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Take part in Care Inspectorate’s senior-level, strategic discussion forum

Care Inspectorate will being hosting 'Quality Conversations' - their senior-level and strategic discussion forum. This allows executive and senior teams to connect meaningfully and productively at a strategic level, with peers across the care sector.

Quality Conversations help shape and inform the work that the Care Inspectorate does: their corporate direction; consistency of scrutiny; their stance on policy development; how they comply with legislation, support improvement, regulate and inspect, work with partners and so on.

This forum discusses key messages from the Care Inspectorate: quality and improvement; future plans and strategic direction; corporate policy positions and so on, to shape a care sector together that meets the needs and rights of people, national standards and legislation.

If you are an executive or senior representative of a care service provider or umbrella organisation with a direct interest in care services,  then this is your opportunity to discuss and influence the big topics directly in detail.

Their Glasgow events are now fully booked, but there are still spaces available for their events in Perth on Wednesday 13 November 2019 in the morning (10:00am - 12:45pm) and the afternoon (1:30pm-4.15pm). This will be held at the National Christian Outreach Centre, Riggs Road, Perth, PH1 1PR.  You can book for free, quickly and easily by clicking the following buttons below.

Please email [email protected] for more details.

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Scottish Parliament publishes no-deal Brexit briefing

The Scottish Parliament has published a new information briefing on ‘preparing for a no-deal Brexit’ in Scotland. This briefing highlight some of the potential immediate impacts of a no-deal Brexit, along with contingency planning for any disruptions that may occur immediately after the EU exit.

This document details that border checks between the EU and the UK is the most likely form of immediate disruption from a no-deal Brexit, which could result in long queues at the borders as goods travel through customers and are subject to standards checks. This might potentially lead to a disruption in the supply of food and medicines.

The Scottish Government are making use of ‘resilience’ structures to prepare for the possibility of a non-negotiated exit. Some key areas that the Scottish Government are focusing on include:

Economy and Business

A website – prepareforbrexit.scot - has been created for businesses, offering vital information and self-assessment tools. Brexit support grants are also available to SMEs.

EU Citizens

EU citizens based in Scotland are encouraged to apply for the EU settled status scheme. The Scottish Government has also developed a package of support for EU citizens who wish to stay in Scotland. This package of support includes:

  • £250,000 of dedicated resource for community-based support across Scotland
  • A free, specialist support service provided by Citizen Advice Scotland called EU Citizen Support
  • A ‘Stay in Scotland’ support toolkit for EU citizens and employers with workforce from the EU

For more information on this please see: www.gov.scot/publications/eu-citizens-staying-in-scotland-package-of-support/

Health and Medicines

The Scottish Government have stated that the NHS and pharmaceutical companies were stockpiling medicines and other supplies like medical devices and clinical consumables. “The UK Government has stated that, if there are delays at the UK Border, medical supplies will be given priority for entry into the UK”.

“The Scottish Government has also set out its position on recruitment needs across the whole Scottish economy, with a particular focus on health and social care sectors”.

Food and Water

It has been identified that issues involving the flow of food imports and exports could result from a no-deal exit. The Government has been working towards this issue by prioritising the smooth flow of trade, especially at channel ports, to minimise any disruption if a no-deal Brexit occurs. Food Standards Scotland has also been working alongside the Government in their wider contingency planning arrangements to ensure that they “can continue to support a food and drink environment in Scotland that protects consumers, regardless of the outcome of Brexit”.

Meanwhile, Scottish Water considers the risk to Scottish water supplies as a result of a no-deal Brexit to be low.

This briefing document can be found below, we strongly encourage social care providers to have a look through this report as it offers information that may be helpful in preparing for a no-deal EU exit.

preparing for a No deal Scotland (005)
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Rights Made Real Spotlight – Jennys Well

This week I am delighted to give you all an insight some of the fantastic work being undertaken by Jennys Well Care Home in Paisley. I have caught up with Stephanie and Linda, the activities coordinators for Jennys Well project which is a care home run by the Royal Blind who mainly support those living with Dementia and sight loss. Their project centres around helping residents to access tailored activities within the care home that they enjoy and benefit their wellbeing.

For the duration of the projects I maintain regular contact with the homes through phone calls and we participate in group zoom calls where all the projects come together and explore a theme and share what they have learned. I aim to visit the homes 2-3 annually to have discussions and work with the staff to untangle some of the intricacies of their project and see where I can best help to grow their learning and understanding of a human rights based approach with regards to their project.

