Rahul Jagota - Farewell Message

It feels like an awful lot has happened since I took over the role of ECA Chair in December 2020.

The Strength of ECA is based on the number of our members, and it was immediately realised that in order to expand we must offer value; demonstrate that ECA make tangible differences to our providers; improve our communication to the market and represent/showcase matters which are most important to providers.

We needed a new energy & a revised strategy.

In this period our funding has doubled, and we have worked hard to increase the number of our sponsors/partners. As a result of being financially healthier, we have been able to offer free membership which was pertinent in our goal to expand following the uncertain times of covid.

I am very pleased that our membership has almost trebled during this time - this growth in membership gives us a much stronger voice when we speak on your behalf.

We have also been able to expand the ECA Committee and widened it’s knowledge base, making us more representative of you, our members. Behind the scenes this has led to a strengthening of our governance arrangements.

The increase in funding has enabled us to increase to employ 3 officers which combined with the new Committee Members & a revitalised energy, has increased our productivity and the value offered to members.

ECA’s progression forward in this period, led by the energy increase has meant our strategy was more purposeful and more encompassing to the needs of our members. The Committee members were encouraged to follow their passions to lead on too. Listed below are some of our improved offerings and achievements in the period of my tenure as Chair:

•          Better representation and dialogue for increased funding, using real data to form our case
•          Broader range of Topics in Conferences, with a staple session from ECC leaders
•          We now plan and chair Provider Locality Meetings jointly with the council
•          Trusted Assessors are employed at Colchester Hospital through our pilot
•          Leading in the cause for safer International Recruitment and better welfare for International Workers through agenda and conferences
•          Providing Cultural Diversity Training in recognition of our changing landscape
•          Women in Leadership Events
•          Partnership working with ECC during riots, so we were firm on our shared ethos
•          Improved communications and Social Media presence including offers from our partners
•          Better representation at Live at Home and Integrated Residential and Nursing cohorts
•          Advising on assessment tools which resulted in a new High Needs band for extra payment through a strategy group
•          Improved ECA approach in You Said We Did for our members, ensuring we are responsive and relevant
•          Representation in strategy cohorts to improve Safeguarding processes in recognition to align a more transparent approach
•         Cost Of Care conference to understand how ECC increase their prices so we can influence changes

In embodying the notion Relationship is Everything in the role as Chair, I with Simon Harniess, met monthly with ECC senior officers. Through this we have improved transparency, for example we asked ECC to be more transparent in how they arrive at the amounts for fee uplifts. We discussed the current local & national issues in the social care market, looking for solutions if necessary, devising joint comms & airing matters pertinent to us for solution from ECC.

We have sought to increase understanding of the pressures that social care providers work under and have established regular ‘roundtable’ events with the ECC Portfolio Holder for Health and Social Care, Cllr.John Spence and the Director of Adult Social Services, Nick Presmeg.

We have worked to get the voice of our members heard locally and nationally and have lobbied around the burden of Employer’s NI and the NLW more recently. This included meeting and canvassing our local MPs James Cleverly, Priti Patel & Nigel Farage to ensure they are aware of the challenges we face.

I have enjoyed collaborating with national organisations such as Care England and the Care Association Alliance in championing social care on many matters. We have jointly promoted a number of initiatives which support sustainability and saving providers money (with ECC as a partner too). This has included piloting national schemes to recycle food waste, initiatives to reduce food costs, offering early payment schemes for the social care workforce and reduce the costs of laundry.

In the end, I am grateful the ECA Committee, and the Officers have been a pleasure to work with. They have been forthright, challenging with respect, knowledgeable and passionate to the cause.  I have learnt much from them in leading ECA on this journey.

It has been a challenging but enjoyable role, but I feel that it is now time to put all my energy into running my own care business. I am proud of our significant movement forward and feel personally rewarded by the time I have given.

I wish our new Chair and Vice Chair every success and look forward to them taking ECA forward to its next chapter.

We would like to thank Rahul for all his work for ECA during his time as Chair, and wish him all the very best for his future activities from the ECA Committee and staff team.