Workforce Innovation in Long-Term Care: Insights from Three UK Studies

The Care Economy Research Institute (CERI), in partnership with the La Trobe Business School, is pleased to welcome Serena Vicario.

In this seminar, Serena will draw on three UK-based studies to examine:

• How workforce innovation can be defined and identified within the fragmented long-term care (LTC) sector
• The extent and nature of current workforce innovation
• Key examples of innovative practices emerging in practice

Long-term care (LTC) is a labour-intensive sector, and having a sufficient workforce is essential to meet the needs of a growing population requiring care. Yet the International Labour Organization has long warned of a looming global care work crisis. Reflecting this trend, the UK has faced a persistent LTC workforce shortage. In England alone, around 1.8 million people work in the sector, but further 540,000 posts (+29%) will be needed by 2040 (Skills for Care, 2024).

Innovation is often promoted as a way to tackle pressing societal challenges, including those affecting LTC. In recent years, UK social policy has shown renewed interest in workforce-focused innovation, mirrored by a growing body of research.

GUEST SPEAKER

Serena Vicario

Serena is a Research Associate affiliated with the ESRC Centre for Care and based at the Centre for Health Services Studies, University of Kent.

She is working on the projects ‘Digital Care and Innovation: Realities, Risks, and Rewards’ and ‘Care workforce change: organisation, delivery and development’. Before joining the Centre in 2022, she completed a PhD at the University of Sheffield’s Centre for Health and Related Research, an MA in Social Policies from the University of Padua, and a BA in Social Sciences and Social Work from the University of Venice.

Serena’s research is interdisciplinary, combining theoretical and applied approaches to health and social care. Her interests include digital and non-digital innovation in long-term care, improvement and sustainability in welfare systems, and the sociology of care and care work. Her background as a social worker has contributed to develop her interest and practices around inclusive, participatory, and co-produced research.