In this newsletter
1. Sum Up Social Care
i) With or Without You
ii) Women in Leadership Development Programme
iii) Greener Care Initiatives
iv) IHSCM Leadership Theatre at The Care Show
v) Building a Customer & Employee experience that engages with the people you want to attract
i) With or Without You
The NHS 10 Year Plan promises direction, alignment and reform, but the current reality that is being faced across health and social care, is that we simply cannot wait for the plan.
Through the conversations I am having with many of our social care members, they are already forging ahead, holding communities together, innovating under pressure and adapting in real time. Social care have had to learn to adapt and innovate in order to survive.
So when it comes to neighbourhood health systems, I ask you…
- Do you want to place yourself firmly in control of your own future, instead of reacting to policy?
- Would you like to become a partner within your Neighbourhood System, designing solutions that actually work for the people within them?
Creating neighbourhood health systems would allow care providers to move from the fringes to the centre. By building intentional connections across healthcare boundaries: primary care, community services, voluntary organisations, housing and public health, means they would become an integral part of the system. These relationships reduce duplication, close gaps, and create faster, more human- centred responses for people whose lives don’t fit neatly into the system silos.
The impact on outcomes is real and measurable. We can evidence that when health and social care truly collaborate locally, people experience smoother transitions, fewer crises, and more continuity.
BUT, there are significant challenges.
- Delegated healthcare tasks are increasingly being passed to care providers without the necessary funding, training, or infrastructure required to deliver them sustainably. This creates risk, inequity and strain on already stretched services. Government cannot abdicate their responsibility in this regard. No viable business would give a job to a supplier then not pay them for doing it. It just doesn’t make any sense and creates a huge about of unnecessary strain.
- Some local Authorities setting pay rates for social care that go against everything that is supposed to be Better Care.
- Collaboration itself can be uneven: from what I have seen, some ICBs, HSIPs and LHBs, are embracing genuine partnership, others still default to working primarily with local authorities/councils, overlooking the vital role of private and independent providers who deliver the majority of care.
- Add to this, persistent barriers around data, fragmented systems, unclear governance and limited access to meaningful information.
- And finally, and probably the most critical challenge, is the willingness to truly collaborate. This means the ability for all within health & social care to remain curious, to come to any discussions without judgement, assumptions and biases.
These challenges do not negate the case for neighbourhood health systems, but they do demand honest conversation, shared accountability, and strong leadership.
This is where systems leadership becomes essential. Neighbourhood health systems are complex where linear solutions rarely work. The Cynefin model offers a powerful lens for leaders navigating this landscape, helping them recognise when to follow best practice, when to analyse, and when to experiment and learn. Rather than attempting to control complexity, leaders can create the conditions for safe-to-fail innovation and collective progress. Cynefin helps leaders distinguish between what is obvious, complicated, complex, or chaotic, and respond accordingly. Progress comes from curiosity, not control.
Social care leaders are already well suited to this kind of leadership. They understand relationships, context, and lived experience. What’s needed now is the confidence and shared language to lead across boundaries, influence partners, and shape systems that reflect local reality rather than national constructs.
And this is your moment to step into that space.
The Institute of Health & Social Care Management (IHSCM) will be running dedicated sessions designed to support health and social care on this journey. These sessions will explore practical topics including delegated healthcare tasks, understanding the health and social care system, and developing the systems leadership capabilities needed to drive meaningful change. They are spaces to learn, challenge assumptions, share experience and build the confidence to act.
So don’t wait for the plan. Neighbourhood health systems are being built right now by those willing to lead, connect and experiment.
Will the future of health and social care be shaped with you… or without you?
