James Cross, Chair of the Apollo Project Board spoke recently at the First Year Celebration Event of Apollo. James is the Senior Workforce Supply Lead at NHS England in the East of England. NHS England have funded the Apollo Project. James shared these words at the Apollo Celebration Evening.
“Over the past few weeks, I have seen first-hand the services provided in the NHS and the wider social care sector, I have seen our amazing workforces delivering great care and support. It is fair to say, with rising demand, increasing complexity and significant financial constraints, things are very challenged.
However! There are immense policy shifts ahead for the NHS and social care such as, analogue to digital, illness to prevention and more integrated services closer to home. Alongside this we have been set the immense workforce challenge that we in the NHS (and this applies to social care) are too heavily reliant on international recruitment which is not sustainable.
In short, we as a society, need to grow our own domestic workforce, and actually do it!
As we also know, there is a huge economic challenge around unemployment (particularly youth unemployment). The recent white paper published this week outlines this.
- Too many people are excluded from the labour market – especially those with health conditions, caring responsibilities or lower skill levels.
- Too many young people leave school without essential skills/access to further learning
- Too many people are stuck in insecure, poor quality and often low-paying work (with its impacts on health)
- Too many women who care for their families still experience challenges staying in and progressing in work.
- Too many employers cannot fill their vacancies due to labour and skills shortages.
- There is too great a disparity in labour market outcomes.
Although these challenges do not come as a surprise, I can see a fabulous opportunity for our education providers, the wider public sector and health and social care (particularly the NHS in role to improve health) to work together to grow our own.
Apollo has sought to shift the dial on all of this. The partnership of the 6 Further Education colleges across Norfolk and Suffolk, working together with health and social care employers and wider partners to: inspire the future workforce, work and learn, transition, care start, T levels, supported internships and more, they can really assist and make a difference to this much needed requirement.
The critical point is that over the past year Apollo has supported over 250 people to enter health and social care roles– and I am sure the best is yet to come.
All of this though would not have been possible without our partners across Further Education, DWP, Local Authorities and the 400 health and social care employers engaged in the project and our wider NHS colleagues.
I have probably one way or another met with all the principals of the Further Education colleges across the East of England and their Health and social Care teams, I never fail to be impressed by their support to the NHS and social care, commitment to learners, and commitment to raising aspiration and widening participation.
I would also like to place on record my thanks’ to the Apollo board for your leadership and commitment to the Apollo Project.
Looking back at Apollo’s first year I would like to end with a critical point that it often takes a special kind of local leadership to drive change and make things happen –this is exactly what has happened with the Apollo Project led quite brilliantly by Rachel Bunn, Sonia Loveday and wider colleagues across East Coast College.
An idea was formed, resources were found, partnerships were established – and great stuff happened.
I look forward to year 2!”