their depth of knowledge is also great not just a trainer reading from a slide.
Really easy to follow and very understanding. The lessons were really clear, and I felt that I could speak to the trainer at any time, and if I needed help, I would have help until I understood. The sessions were also fun and enjoyable.
EDUCATION (CONT.)
Oliver McGowan Training
Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability & Autism
Following the tragic death of Oliver McGowan in hospital, Oliver’s Campaign was born. The campaign is led by Oliver’s mother, Paula McGowan OBE, who believes that all health and social care staff need appropriate and meaningful training to help them to understand people who have a learning disability and autistic people.
The government has subsequently published ‘Right to be heard’, and has committed to developing a standardised training package which draws on existing best practice, and the expertise of people with a learning disability, autistic people, and subject matter experts.
HCPA are supporting the Hertfordshire & West Essex Health and Care System roll out the Oliver McGowan Mandatory training. HCPA have an established training team with extensive experience working in care, and are bringing in experts with lived experience as co-trainers to support the roll out. HCPA are also offering Train the Trainer sessions to support trainers in the system to cascade the training.
211 health and care professionals have undertaken Tier 1 training
1655 health and care professionals have undertaken Tier 2 training
EDUCATION (CONT.)
STAN+ (Skills Training and Needs Audit)
85 services engaged with STAN+, 67 of these successfully completed with sufficient returns.
STAN was originally introduced as a skills and training need audit tool to work alongside the IFS, but when between March 2020 and April 2021 no IFS’s were offered because of COVID-19, and the HCC monitoring officers had moved to virtual visits only, the STAN was identified as a tool that could be used to gather more wide-ranging feedback even if only from the staff.
Extra questions were added to support the employment aspect of the HCC monitoring officers inspection as well as questions to cover some elements of all the KLOE’s, this newly revamped STAN was renamed STAN+ and was introduced in August 2020. The STAN+ service continued to support Adult Disability Services and HPFT Monitoring Officers during 2023-24, and the additional service questions have been left within the survey.
Feedback:
STAN has also proved to be a useful tool to identify training needs and specifically signpost to funded training available via HCPA. Where the STAN has highlighted more pronounced gaps in training, we contact the service directly to engage them with HCPA funded training opportunities.
The service has been further developed this year by adding more focused ‘chase’ emails alerting managers to who within the staff team has responded allowing them to chase those who haven’t. The service is linked closely to the Care Professional Academy portal service as it compliments the Training Needs Analysis report provided by the portal.
A great tool to use to help highlight specific gap in staff service delivery and allow us to develop personalised action plans that work in the best interests of individual staff members. I was so pleased with the data it provided me and the fact that it gives you information for individuals as well as a wider view is invaluable. The design and format of the reports is excellent, they are simple to understand and engaging. I feel the questions that were contained in the STAN, were relevant and gave me so much insight that I wouldn’t normally get from a standard survey for example
I will definitely use STAN+ to demonstrate to my Monitoring Officer that we have gathered feedback about our service and gained vital information on the training needs of our staff. We can then evidence the changes we have made as a result of the survey and show our commitment to the development of our staff.
HCPA SERVICES
Provider Hub and Resource Library
The Provider Hub project provides ongoing regular support for all adult social care providers in Herts linked directly with HCC. What is covered under the provider hub?
Phone line and email covered Monday to Friday 9am-5pm and bank holidays. Newsletters of updates for providers.
Proactive surveys and feedback collection to be carried out on particular topics where support has been requested by partners.
Create and host sector-based provider forums.
Website of latest content and guidance from national and local sources, all easily accessible and up to date for providers, includes HCPA Resource Library - www.hcpa.info/resource-library.
Webinars on new guidance or support for providers, as many as are needed. These webinars will also facilitate HCC and other key partners to have access to our members, these will be put on via request and will be hosted by HCPA.
5713 enquiries were logged 1st April 2023 to 31st March 24
Sharp increase in logged enquiries from January due to new CRM which has been able to capture everything across HCPA. Likelihood if using CRM across whole of year approx. Enquiries would be around 9600.
Note: The data above does not include calls and emails to Herts Good Care Recruitment team.
Note: Due to CRM update, figures are collated across differing sources to provide an approximate proportion.
Proportion of enquiry logs:
HCPA SERVICES
Provider Hub and Resource Library
HCPA collates regular feedback received by providers who get support from the hub which demonstrates the impact the service has:
Thanks for everything you are doing. We have come to rely upon the hub always knowing the answer.
It’s great to speak with Madi – she always has the most up to date information.
Great content - all really helpful stuff!
That is so helpful – thank you. We knew there was an answer but couldn’t find the right person to give us the answer. It was so good of the Hub team to reach out across the system to make sure we had the most up to date and accurate information.
Information about funding was new to me and it is motivating. That is great, thank you so much, I will forward onto my line manager. Thank you for your valuable time today. Much appreciated
Thank you for getting back to me about this!
