Understanding the Implementation and Impact of the Personalised Care Training in West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB)

West Yorkshire ICB Investment in Social Prescribing Link Worker (SPLW) Training

Summary

West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) have taken a workforce-led and cross-sector approach to investing in training on personalised care. A workforce training programme based on the jointly identified priorities, is being delivered by personalised care specialist providers. The training resulting in the workforce feeling more confident, connected to each other and committed to personalising care with individuals.

Key Outcomes of the Training Programme:

1. Enable transformational change across our workforce by enabling participants to gain key skills including health coaching, signposting, supervision, leadership, case conferencing and multidisciplinary team (MDT) working.
2. Support a positive change in the relationship dynamic between professionals and people.
3. Equip the workforce to support people through challenging times by providing wellbeing, advance care planning, end of life care, difficult conversations and bereavement and trauma training.
4. Address inequalities by connecting people in our communities to what matters to them.

Background

West Yorkshire’s approach to workforce personalised care training is built on listening to health and care professionals working in front line delivery across health, local government, and the voluntary community social enterprise (VCSE) sectors.

A Connecting Communities Network brings together these multisector professionals, to share ideas and learn from each other. The network has been a co-production forum and sounding board in designing the West Yorkshire ICB Personalised Care Workforce Training Programme. It builds ‘what matters to me’ into the ethos of the training from the very start.

Approach

The West Yorkshire Personalised Care Workforce Training offer was developed using funding from NHSE as part of the Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) process. The training programme was developed and delivered at whole system level to support the needs of the workforce across all the ICBs localities. Taking this approach optimised the reach of the training and ensured best use of the resources whilst also offering flexibility in training delivery. To date nearly 2000 people have registered, and approximately 1,200 people have participated in Personal Care Institute (PCI)I accredited training in personalised care approaches. The training was accessed largely by those in Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) roles, including social prescribing link workers (SPLWs_. Further plans are in place to upskill an additional 1500 colleagues from across the system. Training offers included motivational interviewing and health coaching, enhanced communication skills, cultural competency, advance care planning, supervision and leadership, active signposting, wellbeing and self-management techniques. Twelve SPLWs were also funded to undertake a Level 3 Social Prescribing qualification during 20/21; with a further 20 SPLWs funded to do this qualification during 21/22.

On evaluation of the training, its impact and demand for the different offers, and the training team adjusted the programme for 2022-23 to include additional modules, focusing on personalised care and support planning, health literacy, reducing health inequalities, and a further round of health coaching training.

A cross-sector ICB Workforce Steering Group was established to explore how to best align personalised care training with other key local priorities.

The purpose of the ICB Workforce Steering Group was to provide leadership to:

• Oversee, monitor and co-ordinate the progress of personalised care projects relating to workforce.
• Provide a mechanism for joint action and joint decision-making for personalised care issues that are best tackled at scale.
• Support the development of robust local partnership arrangements to deliver place-based training.
• Ensure issues are addressed promptly with agreed consensus and
• Promote the objectives of the programme across the wider system.

For example, the Steering Group aligned the personalised care training with the Community Mental Health Transformation programme and suicide prevention agenda to further spread and scale personalised care and embed it as a key priority within the wider health and care setting. A benefit of this alignment was a decision to establish suicide prevention training to support SPLWs during 2022-24.

Outcomes

As well as the training of 1,200 people directly through the ICB personalised care training between 2020-2022, large numbers of health and care staff have also accessed the free training available through the PCI. This training was and continues to be promoted to the workforce including volunteers across the system.

Those who participated in at least one training session reported a change in their relationships with the individuals they support; as well reporting an increased confidence in:

• Helping patients to identify and set goals.
• Listening to and empowering the people they work with
• Encouraging activation and self-motivation
• Structuring conversations to enable behaviour change.

The impact was reduced health and care resource use (fewer appointments needed) improved efficiency and productivity, and improved health and wellbeing outcomes for individuals and staff. The evaluation demonstrated a clear return on investment, as participants reported positive changes in their own practice and greater ownership, motivation, and confidence in their patients to make positive changes for themselves.

Examples of the qualitative feedback provided by people who participated in the training is given below: 

• This has been a very helpful 2 days.  Although I was worried about the time commitment, going away with some actions and clear plans is helpful. And that’s made it a great use of my time. (Leadership Skills)
• Keep the conversation personal to that individual - such as using their name more (not in a salesman way) - To make sure I listen thoroughly to the whole conversation before making a response & to try offer whatever options I have to my knowledge to ensure the best outcome for the patient (Active Signposting)
• I will not be scared of awkward silences and know now that silences are good to let the service user think for themselves. I will try to ask more open questions and try not to be a problem solver or a fixer as that's not my role, I will try to get the service user to find a focus which will hopefully help them to help themselves (Motivational Interviewing)

Next steps

• Upskill a further 1500 members of the WY health and care workforce including volunteers throughout 22/23.
• Develop connections with primary care networks to help guide future workforce training priorities in primary care.
• Work with cross sector ‘Training Hubs’ to establish closer connection with other local training offers.
• Develop local personalised care champions including Peer Leaders to actively promote benefits of personalised care approaches and workforce training offers.
• Benchmark the standard of personalised care being delivered across West Yorkshire to reduce variation in design and delivery of personalised care support and further inform workforce development and service improvement.