Social care nurses ‘critical’ to incoming healthcare overhaul

Professor Deborah Sturdy said the fact social care was included in Lord Ara Darzi’s review of the NHS, published last night, was one sign of this shift.

“I believe social care nurses and their counterparts in the NHS play a critical role in delivering this transformational change”

Stephen Kinnock

The highly anticipated report, which will form the foundation of the government’s plan for the NHS for the next decade, included a section titled “social care challenges impacting the NHS”.

Professor Sturdy, who is based in the Department of Health and Social Care, said: “We’ve just had… the Darzi review that not only talks about the NHS, which is predominantly the remit he had to undertake that, but also talking about social care.”

She went on to express optimism about the new Labour government’s approach to social care so far, while stressing the financial difficulties the sector continues to face.

“I think the one thing that we’ve seen with the incoming secretary of state [Wes Streeting] is that he does talk about social care a lot, and he talks about his personal commitment to that, which is really, really positive to see, certainly from my perspective, where I sit in my seat working at the department,” said Professor Sturdy.

“So that’s a positive, that feels like there’s a shift. But we also know that we’re doing all of this with a background of real challenge financially.”

She said the voice of social care nursing was now “in the room in lots of places” and that the Social Care Nursing Advisory Councils (SCNACs) were a key reason for this.

The event today, being held at the Coventry University campus in London, aims to celebrate the work of the SCNACs.

The seven regional SCNACs across England work to ensure social care nursing is properly included in conversations and plans across the wider health and care system.

Meanwhile, care minister Stephen Kinnock provided Professor Sturdy with a recorded message to play to attendees at the conference, as he was unable to attend in person.

In it, Mr Kinnock said social care nurses would play a key role in the government’s 10-year plan for reforming the NHS.

He said: “I’ve been working with departmental colleagues and partners across the care sector to understand the challenges facing our health and social care system. What’s already clear to me is the need to tackle them together to deliver the better health outcomes we all want to see.

“This government is launching a 10-year health plan for change and modernisation. This plan will set out a bold agenda to deliver on the three big shifts needed to move healthcare from hospital to community, from analogue to digital, and from sickness to prevention.

“I believe social care nurses and their counterparts in the NHS play a critical role in delivering this transformational change.”

Mr Kinnock also backed a move for all student nurses to complete a social care placement as part of their undergraduate studies.

“Clearly we’ve got challenges across all of our health and social care services, particularly around workforce”

Duncan Burton

He said: “Deborah Sturdy, our chief nurse for adult social care, and I are united in our belief that every undergraduate nurse should spend some time in social care settings.

“Only in this way can we build an integrated, person-centered workforce which meets the needs of the population, regardless of where care is delivered.”

NHS England chief nursing officer Duncan Burton, who was appointed in July, attended the event and pledged to advocate for social care nurses in his role, alongside Professor Sturdy.

He told delegates: “I’m looking forward to coming out and spending some time visiting your services and will come along and shadow one of the [SCNACs] as well, to understand more about your world so that I can give voice to your world and help amplify your voices as well.”

Collaboration between the NHS and social care would be key going forward, added Mr Burton.

Duncan Burton

“There’s a lot in the media… about the NHS today, but clearly we’ve got challenges across all of our health and social care services, particularly around workforce, and they’re not unique to one or other,” he said.

“And so actually, that collaborative working that you are doing through the work of the councils, working within our integrated systems, is a really important step forward and a way in which we can make sure that we work collaboratively on the issues that we’ve all got to tackle over the coming years for the benefit of all of our people and our population.”

He praised the work done by Professor Sturdy since becoming the first-ever chief nurse for adult social for England in 2020, describing her role as “vital”.

Next month, Professor Sturdy and Mr Burton are due to meet with health and social care secretary Wes Streeting.

In that meeting, they would talk to Mr Streeting about “how nursing across the system can be part of the solutions of the many, many challenges that we face”, said Professor Sturdy.

Also at the event was Andrea Lewis, regional chief nurse for the South East at NHS England, who has been supportive of the work of the SCNACs in her area.

She noted how the renewed focus by the Labour government on the need to move more care out of hospitals and into the community – which was also highlighted in the Darzi review – was an opportunity for adult social care.

She said: “And let’s face it, with the new government coming in now, the talk is all about the left shift.

“It’s not about the acute hospitals anymore. It’s about moving everything into the community and primary healthcare, but also care closer to or in the patients’ homes, wherever that may be.

“So for us in the NHS, we’ve got to get with the programme now and help with that left shift.

“And so this is where these [SCNACs] are absolutely pivotal, by utilising the leadership within the councils, but also being able to change that mindset now about what we need to do in order to improve those patient pathways and improve those patient outcomes.”