Social Care DASH

The UK social care sector is facing a major staffing crisis. High vacancies and heavy workloads are leaving staff feeling stressed, undervalued and burnt out, which ultimately lowers the quality of care for residents.

To help, the Social Care DASH project is laying the groundwork for a planned new system called “Be Well Work Well” (BEWOW). This “learning workforce system” uses data to understand what keeps staff healthy and happy at work. By involving staff in the design process, the Social Care DASH project aims to lay the foundations for BEWOW to create long-term improvements in workplace culture and employee retention.

• Aims and objectives

  Our overarching aim is to undertake preparatory work and consultation with key social care stakeholders to explore the facilitators and barriers to social care involvement and engagement with the planned ‘learning workforce system’ (BEWOW).

  We have four objectives:

  1: Engage with key social care stakeholders to understand their needs and concerns.

  2: Understand what data is already collected, what else is needed, and what is feasible

  3: Explore data sharing options ensuring secure and effective collaboration 

  4: Plans for developing a funding application to support delivery of BEWOW for social care organisations

• Planned activities

  Work package 1 – Engagement, inclusion and support 

  To engage with key social care stakeholders to understand their needs and concerns.

  Work package 2 – Data mapping and sharing

  To understand the existing data relevant to BEWOW, identify additional data needs, and assess the feasibility of data collection and sharing in social care.

  Work package 3 Planning for a research funding application 

  Social care DASH will lay the groundwork for a funding application for a programme of work on staff well-being by integrating insights from work packages 1 and 2 and convening a multidisciplinary team. Key actions include establishing a steering group to oversee bid writing and developing a clear timeline.

• Planned outputs

  Proposed outputs:

  • Develop ways of working to maximise inclusion and engagement. 
  • A comprehensive understanding of well-being data, identifying missing information.
  • An assessment of the practicality and feasibility of collecting and sharing well-being data.
  • Plans for a larger NIHR application to expedite plans for BEWOW.
  • Outputs (in varied formats) for the public, practice, policy and research. We will track download of outputs.

  Knowledge exchange activities:

  • Regular workshops and meetings to ensure continuous collaboration and input.
  • Co-produced plain language summaries (e.g. briefings, blogs).