Embedding a human rights-based approach is critical in upholding the values and principles included in the Health and Social Care Standards, by treating the person with dignity and respecting their wishes which is central to the work that we do. Whether it be finding out what is important to the person and then keeping them at the forefront of the decision-making process or supporting them to be able to play an active part in their community and being included in family life. This can be especially difficult for those with advanced dementia or sensory impairment and sight loss but Jennys Well are proving this can be achieved through creative means and technology too.

One resident loves going for a walk in the rain which may seem unconventional to most; however, it makes them feel invigorated and alive.

We discussed how they found out this information and discussed the importance of recording these seemingly subtle activities in a person’s day and how it was shared with the rest of the team in a meaningful way. The activities coordinators decided to display some pictures on coloured paper around the home at eye level as the update boards were not being used as much. They have now become a discussion point for relatives when they visit and it also helps residents who like to walk around the home. It is a great way to reminisce and remind them that they have taken part in activies and anjoyed them before. One resident was excited on seeing a photo of herself during an activity and exclaimed,

 

"Is that me? Is that really me?"

Understanding the culture and the conditions of a project has been vital in being able to help gain insight into where the staff team’s knowledge of human rights and to help them understand what is working and what isn’t working.

Stephanie, Linda and myself spent some time reflecting on the activities; what was working, what wasn’t working and what their thoughts were around why. They made a change in the set up of their team and now had one member of staff upstairs and one downstairs and one “floating” between the two floors and they felt this worked well as the home is spread over a large area and it means it was extra support If someone wants to go a walk or to the shops.

Stephanie advised me that 6/7 people are able to go outside safely for fresh air and by being able to get outside she is seeing a marked change in the presentation and moods of those residents.

Partnership working between activities coordinators and support workers is an essential part of how the team can understand and build relationships with the residents and get to know what they enjoy and want to be involved in. They now have a 10-minute huddle where they can pass on anything in the middle of their shifts that they feel maybe someone needs some more intensive support and it is a good way of keeping communication channels open. We also spoke about how we can help support staff to feel comfortable in doing activities with residents.

We spoke about how important reflection in action is to being able to understand if people enjoy an activity.

Stephanie advised me that they are using skills they already have in practice such as observational and analytical skills, looking out for the nonverbal signs and cues that someone may or may not being enjoying an activity.

This week one activity that jumped out to me was the intergenerational work in partnership with the children from Jennys Well Nursery where they visit once every 2 weeks to do activities together. The residents love it, it connects the residents with others in their community and the children bring such innacence and playfulness to the activity. There has been evidence to suggest that these types of activities connect people with their memories, improving their overall mental wellbeing  They definitely do connect with one another and learn from each other commented one of the nursery workers.

One lady realised the youngest boy was being shy and reluctant to participate and so she naturally began to help him to make his empire biscuit and subsequently helped to support feed him it. On the other hand one of the older boys vivaciousness was helping to lift the mood of the residents who were withdrawn and sullen looking before the children arrived.

This little boy in particular managed to brighten up the day of myself and activity coordinator Linda. Alzeimers Scotland and many other organisations draw attention to the fact that connection across the ages is vital to a person living with dementia and their well being. Disconnection and isolation are often what people with dementia have reported feeling therefore,  having a human connection with someone else is precious and should be encouraged as much as possible...

There was a definite change in the presentation of the residents after the activity with some of them making comments about it,

"that’s really cheered me up you know”

 

“they are little angels”

 

“look at them holding hands, aww!”  

The next thing on the agenda for Jennys Well is to carry out a human rights workshop with the aim of increasing staff confidence in their own abilities and enhancing their skill set, to be able to navigate potential dilemmas in practice.

Stay tuned for next week where we will be looking at one of the other exciting projects and how they are finding the journey of Rights Made Real in Care Homes.

If you would like to stay up to date with the projects you can follow their journey on Twitter.. @rightsrealscot or on the website www.scottishcare.org/rights-made-real

 

Thanks very much,

 

Verity Monaghan

Policy & Human Rights Project Worker

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SSSC registration deadline for support workers in care at home and housing support – 13 December 2019

Support workers in care at home and housing support services need to get their registration application to the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) by 13 December 2019 to make sure they are registered in time.

The SSSC guarantees they will process every application submitted on or before that date by the mandatory registration deadline of 30 September 2020.

The 13 December 2019 deadline does not apply to new support workers, they must still apply for registration as soon as practicable after starting their role to make sure they are registered within their first six months.

