Learning and Development Offer Phase 1 and Continuous Professional Development Budgets for Regulated Health Professionals

Tender description

In December 2021 the Government released a White Paper: People at the Heart of Care outlining its vision for the adult social care workforce. Backed up by at least £500 million to transform the way Government supports and develops the workforce, the policies in the White Paper aim to create a workforce which is:<br/>• Well trained and developed;<br/>• Healthy and supported; and <br/>• Sustainable and recognised. <br/>This will contribute to wider strategic aims to ensure that those who receive care are provided with choice, control, and support to live independent lives; that they receive outstanding quality and tailored care; and that people find adult social care fair and accessible.<br/><br/>It is intended that part of this investment shall support and enhance access to good quality training for those working in social care through: <br/>1. Learning and Development Offer for non-regulated care workforce<br/>2. Continuous Professional Development for eligible Regulated Health Professionals Lot 1: 1. Learning and Development Offer Phase 1 <br/>Objective is to increase the funding of Learning and Development for the ASC workforce by reimbursing employers and/or training providers upon completion of training up to 31 May 2023. The offer will include training and development for the adult social care workforce (for example, staff working in care homes, supported living, domiciliary care services and similar, including registered managers) but does not include regulated professionals such as registered nurses, social workers, occupational therapists or other professionals working in the same setting). <br/>The offer will run alongside the Workforce Development Fund (WDF) in 2022-23. The Workforce Development Fund is a reimbursement fund that provides reimbursement to employers towards the costs of learning and development for the adult social care workforce. The offer will need to work cohesively with the WDF. <br/>The Authority requires a Delivery Partner who can reimburse employers and/or training providers on behalf of the Authority upon the completion of eligible training through an accessible online digital reimbursement system. <br/>The Delivery Partner will need to:<br/>1. Manage how adult social care (ASC) employers and/or training providers apply to access the funding, including developing guidance for employers and employees, and a GDS- compliant user interface<br/>2. Process claims and distribute payments to eligible claimants (this could be up to 400,000 claims) <br/>3. ensure fraud is managed, employers claim for funding are evidenced, and training providers and employers are not reimbursed for the same training. <br/>4. engage with the sector to drive demand for the funding, including signpost training and development opportunities, available funding, access to opportunities; and <br/>5. provide up to date reporting and estimates of the numbers of training that employers are putting staff through.<br/><br/><br/>2. Continuous Professional Development – Regulated Health Professionals only<br/>The Authority intends to provide funding until 2024/25 to the adult social care employers of eligible registered nurses, nursing associates and other allied health professionals to contribute towards the costs of their CPD. Regulated health professionals are required to be registered with their respective regulatory body and must undertake CPD that meet the standards set by their regulatory body. Evidence indicates that financial pressures mean employers find it challenging to meet the costs of funding good quality CPD. Consequently, regulated health professionals can struggle to access relevant CPD opportunities. Investment to support funding for CPD aims to improve retention, reduce turnover, and improve productivity within the regulated health workforce. <br/><br/>The ‘Fund’ shall refer to the money to support eligible regulated professionals with the cost of their CPD. <br/><br/>The Authority requires a Delivery Partner to design and administer a reimbursement scheme for employers, providing a set amount of funding per employee subject to successful completion of CPD. <br/>1. Manage how adult social care (ASC) employers and apply to access the funding, including developing guidance for employers and employees, and a GDS- compliant user interface<br/>2. Process claims and distribute payments to eligible claimants (this could be up to 40,000 claims per annum, although employers will be encouraged to group claims). <br/>3. Manage the delivery of funding to ASC employers including setting up verification processes, managing the risk of fraud and meeting the fraud requirements as set out by the authority.<br/>4. Maintain ongoing communications with the ASC workforce to promote the availability of the Fund. <br/>5. Deal with complaints, feedback and related service delivery issues within agreed service level agreements; and <br/>6. Provide the Authority with up-to-date reporting and data on the distribution of the Fund <br/>7. Working alongside the ‘Employers’ to ensure access to the Fund. Additional information: Indicative timelines:<br/>LDO Phase 1 -Timeline: <br/>The anticipated start date for delivering this requirement is in the second half of the 2022/23 financial year<br/>CPD Timeline: <br/>1.1 The anticipated start date for delivering this requirement is in the second half of the 2022/23 financial year. The CPD fund is expected to have to process approximately 40,000 claims for reimbursement.