Thank you for the update – we knew you would be trying to get this information for us… really appreciate your support.
Thank you for the immense support. It means a lot.
HCPA SERVICES
Provider Hub and Resource Library (Cont.)
Provider Forums:
HCPA host forums all year round. These are opportunities for seniors within care services to stay up to date with essential sector news and updates, provide insightful deep dives on timely topics, discuss challenges faced by care providers and suggest mitigation, and understand the education, development, and support services available from HCPA.
Providers must have a way to express their voices, to alert the system to their issues and risks, and these forums are an ideal opportunity to engage, network and discuss solutions with peers and experts.
In 2023-24 HCPA created and hosted: Homecare managers forums, Adults Disability Service forums, Older Persons services managers forums, Nursing dementia forums, Residential dementia forums
HCPA SERVICES
Provider Hub and Resource Library (Cont.)
Webinars:
HCPA also host a variety of thematic and co-produced webinars, along with creation of resources and guidance.
Total Delegates Across all F2F Events, Provider Forums and Webinars- 2675
HCPA SERVICES
Provider Hub and Resource Library (Cont.)
HCPA e-news: Reaching care providers and partners within the sector.
April 2023 to March 2024 HCPA sent 159 e-newsletters.
Most opened emails and clicked links concerned managing outbreaks and covid testing, fire safety, business development, education opportunities, HCPA membership, Connected Lives, prevention and enablement, and nutrition and hydration.
HCPA Resource Library
What is covered on the Resource Library?
The Resource Library (formerly known as the Members Zone) is a platform where HCPA members can source key information across 12 different areas. Our page leads, alongside other trusted Hertfordshire partners, work on these pages to ensure information is continually updated and easy for providers to access and understand. Across these 12 sections providers can access:
Previous webinar recordings and slides.
Information and links to the current government and local guidance.
Essential toolkits such as the care planning toolkit, DSPT toolkit and more.
Key contacts for their area.
Useful information and links to external websites.
Educative flyers, posters and videos that can be shared with staff members.
Key updates which are now promoted via a pop-up alert box.
The below line graph shows the total overall number of views the Members Zone has received each month. In total, from April 2023 - March 2024 the Members Zone has had 14,269 views. The highest viewed month in this period was October 2023 with 1,497 total views for the month. Excluding the main Members Zone page, the highest viewed section was the IPC page.
Overall Members Zone page views per month
HCPA SERVICES
Provider Hub and Resource Library (Cont.)
The below graph shows each Resource Library area and the views it has received each month.
Excluding the main Resource Library page, the IPC section has had the total highest number of views from April 2023-March 2024 (1,506).
Total view per area per month
Event resources
Technology & Equipment
Safeguarding & Capacity
Running your care business
Medication
Inspections & Regulations
Health & Wellbeing
Care & support planning
Adult Disability & Mental Health
Members Zone
The below graph shows the average overall time spent on the Resource Library per month. January 2024 had the highest overall time of 2 minutes and 41 seconds.
Average time spent on page
00:02:53
00:02:36
00:02:18
00:02:01
00:01:44
00:01:26
00:01:09
00:00:52
00:00:35
00:00:17
00:00:00
HCPA SERVICES
New Development - Support Services Directory
In December 2023 HCPA launched the new Support Services Directory; a one-stop shop for key contacts to access support services.
A searchable database was built and embedded into a webpage, meaning contacts can be kept up to date in real-time, and available around the clock.
To compliment this, posters have been created so that immediate contact details are on display, combined with a QR code linked to our directory. This mitigates the risk of old numbers being displayed on out-of-date posters.
At end March 2024 the directory had been searched over 800 times by care providers, which shows the demand for this directory.
The quick launch posters have been downloaded by over 100 care providers.
We have already surveyed our partners and the support services included in our database, asking for their input, and many have been incredibly helpful with updating the text and key information we display for them.
Work is underway to include live mapping, plus the inclusion of services relevant to community care (homecare, supported living, etc)
HCPA SERVICES
Prevention and Enablement Service
Striving to see a culture of Prevention and Enablement to see positive outcomes in getting people moving more, sitting less and improving quality of life. – Linking in with every aspect of HCPA’s mission!
Looking at where we can improve people’s outcomes, such as reducing falls, hospital admissions and focusing on individuals physical and mental well-being
This year:
105 new enabling and mobility and falls and frailty champions.
16 revalidation’s of enabling and mobility champions.
45 new exercise instructors.
169 in our Falls, prevention and enablement, bed prevention open course attendees.
Various webinars 200 attendees.
Overall, through our targeted work, we have reached a total of:
208 targeted support meetings completed with 80% achieving assured or exceeded..
Onsite Targeted training 197 learners in falls prevention.
Onsite Targeted training 170 learners in enabling care.
Totalling 902 overall.