Support workers in care at home and housing support services is the largest group of workers that will be on the SSSC Register with an estimated 62,500 eligible for registration. Since the SSSC Register opened to workers in this category in October 2017 the number of registrations has been extremely good with over 30,000 already registered.

With such a large group of workers to register, the SSSC in agreement with Scottish Government, usually sets a deadline for receipt of applications a year in advance of the mandatory date for registration. However, to help workers and employers the SSSC has set the deadline for receipt of applications less than a year before the mandatory deadline.

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Care for Vision – 8 October 2019

Scottish Care are pleased to announce that we are partnering with Royal Blind to host a joint event on Tuesday 8 October 2019 at The Renfield Centre in Glasgow.

This event 'Care with vision: Overcoming challenges in caring for older people with sight loss' focusses on helping carers increase their knowledge in overcoming challenges in caring for older people with sight loss, including those with other needs such as dementia and other sensory loss.

This is an interactive workshop led by experts from sight loss charity - Royal Blind, allowing participants to experience challenges that are faced by people who are visionally impaired. The offers participants the chance to understand how sight loss conditions can impact on an individual's care needs, and how they can make a difference to the care of someone with sight loss.

Ticket prices are £10, please click on the button below to book your place.

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Workforce Matters eBulletin – September 2019

Workforce Matters eBulletin - September 2019

Workforce Matters is the workforce planning and development arm of Scottish Care.  As well as sharing relevant and up to date information about workforce and learning opportunities across the country, we also want to know more about your organisations learning and development needs, particularly those relating to regulatory, Care Inspectorate and SSSC requirements.

Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions about your organisational workforce needs or would like further information about learning and development opportunities available to Scottish Care members.

Caroline Deane - Workforce Policy & Practice Lead

[email protected] 

News and Events

Workforce, Palliative and End of Life Care - Keeping Well: Supporting the Care Workforce

Our next Workforce event, open to all Scottish Care members, will take place on Wednesday 25th September 2019, 9:30am-3:30pm at The Marriott Hotel, 500 Argyle Street, Glasgow, G3 8RR. The focus of the day will be on the palliative care journey from diagnosis through to end of life care and the impact of bereavement on health and wellbeing.

Spaces will be limited to 60 people so if you are interested in attending please contact [email protected] as soon as possible.

Hope for Home Study Day 8th October 10am to 4pm, Ardgowan Hospice, 12 Nelson Street, Greenock, PA15 1TS

As the result of an exciting partnership between Hope for Home, Ardgowan Hospice and Campbell Snowdon Care Home, they are inviting people to attend a study day that has been developed which will bring together a diverse group of people with an interest in dementia and end of life care, including opinion leaders, academics, clinical practitioners, community development experts and family carers.

Healthy Working Lives – NHS Funding available

Healthy Working Lives is a very useful website that gives access to information and training courses for the social care workforce and has funding available from the NHS.  Mentally Healthy Workplace training has been developed by Healthy Working Lives specifically for managers and supervisors. This course is delivered through blended learning and before attending you must complete the Mentally Healthy Workplace eLearning course.

For further information on training courses available please click on the button below.

Personal Outcomes Network Event Personal Outcomes and Risk Event 5th September 2019

This network event will focus on risk within the context of personal outcomes ways of working.  The event will have several speakers in the morning followed by table top discussions. It’s a great opportunity to hear about what other people are doing, share your own practice, ask questions, debate issues or challenges and learn from each other.

Stay in Scotland Campaign, helping EU Citizens to remain in Scotland

 The Scottish Government have developed guidance for employers to support EU Citizens and employers with EU staff.

Please click on the button below to access employer guides and factsheets.

Care Home Education Facilitators Newsletter (C.H.E.F. Team)

We are happy to signpost you to this newsletter which aims to engage Greater Glasgow staff and managers within the independent, social care and care home sectors.   The CHEF team hope to promote effective collaborative working with all care homes and 3rd sector organisations within GGC.

Guidance for employers to assist supporting their social care workers in care at home and housing support to register with SSSC

The SSSC have produced a series of new guides for employers for use in supporting care and support workers when they apply for SSSC registration.

Use the Flexible Workforce Development Fund to support Career Opportunities

The Scottish Funding Council have released guidance around the use of the flexible workforce development fund.  They have confirmed that qualifications in social services, including those which meet SSSC registration requirements, are eligible.

