Partners In Care

This nationwide workforce information tool, gathers detailed data from employers, providing an overview of the social care sector for the first time. Launched by Skills for Care in 2005 it can help employers to plan business activity and determine the skills base needed now and into the future.

Workforce and service data is gathered for organisations delivering social care, right across the country. This data is then collated and used to provide useful information and to report back to employers and other key stakeholders about the current state of the social care workforce.

There are two parts to the NMDS-SC:

Part 1 - Establishment data
Part 2 – Worker data

To benefit from the Workforce Development Funding available through Partners in Care, organisations will need to have completed or recently updated their nmds-sc records (updated since April 2011).

For more information and support or even just to check how much of the NMDS-SC you have achieved you can contact the Skills for Care helpdesk on 0845 873 0129.

............................................................................................................................................

Partners in Care are currently offering support to employers in Bournemouth, Dorset & Poole with updating, registering and inputting worker information into their NMDS-SC. We can also help you meet the NMDS-SC eligibility criteria for the claiming the Workforce Development Funding (WDF) 2011/12.

If you are trying to gather your worker information then PIC has designed a worker questionnaire which can be downloaded, get your employees to complete the form, input the information online or contact us if you require any further help with inputting the information.

Partners in Care has recently updated the NMDS-SC worker questionnaire to help you meet the criteria in order to apply for WDF Funding 2011-12, download below.

If you have lost your username and password - Please contact the National NMDS-SC helpline on 0845 873 0129.

If you would like any support completing or updating the NMDS-SC then please contact Katie Bennett on 01202 862441.

.............................................................................................................................................

To keep data within the NMDS-SC accurate and current any establishments that have not updated their information within the last 24 months will be deleted from the system. Skills for Care will send regular email reminders to update and warn establishments if they are due to be deleted within the next three months.

Please contact the NMDS-SC helpdesk on 0845 873 0129 to see when you last updated your records.

...........................................................................................................................................

The NMDS-SC data can now be shared with the Care Quality Commision (CQC) to minimise the amount of information they need from organisations.

You can now confirm you are happy with this when you log into NMDS-SC - check and edit the permissions you have allowed by viewing you establishment details.

Initial data items from NMDS-SC have been shared with the CQC so they can develop indicators for the Quality and Risk Profile for each regulated provider of adult social care services.

To ensure your informaion is up to date and the data CQC received is accurate visit www.nmds-sc-online.org.uk

........................................................................................................................................

Skills for Care news article October 2011

Thanks to the thousands of employers who have completed their National Minimum Data Set for Social Care (NMDS-SC) returns, Skills for Care has published the most accurate review of what the sector’s workforce really looks like.

A team of experts have been working away for months analysing the data you provided.

Their findings have been published in our latest ‘Size and Structure of the adult social care sector and the workforce in England’ report.

Some of the key findings include:

• The number of jobs in adult social care in England in 2010 was estimated at 1.77 million which is an annual rise of 7%

• The total number of people doing those jobs was estimated at 1.56 million

• An estimated 21,900 organisations provide or organise care services in England which was a rise of 0.5%

• We estimated that 48,300 establishments offered those care services which was up 2.6%

• The analysts reports that 153,791 adults and older people were receiving direct payments

The number of jobs in adult social care projected to grow between 24% and 82% between 2010 and 2025, which gives a real indication of why the successful recruitment and retention initiatives like Apprenticeships that the sector is driving forward are so important.

The team also found that nearly half the workforce – 44% worked in domiciliary care, 35% worked in residential settings, 14% in the community and 5% in day services.

“The whole point of gathering NMDS-SC data is that it helps a practical purpose in helping the sector develop a confident, capable and skilled workforce to meet future needs and challenges,” says Skills for Care’s Head of Workforce Intelligence Thea Seville.

“The response from the sector employers of all sizes has been brilliant which is why we now have the most accurate picture of our sector to date.”

“But we can’t rest on our laurels so we need employers to keep giving us their up to date information, and for those employers who haven’t supplied data to get in touch so our NMDS-SC team can help them through the process which we have simplified over the last few months.”

The report is available to download at www.skillsforcare.org.uk/research in the research reports section.

To register or update your NMDS-SC data please visit www.skillsforcare.org.uk/nmds-sc or contact our helpdesk on 0845 873 0129.