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Share your experiences of staffing in the social care sector

In recent weeks, you may have received an invitation from Ipsos MORI, to take part in a survey of social care providers.   Ipsos MORI is an independent research organisation that has been commissioned to undertake this exercise on behalf of the Scottish Government.

Why should I take part?

As you will be aware, there has been much recent discussion of the sustainability of the social care workforce. To this end, the Scottish Government has commissioned research to identify the scale and nature of the potential recruitment and retention challenges care providers may face now and in the future, including with respect to the UK’s decision to leave the EU. The aim of this project is to understand more about the current role and contribution of non-UK EU workers and related recruitment and retention challenges in the sector. The Scottish Government, and the partners and organisations who plan, commission and provide social care services will be able to use the findings from this survey to inform how they address potential challenges identified through the research.

It is important for you to complete the survey, even if you do not currently employ any non-UK EU workers, as it will help to inform national action to promote social care in Scotland as a career choice.

How do I take part and what is involved?

A representative sample of social care providers in Scotland have been asked to take part in the survey so please look out for the email invitation sent to you.

The survey opened on the 10th of January 2018. If you have not completed the online questionnaire, a member of the Ipsos MORI team will telephone you to give you the opportunity to take part over the phone instead. Please do try and make the time to participate – the more responses Ipsos MORI get, the more accurate and representative a picture they will get of the potential challenges faced by the sector. If you prefer to complete the survey online at your own convenience, the online survey will remain open during this time.

The survey will only take 5 minutes to complete. The questions will cover topics such as the numbers, and types of staff employed at your service, as well as the recruitment and retention of staff.

How will my answers be used?

Your responses will remain confidential. Individual responses will not be shared or published outside Ipsos MORI. It will not be possible to identify individual care services responses from any report or publication. Ipsos MORI will hold all data securely in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation 2018.

Any questions?

If you have any questions or would like any further information regarding the survey, please do not hesitate to contact the Ipsos MORI research team (Sanah Saeed Zubairi or Sara Davidson) on 0808 238 5376 or by email at [email protected].  You can also contact the Project Manager at the Scottish Government, Sasha Maguire on 0131 244 0563.

 

Thank you very much for your help with this important research.

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Highland Care Information & Recruitment Events

Scottish Care have been involved in the organisation of a number of events taking place in the Highlands from 22-26 Jan. The purpose of these events is to promote recruitment and provide information about care.

Recruitment Fayre organiser Julie Fraser, Care at Home Development Officer explains the aims:

“The idea is to provide information about what support and services are available for local residents and how they can be accessed. In addition, we want to show jobseekers that there are considerable opportunities for them to work in their own communities in a flexible way.

“From entry level to more senior positions, these opportunities will include caring jobs from care support workers for people of all ages to domiciliary care jobs caring for people in their own homes.

“Many of these jobs are flexible and can fit around childcare arrangements. In many instances, no qualifications are required and they are open to drivers and non-drivers, with many jobs allowing people to work close to home.

“And there are not just opportunities for jobseekers. There is also considerable scope for volunteers to help out in the care at home sector if people want to put something back into their community.”

To read the full news release on this initiative please click here.

Further details are set out in the leaflet below:

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Dementia Champions Programme – accepting applications now

The SSSC is now accepting applications for the ninth cohort of the national Dementia Champions programme.

The Scottish Government are supporting 100 people to take this 5 day professional development course, with 20 places available to social service workers in appropriate roles. It will support participants to achieve knowledge and skills at the Enhanced dementia practice level, as described in Promoting Excellence: a framework for all health and social service staff working with people with dementia, their families and carers (2011).  On completing the course, Dementia Champions have access to a support network to connect them to ongoing professional development opportunities.

Individuals are encouraged to apply if you are:

  • working in a senior role with organisational support to implement both small and large scale change;
  • working in a hospital setting (e.g. hospital based social worker) or at the interface between hospital and community-based support (e.g. member of the Allied Health Professions; professional in care home, care at home or other social care organisation).