Impact Quotes:
Since receiving support from the prevention and enablement team, the staff are more confident in empowering residents and more vigilant on falls preventative measures They have more knowledge in resident needs, their capabilities and the need/ support required. They can foresee more of the risk and any changes are being communicated amongst the team. Communication has become more evident with staff, and they are more proactive in reporting for any changes, and they seek support from in-house physio if needed. - The Chase
Since working with the team, we as a team have a better understanding of the resident’s well-being which has allowed us to work towards improving their lifestyle, minimising the risk of falls. - The Orchard
HCPA SERVICES
Prevention and Enablement Service (Cont.)
53 Lifting Devices Implemented to Care homes
Across 2023 and 2024, HCPA worked in partnership with HCC to roll out 53 lifting cushions across residential care settings throughout Hertfordshire. The aim of the project was to reduce the pressure on prevention of admission services and to support residents in having better outcomes after falling. The cushions, along with the ISTUMBLE app and pathway, supports carers in their decision-making processes, and allows them to make the best decisions for their residents and in turn, reducing the amount of prevention of admission call outs and hospital admissions.
We worked alongside the cushion’s manufacture, Winncare, to train the homes in the use of the cushions and pathway app and completed a total of 20 sessions altogether throughout the year, as varying factors meant we had to hold different sessions for homes coming into the project later on.
In total, the cushions were rolled out to:
16 nursing homes. 2 Residential and Nursing providers. 35 Residential providers.
Impact:
20% reduction in falls leading to 999 request
13% reduction in falls leading to hospital admission
Cushion used 500 times since implementation
Resident outcomes: reducing fear of falling which affects future falls risk. Other distressing behaviours such as feelings of agitation are reduced, this has a positive effect on the resident’s outcome for the rest of the day.
Reduction of long lies: Even if needing to wait for an ambulance, the resident can wait off the floor, in a reclined or seated position, this is decided on where the resident feels comfortable. Reducing long lies reduce further complications and hospital conveyance, showing potential cost savings.
Provider confidence and decision making: Using the cushion has been seen to increase provider confidence on reducing long lies. There have been multiple situations where the provider would not have used a hoist but were happy to use the cushion instead. Using ISTUMBLE has also provided confidence to providers by sending reports on the homes decision making to the Managers.
Person centred care: Person centred care is shown throughout this report. Using the lifting cushion allows you to go at the resident’s speed, spend more time reassuring them and lifting them into a position where they feel comfortable.
HCPA SERVICES
Prevention and Enablement Service (Cont.)
Qualitative Case Studies:
When we have used the lifting cushion, the residents feedback has been very positive, and they prefer this method as it is more comfortable for them and less scary compared to a full body hoist. We had a lady who had a stroke and would fall in some awkward places/positions but being able to safely slide her on the camel (and remove the slide sheet of course!) was a lot easier and she preferred it compared to the hoist. Residents who are unable to support themselves off the floor after a fall are more relaxed and comfortable to use the camel, in the hoist, they become scared when being lifted into the air and not feeling that sense of control whereas they can see us using the remote next to them and they can see us pushing the buttons. They also enjoyed watching me do the training with staff. The cushion has helped us in a lot of ways, and we are very grateful for being able to use it, I know it looks like we do not use it a lot, our most frequent faller is able to support himself up off the floor. - The Radley
We used the cushion for the first time on one of our frequent fallers. She preferred the cushion to the hoist so much, that when she falls now, she asks for the carers to bring out the cushion instead. She used to get quite agitated on the floor after a fall, but since implementing the cushion she is much calmer and visibly happier meaning we can monitor her effectively afterwards preventing us from needing to call for help externally.
The camel cushion has assisted us all in the home to maintain the resident’s dignity by providing a respectful method of assisting people after a fall. It has allowed a smooth and dignified transfer from the floor to a seated position without unnecessary exposure or discomfort. - River Court
Do you think the resident would have had a different outcome if you didn’t have the cushion? What do you think would have happened?
Paramedics initially advised 4 to 6 hours waiting time for a head injury, we were concerned with the potential of internal bleeding. Being on the floor would have had negative impact on resident’s health and mental distress while they are on the floor, which is a hard surface. We explained to the paramedics about the cushion, and they advised we should lift.
Did having the cushion prevention a 999 call out and/ or hospital admission?
Paramedics have re assessed each time and later they decided not for hospital admission as the resident felt better. This may have not been the case if she was on the floor for up to 6 hours and possibly ended up in an admission.
HCPA SERVICES
Care Home Impartial Assessor Service
This service aims to assess an individual as they move into, or return from hospital, to a care home. It is done to avoid care staff travelling to do assessments at the hospital and is therefore done on behalf of the care home. The aim is to reduce the length of stay in an acute setting. The method of assessment is agreed with the home and may be written or on the phone.
The assessment will take information from a range of sources including existing medical, nursing and social work assessments and records. The impartial assessor will follow up any successful discharge with a phone call 3 working days after the discharge to understand how the discharge went and whether there is any learning that can be taken into the service or for wider discharges.
