What does the sector want out of the Dilnot comission

Members of the Care and Support Alliance have been talking about their hopes for the Dilnot Commission into long-term care, which reports next month.

This follows a letter they sent to each of the three main party leaders on Tuesday, urging them to put aside their party differences and reach a consensus, to end public uncertainty.

Whilst members of the consortium are clear that decisions need to be made, and soon, many are less certain about what they should be. 

This is understandable, given the complexity and scale of what is at stake, but a few ventured suggestions.

The Joseph Rowntree foundation advocates a system driven by personal outcomes rather than services.

They argue that everyone should expect a minimum set of outcomes, but if people wanted more, they could choose to take out insurance.

The British Geriatric Society stress the need for increased use of technology and a minimum level of provision, which should be widely publicised, to allow people to plan for old age.

Emily Holzhausen, director of policy and public affairs at Carers UK, said we need a fair solution which is easily understood and offers adequate support to families.

“We need more funding to meet growing demand.  We know we have a shortfall today we need to meet that shortfall and meet rising demand. 

“The state has an important role in funding and ensuring that people can plan for what they need.

“It is really important that the families are well supported.  If you invest in care, more families are able to work, their health is better they are less isolated.

“Many cares say that they would not change their decision to care, but they need quality of life.  They are saving the government £190bn a year,” she said.

Professor Peter Beresford, of Brunel University, said he had the strong sense the recommendations will be heavily constrained by what they think the government will accept.

He said social care should be funded through general taxation, in the same why it funds the NHS. 

“It’s more than money, but without money the problems are going to stay,” he said.

This article was published on the Community Care website on Friday, June 3, 2011.
http://www.communitycare.co.uk/blogs/adult-care-blog/2011/06/what-does-the-sector-want-out-of-the-dilnot-commission.html

Cameron, Clegg and Miliband told to avoid political care fight

Leading social care bodies are today urging all three main party leaders to abandon political in-fighting and reach a consensus on the funding of long-term care and support, ahead of next month’s publication the Dilnot Commission’s final recommendations.

Organisations including the Local Government Association, Age UK, BUPA and the Association of Directors of Adult Social Care have written to the leaders, saying they look forward to working with them to progress reform.

And whilst they recognise that this remains one of the most difficult policy issues, delay is no longer an option.

They say: “The increased pressure on public finances is pushing an already over‐burdened system to breaking point.

“And without further integration between health and social care services this picture could worsen. It is frail, older people who will suffer unless the issue is resolved.”

They urge all political parties to respond to the independent commission’s report through measured debate and to work to build a consensus so that reform can take place this parliament.

Last month Community Care reported that the Dilnot Commission was likely to call for increased state funding for long-term care but was unlikely to recommend free care as in Scotland.

It is likely to back the introduction of national eligibility criteria for social care, ending the current postcode lottery.

It is unlikely to recommend the introduction of a “death tax” in which the cost of a person’s care would be deducted from their estate, but it could go for a system in which people are automatically enrolled in some form of care savings scheme, but have the option to withdraw if they choose.

This article was published on the Community Care website on Wednesday, June 1, 2011.
http://www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles/2011/06/01/116922/cameron-clegg-and-miliband-told-to-avoid-political-care-fight.htm

BlackBerry app frees social workers for home visits

Social workers in Surry are to trial an app written for the new BlackBerry® PlayBook, which they hope will help cut down on paperwork, enable them to work more flexibly and save up to 20 per cent of their time.

The app will give around 20 social workers in adult care teams, mobile access to patient records and enable them to complete assessments and update information while making home visits.

The software company Northgate approached the council for a two-month trial and staff will be using the app from July. The trail comes at no cost to the council.

Caroline Farrar, senior manager in the transformation team in adult social care said, the app has some of the key functions of the Swift and AIS case management systems.

It enables staff to work on cases and tasks allocated to them offline and the database is updated next time they have connectivity.

“You don’t have to write things on a piece of paper.  You don’t have to go back to the office and then type it up, so it’s trying to make life a whole lot easier for people,” she said.

“It’s surely going to cut down on journeys.  Say someone has an appointment until 4.30, they can write it up at home or in the car.

“A lot of our county is rural which people don’t realise.  We’ve got 11 district offices, but staff can still be travelling 10 miles.

“I think it just gives workers more flexibility in this day and age, it gives them more choices on how to manage their workload.  They are not tied to their desks.

Ms Farrar said the touch-screen app was very intuitive and easy to use.

This article was published on the Community Care website on Friday, June 3, 2011
http://www.communitycare.co.uk/blogs/social-work-blog/2011/06/blackberry-app-frees-social-wo.html

Call to overhaul social work training in Scotland

The Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) believes that social care staff will need new skills to cope with new ways of working such as self-directed care and co-production.

These are among the key findings of a report, called Have we got what it takes? the 2010-11 sector skills assessment for the social services workforce in Scotland, published by the SSSC today.

The numbers receiving direct payments in Scotland increased from 207 in 2001 to over 3,600 in March 2010, 44% were employing their own personal assistants (PA’s).

The number of PA’s is set to increase, as the Scottish Government is proposing to make self-directed support the norm for adults who require social care.

PA’s roles are often much wider than personal care, but the report focused on this aspect of their work.