The course will begin in March and end in August 2018. Applications from social service workers must reach the SSSC by Friday 16 February 2018.

Email [email protected] to request an application pack.

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Food for Life Better Care

Food for Life Better Care is a programme of Soil Association Scotland.  The Soil Association is testing a framework that supports the provision of nutritious, sustainable food and activities that benefit residents, staff and the wider community. 

The programme is exploring how good food can improve the health and wellbeing of older people in care homes.  The programme is focussing on how:

  • Good food can address residents complex nutritional needs and reduce the risk of malnutrition and dehydration
  • Food growing and therapeutic activities provide a more stimulating environment that supports physical and mental health and wellbeing.
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Guest Post from SDS National Lead (seconded), Carlyn Miller

Plans, plans, perseverance and pies

I’ve landed the New Year blog post which seems like a terrifying opportunity to reflect on the previous year. Where did it go? If I close my eyes and think back I  find vague memories of being on trains; of starting a new job; of a whirlwind of new people; of meetings, of minutes, of work plan after work plan; of avoiding going to the gym; of late nights typing reports; of panicking over panel discussions I’d somehow ended up on; of strong coffee and then suddenly of Christmas, of Jackie Bird and a bombardment of instagram “My year in photos”,  New Year engagements and steak pies.

Now it’s 2018, no more steak pies for anyone apparently. Only kale.

This change in year means that I’ve been on secondment to the Scottish Government Self-directed Support Policy team for 10 months, full time for 7 of these. It’s been such a steep learning curve for me, being totally new to the inner workings of government and probably too comfortable in the self-managing ways of Scottish Care. There’s now a work plan of a work plan of a work plan, a sub group of a sub group of a sub group and the most challenging part…Blackberry phones? Seriously though, I thought they were discontinued 10 years ago?! It’s a whole new world. But being here has been and continues to be absolutely invaluable to my learning and development and similar to being at Scottish Care (had to put that in there!) I’ve met so many hugely hard working and passionate people

Looking back, at the end of my Scottish Care Self-directed Support project which looked at the uptake of SDS for older people, I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I was exhausted, de-motivated and missing seeing the impact of my work. It wasn’t like teaching where I could relax at the end of the day as I saw the kids progress. The light bulb moment where a small Korean child finally understood rock, paper, scissors or something equally as valuable- these didn’t seem to be there anymore. Self-directed Support was too huge, there were too many barriers. I lost the enthusiastic, idealistic, passionate person I was 15 months earlier. I still truly believed in Self-directed Support but I was bogged down in the system blocks, in the lack of awareness, in the blame chain, in the financial climate, in the difficult reality for a lot of people.

When the opportunity for secondment emerged I thought, “YES” I’ll go to the government and I’ll sort it out from there. Nae bother at all.

The End

Except not. Of course. I’m part of a wonderful, passionate team who truly believe in the Act and work their socks off every day (I know, I know, my dad’s already told me that I’ve become a government apologist). But I’m there, my eyes are open to how incredibly difficult this is at all levels. When I worked at Scottish Care, I thought, like many people, the government just need to wave a big stick at everyone and scare them into implementing this properly. Human rights were at stake after all. But it’s slowly set in that it’s not that simple. Waving a big stick doesn’t change mind-sets, culture, systems or the hard realities on the ground for people and for staff. There’s a fundamental question there about what drives people to make something truly happen- I don’t think it’s fear or threat or at least I don’t think it should be.

My role at Scottish Government is communications, working to ensure a shared understanding and commitment to SDS both internally and externally. I’ve accepted that this won’t change the world but alongside all of the tremendous work going on within the sector things are changing. I’d like to use this part of the blog to ask you, the reader, how do you feel about Self-directed Support? In your role, do you feel you/or the providers you support have the opportunity and understanding to make Self-directed Support a reality? After all, it’s not just about Options, it’s about how we see and work with others. If the answer is no, ask yourself what you can do to change that? Yes, it’s massive and requires whole system change but sometimes you have to take the first step even if you can’t see the whole staircase.