How accessible is the IA service to you?
Very easy access - smooth communication.
Very the Team are fantastic and very supportive to our whole team.
Very. They respond within good time.
It was very accessible and invaluable to us Its easily accessible and always get good responses.
Has the IA service been a benefit to you over the last year?
Extremely helpful, and meeting them in person helped to build much better communication links. All assessments are always truthful and extremely supportive.
Yes very much so, we have a great relationship with IA, Belinda is truly amazing and very helpful and supportive.
Yes, multiple assessments completed and when there were issues with a resident sometimes multiple calls or emails about one person.
Definitely saves us a lot of time and has a way of finding more information out then if we were to visit ourselves. The information is very thorough and will answer any queries or find out more information. It is a very valuable service to us.
Absolutely! The IA service has greatly benefited me over the last year. It has provided valuable insights, improved efficiency, and contributed to better decision-making in various aspects of our professional life.
Yes, Invaluable service with honest feedback, will source answers when the hospital are unable to answer the telephone.
Yes, we have used the IA service on lots of occasions where we struggled to get a staff member to the hospital for an assessment of a prospective new resident.
Yes, it has helped us when considering development. It gives insight into how people living at the service, staff, professionals and families, feel about the service and improvement they want to see.
Satisfaction Rate with the Impartial Assessor Service for 2023
(1 = not satisfied and 10 = fully satisfied)
88% of care homes reported a satisfaction rate of 8+ with 73% of these being 9+.
Note: The three respondents who scored 5’s and a 3 have stated they are not aware of the service or have not had need to use it. All services have been contacted to check their eligibility for the service and to encourage use in future if appropriate.
HCPA SERVICES
Care Home Impartial Assessor Service (Cont.)
Will you continue to use the service?
The remaining 3% are providers that feel they have their own processes that are working well and they do not have regular discharges. We will continue to work with these providers to encourage engagement.
Absolutely, I find the service valuable and will continue using it.
Always professional and efficient plus communicates well with us.
The assessor we worked with was very helpful and was able to help us access the information we had difficulty getting from the hospital.
Happy with everything and know if this was not the case feel comfortable to be able to share this with the IA. Always had a good working relationship.
Thank you for the on-going support of your service.
Would like to express thank you to IA assessors for helping us with the assessments.
Overall the service is very useful and the staff are efficient, friendly and professional.
Its a good service, we would struggle without their services.
Thank you for your unwavering support over the years.
The service has been very useful to us as a home and we are very grateful that we are able to use.
This includes:
94% of respondents score the service 7+ out of 10. Compared to 92% in in 2022 which means we remain consistent.
Number of assessments compared to number of referrals in a calendar month
Number of assessments completed that led directly to a hospital discharge in a calendar month
Average of 86% which is above the target of 70%. Worth noting the average is lowered by PAH average of 80% caused by referrals that are then no longer needed, compared to Watford at 90% and Lister at 89%.
Average of 74%, which is above target. Worth noting Watford and Lister is above 70% (Watford 71% and Lister 82%) PAH brings down the average overall to 69%, which causes the dips below the target line.
HCPA SERVICES
Care Home Impartial Assessor Service (Cont.)
Comparison by Hospital
Lister Hospital saw an increase to 892 assessments completed in 2023 up 110% from 424 assessments in 2022.
Assessments completed vs Referrals received 2022/2023 Lister Hospital
Princess Alexandra Hospital saw an increase to 501 assessments completed in 2023 up 17% from 426 assessments in 2022.
Assessments completed vs Referrals received 2022/2023 Princess Alexandra Hospital
HCPA SERVICES
Comparison by Hospital (Cont.)
Watford General Hospital saw an increase to 401 assessments completed in 2023 up 3.4% from 388 assessments in 2022. Care Home Impartial Assessor Service (Cont.)
Assessments completed vs Referrals received 2022/2023 Watford General Hospital
HCPA SERVICES
DSPT (Data Security & Protection Toolkit Project) Local & Regional Support
HCPA has successfully completed its third year of delivery for the national Better Security Better Care programme.
The programme supports registered care providers to asset compliance with information governance standards via completion of the Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT).
DSPT is a nationally recognised annual online self-assessment tool that helps care providers to understand the standards required for data protection and information governance across the sector.
DSPT is the only recognised evidence of best practice recognised by CQC for data protection and cyber risk management.
Local support
In Hertfordshire and Essex, 73% of residential care services, and 51% of homecare providers have achieved compliance or are approaching standards. This proportion is similar to the regional and national figures.
Homecare
Residential
In this final delivery year of the current funded programme, efforts will be aimed a reaching those harder to engage care providers, often the smaller services, plus ensuring quality across all self-assertions, and improving training available for senior staff.
We also continue to highlight the importance of DSPT and good information governance to local authorities.
2022 to 2024-Plan:
Engaging the hard to reach: Smaller homecare companies.
Supporting the annual self-assurance cycle, plus quality assurance.