Modern Apprenticeship funding available through Skills Development Scotland

We are pleased to advise that Skills Development Scotland has announced that funding has been allocated to training providers for Modern Apprenticeships and this includes funding for staff who are aged over 25.

Workforce Groups

Our Workforce Groups each run quarterly throughout the year and, as ever, we are really keen to have the involvement of our frontline colleagues and more provider participation.  Details of the next dates are listed below:

Joint Scottish Care/SSSC Regulatory Forum

The next meeting will take place on Tuesday 10th September 2019 between 10.00am and 12.30pm.  The venue of this meeting has still to be confirmed but will be held at a venue in Edinburgh.

The Regulatory Forum explores how regulation of our services impacts upon them and our workforce. SSSC, who co-chair, advise and guide on new initiatives with providers being able to highlight challenges and solutions on topics such as registration, SVQ, qualifications and training among many others.  More input from frontline colleagues and providers can only increase our effectiveness, so please come along.

Scottish Care/SSSC Promoting Excellence in Dementia Group

The next meeting will take place on 12th September between 10:30am and 12:30pm. This will be held at the Carewatch office in Greenock, 38 Union Street, PA16 8DJ.

This group allows anyone with an interest in the care of people living with dementia to explore the Promoting Excellence Framework, training opportunities, best practice and hear updates from several different types of services on how they are encouraging and implementing the Framework within their own organisations.  It is always great to have people involved in the direct delivery of dementia care and hear the challenges and successes experienced daily in their work.

Leadership Reference Group

The next meeting will take place on 27th August 10:30am-12:30pm at the C-Change office, Suite 3 Melissa House, Festival Court, Brand Place, Glasgow, G51 1DR .

This group’s focus is on leadership and how to positively promote and nurture it throughout all levels of teams and organisations across social care. We are always looking for more people to come along, particularly frontline colleagues so please do get in touch.

Scottish Care Palliative and End of Life Care Group - for care home & care at home organisations

The next meeting will take place on 28th August, 10am - 12.30pm at Renfield St Stephen's Centre, 260 Bath Street Glasgow G2 4JP.

We are always looking for more people to come along, particularly front line colleagues.

We greatly appreciate the support of those organisations who have previously hosted our Workforce Groups, with thanks to those hosting the upcoming meetings.

If you would like more information about any of these forums please contact [email protected].

Resources

Qualification guidance for supervisors in care at home, housing support and care home services for adults

The SSSC have guidance available on their website to explain the different ways supervisors in these services can meet the supervisory part of their qualification requirement.  The guidance includes lists of the units accepted by the SSSC along with information about the other ways supervisors can meet the requirement.

The SSSC Learning Zone

The SSSC Learning Zone is an extremely useful resource for keeping your practice up to date.  It includes free to use learning apps covering subject areas such as dementia, adult protection and medication. There is also a career development toolkit which may prove useful to members keen to develop career pathways within their organisations.

SSSC News

Keep Up to Date with all SSSC related news ,events and resources at SSSCNews “The online magazine for Scotland’s social services.”

 

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Partners for Integration Report – The story so far

The Integration story: Trust, engagement, relationship building, and innovation. Join us as we highlight collaboration, improvement and shared values on the integration journey.

On Thursday 5th September, Partners for Integration are hosting their annual event; join us as we showcase & celebrate collaboration and innovation across HSCP areas. People are at the heart of integration; whether that’s people who access care and support, colleagues across HSCPs sharing knowledge and skills or the independent and 3rd sector care providers delivering valuable services. Scottish Care’s Partners for Integration team plays a vital role in the  delivery of integrated health and social care services and supports; building relationships with key stakeholders to create a shared vision, supporting the delivery of local and national improvement programmes, contributing to strategic planning and local engagement, these are some examples of the work currently underway in different Partnership areas. Come and meet the team, hear about our role in integration and how we can support the improvement journey.

Guest speakers at the event will include:

Judith Proctor: Chief Officer, Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership

David Rowland: Professional Advisor, Directorate for Health & Social Care Integration Scottish Government

Diana Hekerem: Head of Transformational Redesign, Improvement Hub (ihub), Healthcare Improvement Scotland.

Contacts:

Julia White [email protected] 07946 517228

Janice Cameron [email protected] 07719 063980

Interim National Leads, Partners for Integration

 

Partners Report 2019 ff

 

 

#deliveringintegration

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A blog from our CEO for Professional Care Workers Day

I am very pleased to be writing to support Professional Care Workers Day being held on the 4th September.

