Integration case studies

Recruitment and retention with Suffolk Care Association (2024)

Suffolk Care Association represents over 200 social care employers. This case study showcases the power of sharing resources to find creative solutions to problems.

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Embracing integrated care teams across Sussex (2024)

As part of Sussex ICB’s Integrated Care Strategy, 16 Integrated Care Teams (ICTs) are being established across Sussex. The nature, and remit, of each integrated team is determined not by traditional geographies but by population health needs.

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Empowering non-clinical staff in adult social care with Whzan Blue Boxes across Surrey Heartlands (2024)

This case study shows the importance of empowering non-clinical staff in adult social care settings, and using digital technology to support integration between health and social care settings.

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Diversifying the voice of social care representation in North East London ICS (2023)

North East London ICS has expanded social care representation at the top levels of the ICS – where previously the only social care ‘voice’ was Skills for Care’s locality manager in their position on the Local Workforce Action Board and People Board.

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Supporting social care partners to embed workforce initiatives in Sussex (2023)

With almost £250,000 invested to date into the sector to help with Continued Professional Development (CPD) and provision of education and skills training, Sussex ICS have shown a real commitment to engaging and supporting adult social care.

A big part of this work has been the planning to understand gaps, barriers and needs across the sector and aligning resources to meet these.

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Practical engagement and integration in Northamptonshire (2024)

The Northamptonshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) are actively working to better understand, integrate with, and support the social care system. This case study demonstrates proactive and practical ways of boosting engagement between different parts of the system.

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Creating a central focus for recruitment and retention in the Black Country (2023)

Within the Black Country ICS, a positive programme of relationship-building has taken place over the past few years. This has been supported by social care providers being represented on the ICS People Board via Skills for Care’s locality manager.

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Moving beyond organisational boundaries in Herefordshire and Worcestershire ICS (2023)

Herefordshire and Worcestershire ICS is building an ICS Academy to support the health and social care workforce. Its targeted programme of education, learning and development will help them move towards their strategic objective of ‘one workforce’.

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Adapting plans and broadening the scope for engagement in Northamptonshire (2023)

Northamptonshire ICS have demonstrated good practice in their ongoing work to embrace the distinct insights of health and care partners and to identify opportunities to upskill the workforce. Their social care nursing placement programme has also proved very successful in establishing greater relationships between health and social care providers, and the wider community, throughout the region. 

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Making workforce support as inclusive as possible for care providers in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent (2023)

Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICS have embraced the role of social care in workforce planning. This includes engagement with Skills for Care’s locality manager, who has worked in partnership with the ICS for a number of years, sitting on the People Board and a number of its subgroups.

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Lancashire and South Cumbria’s Social Care Training Hub (2024)

The Social Care Training Hub brings together education and training resources as a ‘go to’ place for any information about workforce, education, and development, including support and information about apprenticeships and student nursing placements.

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Capitalising on existing networks and infrastructure to create opportunities for open-minded and broader integration in Greater Manchester (2023)

The Social Care Provider Network in Greater Manchester is a group of representatives from the hundreds of care providers across the area. They come together to discuss matters concerning care providers and represent them in feeding into ICS plans across the area. Skills for Care were commissioned to increase the number of providers in the network from December 2019 to March 2022. The project saw significant success. 

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Supporting cross-regional integration and system-wide thinking with the South West Proud to Care Network (2024)

Proud to Care is a partnership working together across each region in the South West to raise the profile of careers in health and social care. Now, with the support of Skills for Care, the 16 Proud to Care initiatives across the South West have established one network.

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Building a solid foundation of evidence and insights to support Cornwall’s ICS (2023)

Cornwall have embraced the insights and voices of care providers at multiple levels of ICS planning in their Single Workforce Planning framework.

Their vision for ‘One Cornwall Workforce’ was born in the pandemic and is now an integral part of the ICS developing a long-term plan for resourcing and planning across the area. 

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One Devon - Devon ICS' approach to integrating their workforce across the system (2023)

This case study was originally developed by NHS Employers, in support of the 'Integrated workforce thinking across systems' guidance. It highlights an example of how integrated approaches to workforce thinking is working well.

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Pastoral support for health and social care workers recruited from overseas in Lincolnshire (2024)

The ICB System Retention task and finish group in Lincolnshire have spearheaded a programme of work supporting pastoral care for international recruits across health and social care in Lincolnshire.

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‘Care Connected’ and 180 days of action in Humber and North Yorkshire (2024)

This case study discusses two initiatives which arose from the Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership People Strategy. Care Connected, is an online forum for health and social care staff to connect and access resources and guidance. 180 Days of Action is a focused drive to achieve progress in integrated workforce support.

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Focusing resources on social care engagement and integration in South Yorkshire (2023)

Since it was established, South Yorkshire ICB have employed a dedicated Health and Social Care Integration Programme (HSCI) Lead. The HSCI lead works very closely with Skills for Care and a range of health and social care partners across the region to ensure that the work of the ICS is inclusive of social care.

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“Recognising the art of the possible” with Leeds Health and Care Academy (2023)

Leeds Health and Care Academy encourages and facilitates collaboration and breaks down barriers between the city’s health and care organisations, including primary care, hospital services, voluntary and community services, local authority and independent providers, and educational institutions.

The Academy team have found that fostering a sense of shared purpose and accountability has helped to unite its partners, and worked to ensure that health and care initiatives across the city are truly inclusive and collaborative at every stage.

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