Helping CQC embed the DSPT and information governance standards into the new CQC framework.
Raise the profile of DSPT with local authorities inc commissioners and DPOs.
The team also supports care providers over the following areas: Cyber protection.
Data Protection education.
Accessing digital transformation funding. NHSmail.
HCPA SERVICES
DSPT (Data Security & Protection Toolkit Project) Local & Regional Support
Feedback from care providers supported to register, assert compliance, train their staff and then publish the necessary legal document (DSPT):
Yeeeeeey!!! I have just published… thank you. Celebrating with the team!!!!
Thank you for today. It was insightful. (Our Manager) gave a thumbs up! I have published it and we have received the certificate.
I don’t know what we would do without HCPA. They are so helpful regarding providing training and giving us all the information we need. We would be completely lost without you.
Thank you very much for your support, really appreciated.
A useful exercise and… useful in the future. I loved the BCP for Data Security and Cyber Security, with its guidance on how to test the scenarios. We now need to keep the audits going regularly.
HCPA SERVICES
DSPT (Data Security & Protection Toolkit Project) Local & Regional Support
Regional support
The programme has been an unprecedented success, achieving all KPIs and milestones for progress. The compliance position for East of England region is only slightly behind the overall national performance.
March 2024 compliance (prog data)
Locations that are currently compliant or approaching standards
The Regional Coordinator holds monthly meetings with each local support organisation, taking note of issues, risks and suggestions which are discussed with the national programme team.
This coordination model has proven exceptionally effective, and the Digital Care Hub look to extend this type of digital and data support over the next year.
Have the personalised reports helped to identify training needs analysis?
Have the personalised reports been helpful with identifying best training platform for staff ?
Have the personalised reports been a helpful tool in supervisions and appraisals?
HCPA SERVICES - BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Impartial Feedback Service (IFS) - 108 services engaged; 74 completed, 83% of these achieved above the minimum 40% returns requirement.
The Impartial Feedback Service (IFS) is a full service evaluation for Adult Social Care Providers. Evaluation questionnaires are provided by HCPA for providers to distribute to people using the service, carers and families, staff and professionals. The surveys are now provided as an online survey which is easy to access on many devices and which return directly to HCPA for efficiency and sustainability.
This was the seventh year of results using the IFS survey and the trend shows a slight dip in satisfaction levels, although the Safe area continues to improve. The dip may relate to the continuation of staffing issues for the sector.
The IFS was updated during 2023 to incorporate questions aligned to the new CQC Assessment Framework. The IFS continues to be promoted via relevant HCPA Leadership and Education programmes, e-news and at all HCPA events. The IFS continues to be a mandatory service for care providers wishing to achieve HCPA Gold Membership, as a measurement of their commitment to continual quality improvement.
Average Satisfaction Score per KLOE/Key Questions 2016-24
Note: Year = 1st April – 31st March. 2019-2020 data = 6 months due to Pandemic – 2020-21 data is unavailable as service was suspended.
All Providers were asked to Complete a survey on the IFS Survey and responded as follows:
The IFS provided appropriate & applicable questions to my organisation?
100% agreed the questions were appropriate.
Implementing action plan has provided useful and led to improvements.
100% agreed that the resulting action plan led to improvement.
I would recommend the IFS to others.
100% would highly recommend the service to others to support quality improvement.
HCPA SERVICES - BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
The purpose of the Business Continuity Planning Support Services is to provide adult social care providers with tools resources and 1:1 support to ensure appropriate business resilience planning is being carried out. 1:1 support is focussed on smaller independent providers. Tools and resources have been developed and made available to identify strengths and challenges for the organisation to facilitate robust action planning and therefore business development, continuity, and resilience.
During 2023/24 the Business Development Team worked with 70 services on their BCP with 64% completing. 100% of all HCC referrals have been contacted promptly and offered support. The team continue to support the remaining services to pick up and complete their work on the plans. The support to complete a Business Continuity Plan is spread over 8 sessions, managers need to complete work in between sessions, to complete the plan can take several months plus ongoing development and review.
We have enhanced the service delivery further this year with the following:
8 YouTube videos covering each of the eight sessions that managers can access in their own time continue to be available as an alternative to 1:1 support.
Walk through sessions for HCC Monitoring Officers to inform them about the service and standardise expectations.
Additional subject specific action card support e.g. Power Outage and Hot Weather. These include suggestions and information relevant to the emergency scenario specific to the care sector.
A survey to gather feedback is given to every provider following successful completion of the Business continuity planning support:
100% have found the service supportive and helpful, this is the same as last year.
95% said they would continue to develop and strengthen their plans as a result of the service.
A sample of the feedback and comments received:
The Business Continuity Plan (BCP) support we received has significantly improved our practice within the organisation. Through clear guidelines and protocols outlined in the plan, we have gained a better understanding of our roles in ensuring the continuity of essential services during disruptions or emergencies. This has enhanced our awareness of potential risks and vulnerabilities within our operations, prompting us to proactively identify critical resources and develop contingency plans to mitigate potential disruptions .”
