To ask the Minister of Health to outline what initiatives his Department is implementing to support staff recruitment and retention in respite care facilities, in order to restore services to pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels.

My Department works closely with the HSC to restore services to pre Covid -19 pandemic levels in line with the Health and Social Care NI Reset Plan. Within the Reset Plan, workforce stabilisation is a priority. My health officials work closely with each of the Trusts, each of whom have provided a response to supporting staff recruitment and retention in respite care facilities.

Southern Trust

The Southern Trust continue to ensure timely recruitment to vacant posts, both full time and temporary (including maternity) within their short breaks unit and endeavour to maintain a cohort of bank staff to offer support during times of increased sickness and absence. The Trust are currently in the process of recruiting an Intellectual Disability Psychology lead who will provide support to staff within their residential short breaks unit supporting the delivery of a reflective practice framework as part of the wider model of therapeutic care. The Trust are also actively recruiting Allied Health Professional staff to work alongside the core short breaks teams to support them in their care of young people availing of overnight short breaks.

The Trust ensures robust governance arrangements are in place, and that all staff receive regular supervision via professional lines with appraisal also being undertaken on an annual basis. Appropriate training is available during the year for staff with all new staff receiving an induction into their roles.

The volume of short breaks for children and young people has increased from the pre COVID position.

Northern Health and Social Care Trust

To support improved performance in the area of staff recruitment the NHSCT has employed a Workforce Co-ordinator to ensure timely recruitment to all posts within Community Wellbeing Division. The Trust has commissioned an advertising company to assist with recruitment, to include advertisements on billboards, bus shelters and social media platforms.

With respect to retention of staff the NHSCT has a number of supports in place:

good supervision

maintenance of adequate staffing levels

regular team meetings

team building events

reflective groups

coaching and mentoring for managers

service workshops and training for staff

regular senior manager engagement with teams

South Eastern Trust

The Southern Trust has recently carried out successful dedicated recruitment campaigns for both Short Breaks and Long-term Residential Care Homes. The campaigns included the use of media platforms, social/local media and local poster campaigns. Staff have personally advocated the benefits and impact of their jobs through storytelling narratives on video clips to share with potential applicants.

Bespoke recruitment opportunities have been held that have allowed the Trust to recruit in a timelier manner to essential posts than afforded by conventional recruitment processes. This has delivered significant success in attracting staff into these essential posts.

Once in post, staff are supported through regular supervision, training, appraisal and individual packages of support to retain them in their roles. The Trust strives to offer robust induction, mandatory training, and competency assessment throughout their time in post.

With a focus on staff wellbeing, staff are supported through hot/cold debriefing sessions, occupational health/psychological service support, and an emphasis towards a positive behaviour support ethos for their services.

Western Trust

Adult Mental Health services offer a respite/short breaks service, which provides a range of services to support carers of individuals with significant and ongoing mental illness within the Omagh and Fermanagh area. This service has been restored to pre-COVID 19 pandemic levels.

Adult Learning Disability Services continue to recruit to all staffing vacancies that arise within Short Break Services using Trust endorsed recruitment processes as and when vacancies arise. There are no current staffing pressures within Trust managed Short Break Facilities that are impacting on the ability to offer services.

The Children’s Disability Service actively engages with HR colleagues to ensure recruitment takes place swiftly to fill vacant posts within Children’s Disability Short Break and Residential Services. This includes advertising of posts across social media, HSC recruit website and the Healthdaq recruitment portal with the aim of developing rolling waiting lists for a range of posts. The service also recruits from the Regional Social Work waiting list.

The service has held a number of open days whereby applicants can speak to recruiting managers and apply/interview for posts on the day. The service is also reaching out to Further Education colleges in attempt to promote the service and attract potential candidates.

A review of skill mix and bandings within Children’s Disability Short Break and Residential Services is also underway.

Belfast Trust

Staffing for short breaks in some facilities such as the Children’s Home at Forest Lodge and the fostering short breaks service have been achieved through proactive recruitment strategies. Staff have been able to avail of induction programmes; training and development, individual and group supervision and support which promotes retention within the services.

In addition to the above, the Trust has been working with SET to re-open the service at Lindsay House which they manage in respect of children within the SET and Belfast Trust areas. This will enable the Belfast Trust to offer an additional 120 bed nights per month albeit individual children may take up more than one place per night due to the complexity of their needs and associated requirement for increased ratio of staffing.