The report said it was unclear how many personal assistants were working in Scotland, but according to a skills audit published by the Scottish Government in 2010, just over half had received relevant training.

This was often undertaken with previous employers, prompting fears that some disabled people have difficulty in accessing training for their PA’s.

PA’s said they wanted training in food hygiene, health and safety, first aid, lifting and providing personal care with dignity – the training needs they identified were similar to others working in social services.

Disabled employers and PA’s believed they should be trained in independent living and disability rights. 

The SSSC is working to promote training opportunities to PA’s and their employers.

The report also noted that the rise of new models such as co-production, in which professionals work with individuals or communities over a long period of time, to build their confidence and skills, would also have to be reflected in training.

Demographic changes such as the ageing population mean that, despite the economic downturn, the social care workforce will continue to grow.

Over 196,000 people work in social care in Scotland, the private sector is now the biggest employer.

The numbers supporting older people living at home is set to rise, possibly at the expense of those working in care homes.

The report also highlighted the findings of recent inspection reports, which identified the need for better sensory awareness and communication for frontline workers and improved risk assessments in children’s and criminal justice services.

Anna Fowlie, chief executive of the SSSC said: “The social service workforce will look very different in the coming years as social services develop to recognise changing demographics, changing public expectations and a very different financial climate.

“Less money means tough decisions, but the overwhelming need to change and challenge, to do things differently, to encourage creativity and stimulate productivity means that having the right people with the right skills in place to do the job is a must.”

This article was published on the Community Care websiste on Wednesday, June 1, 2011.
http://www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles/2011/06/01/116924/call-to-overhaul-social-care-training-in-scotland.htm

Child care worker embezzled Christian group

A residential child care worker has been suspended from practice for three months for embezzling over £1,000 from a Christian fellowship.

Peter Campbell falsely produced receipts from his employer, the Kibble Education and Care Centre in Paisley and Renfrewshire Council, which were paid by the Bridge Christian Fellowship between October 2009 and March 2010.

In reaching its decision the Scottish Social Services Council recognised that the incidents had taken place outside the workplace, they did not impact on service users and that Mr Campbell had shown regret.

The committee noted that Mr Campbell appeared to be a competent and experienced worker, who was highly regarded by his employers and colleagues.

This article was publiched on the Community Care website on Friday. June 3, 2011.
http://www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles/2011/06/03/116940/child-care-worker-embezzled-christian-group.htm

Council rejects Boris' decent homes claim

Councillors in Barking and Dagenham are today accusing London mayor Boris Johnson of taking credit for their work to improve local council homes.

The row erupted when Mr Johnson issued a statement on February 17, claiming he had secured “more than £800 million to improve thousands of council homes across the capital”.

Forty two million pound of this funding will go to Barking and Dagenham.

Labour councillors in Barking and Dagenham are demanding Mr Johnson  show them the money.

They claim that only £11.5m is secure while the remaining £30m is not committed and there is no guarantee that they will receive it,

Cabinet member for housing, Cllr. Phil Waker, said that the mayor’s inflated claims “probably have more to do with next year’s mayoral elections than anything else”.

A Greater London Authority (GLA) spokeswoman, said: “The funding has been secured for the first two years (2011-13), the allocations for 2013-15 are indicative.”

The GLA was not able to give details of Barking and Dagenham’s allocation in each year.

The spokeswoman said that the funding came through the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG). 

“DCLG consults with the mayor and (he) gives recommendations as to who should be allocated what. 

“His recommendations are crucial to ministers’ decisions,” she said.

Mr Waker said: “We will hold (the mayor) to his promise on council housing investment."


This artilce was published on the Inside Housing website on Monday, February 23, 2011.
http://www.insidehousing.co.uk/news/housing-management/council-rejects-boris-decent-homes-claim/6513789.article

Union challenges Shapps over Supporting People cuts

Public sector union UNISON has joined calls for housing minister Grant Shapps to honour his pledge not to cut the Supporting People budget by more than one per cent.

He made the pledge to Liverpool MP Steve Rotherham, in the Commons last week.

Supporting People helps over a million vulnerable people in England to live independently.

Mr Rotherham asked the housing minister whether he would give Liverpool Council the other 29%, if he could prove that the cut to its Supporting People grant was 30%.

Mr Shapps agreed.

UNISON is now circulating figures which appear to confirm Mr Rotherham’s claims.

Another 61 councils would have their Supporting People funding cut by more than 1%.

The worst affected, Camden, would see its allocation go from £30m in 2010-11 to £12m in 2011-12, a cut of 60%. 

UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said Mr Shapps should give Liverpool back the money and “do the same for the 61 other councils”.

Supporting People is now part of the formula grant which councils can allocate as they see fit.

Camden Council told Inside Housing that it intended to spend £27m on Supporting People services next year.

In a statement, the Department for Communities and Local Government said: “£6.5bn has been allocated to Supporting People over the next 4 years.

“£1.63bn was allocated in 2010-11 and £1.62bn in 2011-12, a reduction of 0.67%.”

Mr Prentis said: “Either Grant Shapps didn’t know what was going on in his department, or he didn’t care about some of the most needy and vulnerable people in our society. This is his opportunity to put things right.”


This article was published on the Inside Housing website on Monday, 22 February, 2011.
http://www.insidehousing.co.uk/ihstory.aspx?storycode=6513773