Yes, it has helped us to think differently about risk in care
The feedback provided and the support enabled us to add value to our BCP.
The support received from HCPA has helped us hugely. The detail and information in our new BCP is amazing!
Yes, it was exceptionally good value
HCPA SERVICES - BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
The Agency Charter of Excellence
The ACE Mark was developed by HCPA during 2021-22 to identify agencies that have provided evidence to demonstrate their commitment to quality assurance.
ACE Charter Mark Holders are advertised on the HCPA website. This service has again been a real benefit this year as a resource for care providers hit by staff shortages. Care managers are able to quickly access information relating to agencies who have achieved the charter mark and can quickly see the borough in which the service operates in and what type of staff are available.
24 agencies have successfully achieved/retained the Charter of Excellence Mark during 2023/24.
HCPA have supported providers to access agency staffing in emergencies. HCPA will continue to work with agencies and develop the service further with the overall aim of improving the knowledge and competence of agency staff and how care providers induct and engage with agency staffing.
HCPA SERVICES - BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
The 6Cs Culture Check
This innovative report is formed from the feedback of staff on organisational culture. Completion of a questionnaire, based on the 6Cs (Care, Commitment, Courage, Commitment, Competence, Communication and Compassion), allow staff to provide an honest and open insight into their opinion of the culture of the care service. Feedback from staff is formulated into an overall report for the service manager and proprietor. The report provides an overall staff loyalty assessment and a positivity assessment, plus a detailed evaluation of the staff feedback relating to the 6Cs.
Committed Loyalists
Satified Opportunists
Change Seekers
Dissatisfied Compromisers
98.8%
Positivity Assessment
This is a part of the requirement for HCPA Gold Membership. The resulting report will aim to assess how much team members understand and buy in to a service’s values and gives insight into how to get back on track. The outcomes from the report may be helpful in recruitment and will aid retention.
41 services have engaged during 2023-24 with 88% achieving the 80% return rate required.
All Providers were asked to complete a feedback survey on the 6C’s Survey and responded as follows:
Was the survey quick and easy to complete?
100% agreed the questions were quick and easy to complete.
How helpful was the survey in looking at staff retention?
100% agreed that the survey has helped to look at how to retain staff.
I would recommend the 6’s to others.
100% would highly recommend the service to others.
Feedback comments included:
It was a good insight in to what is working well and what needs to be improved. I love anything supplied by HCPA and always recommend it to my colleagues.
All the participating staff completed the survey in confidence and the results help to get a good picture of how they really feel about working here.
HCPA SERVICES - BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Inspection and Monitoring Support Service (IMS)
The Inspection and Monitoring Support service was new for 2023-24. The aim is to provide adult social care providers (older people and adult disability services) with tools, resources and 1:1 support to ensure appropriate pre and post-inspection and monitoring support is provided to adult social care providers in Hertfordshire. Tools and resources have been developed and made available to identify strengths and challenges for the organisation to facilitate robust systems, governance and service improvement action planning in order to meet the regulatory requirements.
HCPA Business Development Coaches have designed an array of tools providing a structured approach to the review and support sessions with providers, the tools incorporate key insights from both Monitoring Officers, CQC Inspectorate and good practice guidelines alike. The service combines quality assurance and business sustainability. It also challenges the provider to think critically about smart ways to embed systems and structures that set clear benchmarks, ensure frequent and robust monitoring occurs, allows for reflective practice and encourages the leadership to look for opportunities to continuously improve practice.
Care providers can access the service either by referral from HCC or self-referral. 34 providers have accessed the service during the reporting period. 100% of referrals have been contacted within 3 working days and scoping meetings to assess need set up promptly. The Governance support offer has seen the highest take up.
Post service feedback surveys have been conducted to assess the usefulness and effectiveness of our Inspection and Monitoring Support offer:
100% have found the service supportive and helpful
98% of those who fully engaged in our IMSS (Inspection and Monitoring Support Service) completed the review and said they would continue to develop and strengthen their processes and Safety Improvement Planning as a result of the service:
Feedback comments included:
Where have you been all this time, If I had known about this service, I would have signed up ages ago, this has been transformational.
I feel more empowered having received support with Care Planning, I gained more confidence and the support around MCA helped me to identify some of the key issues which I was able to discuss with the Care Beans team and these have now been rectified.
The HCPA staff was exceptionally good, competent and diligent.
Yes, it is improved our practice.
1. We switched to an online care software’s- which saved a lot of time and paperwork.
2. We have updated all our care plans which are more personalized to each of the individuals receiving the care.
HCPA SERVICES - BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Business Coaching
Business Coaching is a new activity for 2023-24. The purpose is to provide adult social care providers (older people and adult disability services) Senior or Registered Managers with the tools and 1:1 support to help providers reach their chosen goals, have good oversight and plans to manage and improve workplace performance by focusing on the specific goals set, and the competencies and skills required to achieve them. 3 areas of coaching are available:
Executive Coaching: Could relate to implementing new areas, change or development.