Want to know more about Systems Leadership and the Cynefin model? Our Short Course Masterclass is here
If you want to be involved in these discussions, please do email me, Sue Jones at [email protected].
ii) Women in Leadership Development Programme
We are excited to bring you a new Women in Leadership Development Programme for 2026 through a series of INTERACTIVE online workshops. The topics we will cover are:
- Adaptive Leadership in Challenging Times – 22nd January: Tickets On Sale
- Building Personal Resilience – 12th February: Tickets On Sale
- Understanding Bias and Its Impact: Coming Soon
- Inclusive Leadership Practices: Coming Soon
- Personal Wellbeing and Work-Life Balance
- Creating a Culture of Wellbeing
- Navigating Difficult Conversations
- Leading Through Conflict
These workshops will feature guest speakers and are designed to be interactive. More details on individual workshops can be found here.
iii) Greener Care Initiatives
At the IHSCM we are trying to do our bit to promote Greener Care Sustainability initiatives. Please see below three links with info.
1. Our Greener Care Series – IHSCM Greener Care Series
Explore practical insights into transformative sustainability in health and social care.
2. Caring For Tomorrow: Sustainability in Care Webinar – This month, they will be joined by our very own Trudie Fell, CEO and Co-founder of BelleVie, a B Corp home care organisation. BelleVie has become a leading example of how domiciliary care providers can embed sustainability and social value at the heart of their model – from their team-based care structure and subscription funding, to the values-driven work culture that earned them B Corp certification.
3. Be Green and Save £100’s on hybrid mattresses
Grace Cares have a wonderful opportunity for care providers to save money and evidence carbon saving for your environmental sustainability reporting for the regulator. You will also be helping the community as profits from sales support unpaid caregivers and older people, for every £1 spent with Grace Cares you will be helping them to deliver £4-£7 in social value.
They currently have in stock 150 pre-loved Dyna-Form Mercury Advance Hybrid Mattresses. They have been fully refurbished, fitted with brand new covers and signed off by the original manufacturer.
They usually retail at around £800 each, they are available from Grace Cares at £199+VAT each or for order of 10 or more they are £175+VAT.
They have a very limited stock of pre-loved pumps at £85+VAT each or you can have a brand-new pump with a 2yr warranty for £250+VAT.
They also stock hospital beds, hoists, overbed tables and much more – all professionally refurbished and tested.
If you’d like to be notified when new equipment becomes available, we’d be happy to add you to our Care Home Updates List.
For more information or to place an order please call Emma or Pippa on 01543 730189 or email [email protected].
iv) IHSCM at The Care Show London 29th and 30th April
We are delighted to be attending the Care Show in London this year and we have our very own Leadership Theatre. We are by our members, for our members which is why we are delighted that many will be speaking at these sessions, sharing their valuable insight into leading in challenging times.
With a brand-new look and a renewed commitment to the sector’s needs, Care Show London 2026 returns to Excel London this April. As the UK’s trusted event for care professionals, it brings together 3,500+ attendees for two days of learning, networking, and inspiration. To register for the Care Show click here. To view our Leadership Theatre Programme, click here
v) Building a Customer & Employee experience that engages with the people you want to attract
This month I ran a full day’s consultative sales workshop for one of our community hub partners. The day provided practical insight into how to create a first class experience for both customers and employees. If this is something you feel your organisation would benefit from, please do let email me, Sue Jones, [email protected]. This could be through an online sessions or face to face, whichever you prefer.
2. Events for February 202612th February – 10 am till 12.30 pm Speak NET Virtual Workshop – Building a Community of Practice for Speaking Up in Healthcare. For more info and book click here.
12th February – 12 pm till 1.30 pm – IHSCM Women in Leadership Development Programme: Building Personal Resilience. For more info and book click here.
24th February – 8.30 am – Estates Vision 2026: The Health Estates Conference
Location – etc.venues, Prospero House, 241 Borough High St, London SE1 1GA – For more info and book click here.
Interested in developing Practical Leadership Skills for yourself or your team?
DON’T FORGET! We have a range of CPD accredited short course masterclasses available that you can complete any time to suit you. Whether you are an aspiring leader or already lead teams, there are many courses to choose from. Take a look here.
We also provide in-person leadership workshops across the country through our care associations and community hub partners. If you would like to find out more please email Sue Jones, [email protected].
If there is a topic you would like us to cover we are more than happy to create a session because if it’s something you feel you need then it is likely others will do too.
For any queries or comments regarding this newsletter, please contact Sue Jones, [email protected].
