Wellbeing Teams - Self-managed, values-led, neighbourhood-based support

In a series of blogs supporting 5 videos recently recorded, 7 UK Care Provider CEOs discuss their Workforce observations and learning through hindsight. Introduced by John Pollaers and coinciding with the release of his Australian Workforce Strategy Report, their feedback is both candid and instructional.

Helen Sanderson pretty much wrote the book on Person Centred Care in England. After 10 years’ leading the UK’s early development work and 10 years’ as the Expert Advisor on Person Centered Approaches, she decided to put her money where her mouth is, firstly in consulting and training and then as a Home Care Operator. Helen is very open about her personal challenges in a new environment, and even clearer on the critical ingredients for keeping clients and staff.

Self-Managed, Shared responsibility
Helen describes her Wellbeing Teams as being small - 10 or 12 people maximum, with a definite geographic boundary. The teams work in a multi-tasking environment where service delivery is part of all roles along with a variety of specialist tasks assigned to support the team:

• Scheduler to build the roster that supports clients’ and employees’ needs;
• Recruitment Coordinator as appointments are team decisions;
• Meeting Coordinator;
• Story Teller for community and related engagement;
• Coach and Wellbeing leader.

Staff Engagement and Happiness
In the USA, the ‘workplace’ is the 5th largest cause of death in the community. ‘Dying for a Pay cheque’ inspired two central themes for Wellbeing Teams — Autonomy and Tangible Social Support.

Different start – Candidate Experience as important as Client Experience
The next topic Helen discusses is to find a different way to bring people into the sector and a different way to pay attention to their needs:

• ‘We intentionally look outside the sector to avoid ‘recycled’ candidates and inheriting poor practice that will not cut it in a Wellbeing Team’
• ‘We recruit for values, make it a joint decision and monitor candidate experience for all, not just the successful’
• Any new starter in a Wellbeing team goes through a 4-day induction.  “1 page profiles” as a basis of team building
• Helen focuses on identifying work and development opportunities for her staff.

Biggest lesson
Helen’s biggest lesson over the last 15 years in Social Care: If you are not being Person Centred with your staff you cannot expect them to be Person Centred with their clients.
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Whilst in its early days, Wellbeing Teams are based on a proven model, localised where necessary, but retaining the values, engagement, autonomy and social support that deliver ownership of client and team outcomes.

Watch the full interview with Helen Sanderson as well as the other CEOs interviewed here. 

Meet Helen in person on Friday the 19th of October in Melbourne. Learn how here. 

These reflections on a CDC environment videos and blog posts were created in a partnership between Altura Learning, Care Advantage Behavioural Screening and Neil Eastwood’s Recruitment Masterclass. The input from the 7 UK business leaders, as well as John Pollaers, has been invaluable and the time and effort they have put in much appreciated.