Supervision: Providing support for small care provision where supervision is not available for Senior Management.
Grow Your Business: Support for new or small care providers to grow their business, including planning and developing a growth strategy.
Supervision sessions and Grow Your Business have been developed during the latter half of 2023-24 as a result of feedback from providers on where there coaching needs lie. These new areas are ready to be fully accessed by care providers for 2024-25.
Feedback:
100% have found the service valuable.
98% of those who completed coaching support said they felt able to apply the same tools and techniques to new challenges and obstacles.
A sample of comments received:
It boosted my confidence. It gave me the opportunity to discuss certain concerns with experienced team in the same field. It helped to gain ideas from an experienced mentor (Jess and Rene). I was so stressed out when I approached HCPA in the beginning. I got the opportunity to discuss the problems and concerns which was listened to and guided by the HCPA team.
The support gave me confidence in the actions I have been taking and an improved thought process on behaviours of others.
I feel more empowered now.
This is valuable support for those in Senior management teams as an unbiased support.
Our governance and practice are of a high standard now and the support did help with engaging with those resistant to change.
HCPA SERVICES - RECRUITMENT
Herts Good Care is education, an attraction campaign and full recruitment service working with the public and adult social care providers as well as HCC, to attract new employees into the sector.
It provides one-to-one support for care providers and applicants. The Herts Good Care team also attend job fairs, schools and colleges to promote social care careers.
The website supports care providers to advertise vacancies, holds a wealth of resources and toolkits to support providers to recruit individuals into the sector with the right values and attitude.
271 new staff have been recruited into the sector by the service this year. Added to previous years’ activity, the project has now recruited over 3,000 care staff into the sector.
Good Care Month (both in January and July) is facilitated by Herts Good Care to actively showcase the benefits of working in adult social care and highlights the dedication and enthusiasm of staff already enjoying a care career. In turn, this encourages members of the public to join us in our rewarding sector.
HCPA - EXTRA PROJECTS
Succession Planning 2023/2024
Due to the success of delivering HCPA’s Succession Planning leadership programme since 2021, this project is to enable providers to continue to access this valuable training. This programme has been designed to equip organisations to implement a standardised programme of leadership succession planning and leadership development. It will support new and aspiring leaders to become knowledgeable, confident, and competent at leading their teams and support Business Resilience which is an area found to be ‘wanting’. Succession Planning has created standardised progression routes within organisations which will link into the Care Professional Academy. It will grow leadership talent and open course options. There is a need for an on-going intervention to rebuild the workforce leaders, so this is designed as a programme comprising of research, focused coproduction and design, delivery, and Impact Evaluation, based on learning and reflection relating to endorsed Skills for Care products.
HCPA developed two stages focusing on aspiring leaders - growing talent to enable care providers to feel confident that they have a succession plan, and current leaders - developing continuing professional development, aimed at retaining good leaders within their roles.
80 Delegates to have completed Succession Planning training
20% increase in delegates’ confidence and knowledge
Average scores of 8 and above on course evaluations
The impact this project has had on learner’s knowledge and confidence, so far, can be seen from the graph below:
THE CARE PROFESSIONAL ACADEMY
23/24 Report on Rewarding Adult Care Staff and Tracking Professional Development
Introduction
The Care Professional Academy is an innovative platform dedicated to the entire Adult Social Care workforce. Offering numerous benefits, including individuals having their own portable training passport, uploading and safe keeping of all training certificates in one place, access sector news, and receive exclusive rewards and discounts at over 800 retailers. This report outlines the platform’s features and its mission to professionalise Adult Social Care. Providers can sign up to the Academy to support and enhance their recruitment and retention strategies, and enable development of their culture across their whole organisation. Through the provider portal providers can view their teams certificates, training reminders for refresher courses, run reports and have evidence at their fingertips for their governance and compliance at a micro level.
9,274 Care Professionals are currently benefitting from the Academy and 428 Providers are using the Provider Portal in their day-to-day business.
Mission: Professionalising Adult Social Care
The core mission of the Care Professional Academy is to professionalise Adult Social Care. This involves changing the perception of care roles from being seen as ‘just a carer’ to being recognised as a skilled profession that requires high-quality training & regular CPD, as well as the right values and attitudes towards supporting vulnerable people. By joining the Academy, Care Professionals take a significant step in showcasing their commitment to professional development and excellence in care.
Logging Training and Professional Development
Certificates and Training Tiers
Care Professionals can log all their qualifications and training certifications relevant to their roles in Adult Social Care. These can range from college/university courses, Care Certificate, NVQ’s, QCF’s, refresher courses, clinical and condition led training, webinars, and job-specific training. Each certificate added to the Academy portal increases the Care Professional’s tier, offering enhanced rewards from tier 1 to tier 5, reflecting their dedication to professional growth.