It might be stating the obvious to say that care workers are the life-blood and heart of all the care services which are delivered by any provider across Scotland. This day is an opportunity for wider society not only to recognise their invaluable role but to acknowledge that we need to do a lot more to support them in their work.

So it is no accident that the theme of the day this year is ‘well-being.’

Scottish Care has been at the forefront in highlighting the pressures which our care staff are working under which impacts on their personal health both mentally and physically. We recognise that there is an intimate relationship between how someone is supported to do their job and how they feel. That is why we have consistently called for a distinct national fund and resource which is dedicated to the support and welfare of social care staff. Such a resource would foster the necessary work that needs to happen to for instance support the hundreds of staff who struggle with issues of mental distress caused by continually caring, by encountering death and loss on a daily basis and dealing with the distress of others in facing their illness and decline. Such a fund could develop real support and intervention on the issue of bereavement, on how you look after your physical health in what is an arduous and demanding physical job, or in developing specific resources focussed on caring for those with the continual mental strain of neurological conditions such as dementia.

There is now boundless evidence to show the relationship between staff retention and the direct meeting of the well-being needs of staff.

We all need today to think of how we can best recognise and value those at the care face. Is it just a simple hello and thank you as you pass someone who walks between visits? Is it as a shopkeeper giving a reduction to care staff or a simple gift on this day? Is it as transport companies allowing a day of free travel? Is it as a beauty therapist or physiotherapist or a money and advice worker giving a free session or consultation? Let’s come up with some good ideas!

So for providers the organisers of this day are asking you to get involved and hold your own celebrations. Last year they received great pictures of cards, gift bags, tea and drinks parties. People really showed their staff that their work is valued, and celebrated working as teams and providing great care.

What will you do to demonstrate the value and recognition you place on the care worker?

So let us all celebrate everything that is good about people who work in care with the second annual Professional Care Workers' Day.

Tweet and use the hashtag #ProfessionalCareWorkersDay.

Donald Macaskill

@DrDMacaskill

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Job Opportunity – Events, Sales and Marketing Officer (Maternity Cover)

Event, Sales and Marketing Officer

Maternity Cover

 

Do you have what it takes to promote and generate business for a high profile organisation?

Are you great with people, and also a good negotiator?

Do you have keen attention to detail, but are able to see the big picture?

Are you looking for a role which will make a real difference in a sector which employs 1 in 13 Scots, and provides a service to over 60 thousand?

If you answered ‘Yes’ to all, then read on…

Scottish Care wishes to appoint a Sales, Marketing & Events Officer to work as part of our national team.

This is a part-time post (21 hours per week) to cover maternity leave, based in Scottish Care’s offices in Ayr with the requirement to attend occasional meetings and events throughout Scotland. Salary is set at £30,000 pro-rata.

Scottish Care is based in Ayr and is the representative body for the largest group of health and social care sector independent providers across Scotland delivering residential care, day care, care at home and housing support. Working on behalf of a range of providers, Scottish Care speaks with a single unified voice for members and the wider independent care sector, at both a local and strategic level.

In addition to the core work of Scottish Care, the organisation’s activities include leading on Scottish Government funded projects and in this context contracts a number of ‘leads’ and ‘associates’ to support a range of national initiatives including the integration of health and social care and workforce development

To apply for this appointment, please contact [email protected]

for an application pack. Please complete and return by 12 noon on 13th September 2019 either via email to [email protected] or post: Scottish Care, 25 Barns Street, Ayr, KA7 1XB. Interviews will be held on Friday 27th September 2019 at Scottish Care HQ, 25 Barns Street, Ayr KA7 1XB

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Update on EU Exit Briefing

Scottish Care has updated the EU Exit Briefing that was first released in February of this year. This briefing serves as a guidance for social care providers to prepare for any adverse impacts that could result from the UK leaving the EU, whether if it is a Deal or No Deal Exit. This document details simple steps that social care providers can take to ensure that necessary preparation is undertaken to meet their obligations and responsibilities.

We strongly encourage social care providers to use this briefing as a guide for preparation. Please have a look through further down this webpage.

PrepareforBrexit.scot is offering financial support in the form of a grant of £2-4k to SMEs to help build business resilience.

To date it has been used on things like scenario planning, professional services to support the impact of Brexit, Human Resource issues and training.

More information and details on eligibility and how to apply can be found below:

https://www.prepareforbrexit.scot/updates/brexit-support-grant

Updated EU Exit Briefing -compressed