Workforce data is one of the sets of data we collect in the National Social Care Data Portal for Wales, which aims to help local authorities, regional partnership boards and other partners understand the social care sector in Wales.
We invited our workforce data partners to attend a workshop on 7 January 2020 to find out what problems and difficulties they experience when collecting data about the social care workforce.
The event was well attended, with representatives from local authorities, the regional partnership boards, the Welsh Government, Data Cymru, and Health Education and Improvement Wales.
The workshop’s aim was to start a discussion about whether we’re collecting the right information, and to understand the difficulties in collecting data and how we can simplify this process.
Mike Docherty, Workforce Intelligence Manager from the Scottish Social Services Council gave a talk about how similar workforce data is collected in Scotland and the obstacles they have faced along the way.
We ran two breakout sessions to start reviewing the current data we’re collecting and to find out what problems our partners face when giving us their data.
The workshop identified difficulties in the following areas:
- IT systems – there’s a need for a simple web-based system that allows local authorities and providers to input data directly
- processes – a simplified data collection process led by one organisation
- data quality – there’s a need for better definitions and guidance about what we want to collect so that everyone provides the same information without duplication.
We asked those attending to let us know if they were interested in being part of a steering group to help us make improvements. We’ve since received a number of applications and will make our decision shortly.
To review some of the workforce data we currently hold, visit the National Social Care Data Portal for Wales.
If you would like to find out more about ongoing workshops or are interested in being a part of our steering group Contact us.