Passport to Progress
The training passport is a comprehensive record of all training and development activities undertaken by the Care Professional. This tool can be used during supervisions, appraisals, and job interviews to demonstrate qualifications and discuss future training and career progression goals. Care Professionals can request a PDF of their training passport or individual certificates through the portal.
THE CARE PROFESSIONAL ACADEMY (CONT.)
Rewarding Care Professionals
Welcome Pack and Academy Pin Badge
After registration, accepting Terms & Conditions and uploading just 6 hours of training certificates, Care Professionals receive a welcome pack that includes an Academy pin badge. This badge symbolises their status as a professional in the care sector and can be worn with pride.
Employee Benefit Programme – Tier 1
Care Professionals can access numerous benefits, including discounts, savings, and cashback from over 800 UK retailers. These benefits are available in a range of forms including digital codes, reloadable savings cards, digital wallet (which can be linked to Apple Pay) plus cashback on purchases. Including all the UK’s major supermarkets, fashion, DIY, holidays, days out, restaurants, coffee shops, gyms, health & fitness, children’s holidays camps and many more to support our Care Professionals with their financial wellbeing.
Travel Club and Discounts – Tier 2
The Academy travel club provides 10% off car and van rentals, unbeatable car leasing deals, and discounts on vehicle MOT’s, tyres and servicing. In some areas, the Academy can offer discount on bus travel.
Student Zone Discounts – Tier 3
Care Professionals have access to free online student discounts, plus the option to purchase an NUS Student Card, and significant discounts at over 200 UK and 42,000 worldwide retailers. This program supports continuous learning and offers various concessions. Plus tier 3 Care Professionals can apply to join the Annual Scholars Programme which offers up to 25 affiliates the chance to study Change Management and Project Management while implementing a Change Management Project in their workplace. This fullyfundedopportunity includes:
Skills for Care Leading Change Improving Care Certificate
Project Management principles
Implementation of NICE Guidelines
Preferential Rates & Competition Zone – Tier 4
Care Professionals enjoy preferential rates on essential workwear, health & safety essentials, household items, bespoke products and gift & experience days, as well as regular competitions.
Luxury Deals – Tier 5
Benefit from substantial savings on luxury experiences, spa days, hotel stays, and lifestyle products.
Conclusion
The Care Professional Academy plays a pivotal role in transforming the perception and status of Adult Social Care Professionals. By providing tools for tracking professional development and offering extensive rewards, the Academy not only enhances the career prospects of its Care Professionals but also elevates the entire sector. Joining the Academy signifies a commitment to excellence and a proactive approach to professional growth in Adult Social Care.
Current number of active affiliates – 9274
Provider sites using the Provider Portal – 411
HCPA - EVENTS
HCPA members value the networking opportunities that events provide them with. Many smaller organisations feedback that this networking is a lifeline and crucial for the organisation to develop, as it provides essential support.
24 Events Delivered 1,520 delegates Average cost per delegate = £12.50
30 events delivered 1,830 delegates.
HCPA Webinars, Forums and Events.
PPME webinars.
Service specific managers forums (x 6).
HCPA Provider Network Events x3.
As a provider, I feel that it is a privilege to have the opportunity of attending these events. I feel empowered, supported and equipped to continue delivering quality care and proud of being an HCPA.
Thank you!!
Thank you all for organising the network event. It was lovely meeting all those wonderful people and the presenters for the different topics were so brilliant. I can’t wait to attend future meetings.
Various Topics
On average 180 people attended each event.
HR and Management Study day.
Fire Safety Study Sessions x 6.
I never attended such kind of session in past. This session was really amazing and informative.
Good variety of topics covered, great meeting with other service providers and discussions were useful in groups.
Thoroughly enjoyed the network event. First time back to attending these events since pre-covid. Great to meet up with others and talk to other managers. Great interaction, enjoyed going through the root cause analysis which I will implement in the home when we have to carry out any investigation. Great updates from HCC and CCG. Enjoyed DOLS, MCA and safeguarding update. Great topics.
HCPA - EVENTS
The Hertfordshire Care Awards
The 2023 Hertfordshire Care Awards took place at Willows Farm in St. Albans, in the style of a circus big top. The event saw 362 guests gather together to celebrate the best of the best in care in Hertfordshire. Awards were presented to newcomers, rising stars, inspiring leaders and whole companies for their achievements in 2023. The Hertfordshire Care Awards is unfunded, and produced via sponsorships from private companies sponsoring each category.
With nine categories to chose from, Care providers are asked to answer a set of criteria, each criterion is designed to ensure that providers look at their organisation in detail and asks questions that focus on processes, innovation, best practice and culture. The categories are then judged by professionals in their fields working within the care sector, from partners such as the NHS and Local Authority.
In the future it would be beneficial for support towards reward and recognition of care staff and providers which is in progress.
