Connecting Communities with Health and Care Careers
Organisation: Leeds Health and Care Academy
Location: Leeds
Populations served: 1.5 million
The Connecting Communities with Health and Care Careers programme (CCHCC) aims to work with people and communities in disadvantaged areas of the city, who may also be under-represented in the health and social care workforce. Building on a successful programme of work in the Lincoln Green area of Leeds, CCHCC seeks to improve access to employment opportunities and provide practical support for people in their chosen career. Focusing on discrete communities in Leeds, the programme aims to remove barriers to recruitment and employment and provide the support that people need to succeed.
The programme’s rationale is to engage at local levels so that activities and opportunities are relevant. This includes identifying a career that’s suitable for the individual, and signposting appropriately to local vacancies or education and training courses.
Impact of the programme
Links between secure employment, good career opportunities and health are well recognised, with positive outcomes related to a myriad of health and social outcomes are consistently documented.
Jonsson et al., 2021, Gevaert et al., 2021
Conversely, unemployment is a psycho-social stressor that has been linked to an increase in physical and mental health problems, low subjective wellbeing and quality of life (Peláez-Fernández et al., 2022). Socioeconomic inequalities remain prevalent in the UK and this is particularly damaging to fostering inclusive and cohesive communities (HM Government, 2022). These inequalities arise from a plethora of factors, but income and opportunity for developing education and skills in order to gain meaningful employment is a salient issue. If resolved, it could offer benefits for individuals and ‘levelling up’ wider society (HM Government, 2022). In short, employment is a clear social determinant of health for individuals and communities (Public Health England, 2015).
The Connecting Communities with Health and Care Careers programme was built on a ‘hub and spoke’ model. The ‘hub’ was the data control centre, and data was collected through a QR code that was included in numerous different pieces of promotional material that were distributed within target communities. A person could submit their data to the hub via a form that the QR code linked to. The hub then filtered that person through to the most appropriate ‘spoke’ for them - CCHCC was one of these spokes. A person was filtered through to CCHCC if they were located in the geographical target area. The hub and spoke model was chosen to ensure that communities weren’t saturated with various pieces of messaging about different initiatives; all of the data flowed into one place, and was then screened by the hub, before being directed to the relevant spoke. The other spokes included support provided by the Employment and Skills team at Leeds City Council, and Healthier Working Futures, a programme funded by the UK Government through the UK Community Renewal Fund which targeted 16-25 year olds specifically. Total referrals into the central hub totalled 563 between February - July.
Actual impact of the project:
152 people from the target community engaged with the project via the hub and spoke model.
116 people were supported through another spoke of activity, as well as accessing support through CCHCC, which included volunteering, work experience, pre-employment programmes, direct employment, training and education.
66 people received conditional offers of employment as a result of the project.
49 people achieved an accredited qualification as a result of the project.
17 COVID-19 vaccinations were administered during the process as the programme worked in partnership with the Bevan Nurses at a community outreach event. Three of these were first vaccinations, issued two and a half years after the start of the pandemic.
Please note: people could access more than one spoke. For example, somebody could access a qualification through one spoke, and then be filtered into a different spoke as their circumstances and experience changed - resulting in continuous data flow and support.
How the programme was delivered
A system-wide data sharing agreement was drafted and signed by partners at the start of the project.
The model of delivery was hub and spoke, which enabled a continuous flow of data between partners. A dedicated project officer was assigned who acted as data controller.
The geographical target area built on existing relationships and established networks.
Insights from previous schemes of work supported the design and approach of the project, as we worked from a place of lessons learnt.
The project was unfunded - this was intentional in order to embed systemic change to existing processes. Collectively, we are aiming to proactively move away from a “stop and start” campaign approach, to make the sustainable changes required to address and narrow health inequalities. However, an opportunity to work alongside the Healthier Working Futures project was identified, aligning processes meant any duplication of effort was minimised, and available resources were maximised.
There was a clear governance structure to support decision making and delivery. The Operational Group reported to the Steering Group, who then reported to the Leeds One Workforce Strategic Board.
What is the future of this programme?
The evaluation of this project highlighted a number of factors that will be of significant importance to future work:
The continuous growth of our partnership and collaborative approach, with evidence of a shared understanding and vision for the programme from those at the interface of delivery and strategic partners.
Strategic buy-in from organisations was strong, and this lubricated processes and made things easier operationally, which can be replicated in future.
The test of change piloted under the programme (i.e. the flipped recruitment model) widened access to employment opportunities through removing barriers.
Increased connection into existing initiatives optimised impact and reach, avoiding duplication of effort.
The infrastructure and assets designed under this programme provide a legacy as we look to transition several spokes/activities into a sustainable model of delivery, through utilising the strengths of the city’s Health and Care Talent Pipeline. The recommendations and insights from this evaluation, alongside those from the Healthier Working Futures programme, will continue to inform our approach to subsequent programmes as we collectively work from a place of lessons learnt to narrow inequalities.
Advice for others doing similar work
Three essential ingredients to ensure impact of interventions and support the local economy include:
Think big, start small and scale fast - delivery and implementation needs to be designed with/around the needs of the target community. Build with them - not for them!
Address barriers, but also the root causes, to incite immediate and long-term change.
Promote the continuity of a partnership approach; maximising and enhancing established initiatives.
For more information about the programme please visit the Leeds Health and Care Academy website.