As Martin Luther King Jr said;

“Human Progress is neither automatic nor inevitable…Every step towards the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.”

I still have days where I put my head on the desk and think, this isn’t making a difference. But then I meet families like the McTaggarts (the part of the blog I’ve been waiting to get to) and I feel inspired about the importance of Self-directed Support all over again. Please watch Grant’s story. This blog is dedicated to him and his family for their time, honesty and chocolate muffins.

Peace, love and perseverance for 2018 

Carlyn Miller

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The Four R’s event: 15 March 2018

The Four R’s: Exploring recruitment, retention, regulation and representation in the Scottish social care sector

 Thursday 15th March 2018 – 10.00am – 3.30pm

The Hilton Hotel, 1 William Street, Glasgow, G3 8HT

Throughout 2017, recruitment and retention challenges have intensified for care homes and care at home organisations throughout Scotland.  With the demand for adult social services increasing - how can providers best achieve the requirements of the new National Health and Care Standards, meet regulatory and registration qualification requirements and attract and retain a dedicated, compassionate workforce?

This is a practical workshop designed for owners, managers and supervisors working in care homes and care at home organisations, as well as front line workers.  Attendees will learn about new national developments relating to ‘The Four R’s’ and the latest Scottish Care report will be launched. 

Due to the nature of this subject, this is shaping up to be an extremely popular event. We would therefore be very grateful if you could book your place by Wednesday 28th February.  If there is anyone else who you feel would like to attend (either within your organisation or external), please send their contact details to [email protected] and an invitation will be sent to them. 

There is no charge to attend this event.  However for operational reasons we may charge those who have booked and do not attend a fee of £25.00.  If after you have booked you are unable to attend please inform us as soon as possible and at least 48 hours before the event.

Over the coming weeks we will be sharing updates and information about the event on the Scottish Care website www.scottishcare.org and Twitter @scottishcare using the hashtag #C4RE

Please do not hesitate to contact the Workforce Matters team or the Scottish Care office if you have any questions or would like additional information. 

Make sure you also take part in Scottish Care's 4R's survey by Wednesday 31 January

Take survey now
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Mentor and Charge Nurse Annual Survey 2018

Pre-registration Nursing and Midwifery Education Programmes in Scotland: Mentor and Charge Nurse Annual Survey 2018.

The following survey from NHS Education Scotland is for Charge Nurses, Team Leaders and Care Home Managers.

Mentor & Charge Nurse Survey 2018

The survey is live from today (Monday 15 January 2018) and will close on Friday 27 April 2018.

The Pre-registration Nursing and Midwifery Programmes are funded by the Scottish Government and are reviewed annually to maintain and enhance the quality of nursing and midwifery education in Scotland.

Survey organisers believe it is highly important that care home managers are included within this review.  Partners in delivering the pre-registration programmes, are encouraged to engage actively in constructive evaluation and also as a commitment to future generations of students. The findings of the survey contribute to joint action planning between the universities and NHS Boards to enhance the pre-registration nursing and midwifery programmes.

The short web based questionnaire seeks information on the strengths and challenges of the programmes and gathers your thoughts on any improvements that may be required. A similar questionnaire is also sent to final year students.

For further help please contact Angela Curran, NMAHP Project Officer at: N&[email protected]

 

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Scottish Care & Life Changes Trust announce new human rights fund for care homes

Rights Made Real in Care Homes

The Life Changes Trust, in partnership with Scottish Care, is delighted to announce a new grants fund, and is seeking applications from care homes in Scotland.  The care home must demonstrate that it can run a project (or similar) that will actively promote the human rights of residents living with dementia.

The fund was officially launched at Scottish Care's 'Raising the Standards' event in Glasgow on Wednesday 29 November 2017.

Speaking about the new fund, Dr Donald Macaskill said:

"I am delighted that Life Changes Trust has dedicated £300,000 to work alongside Scottish Care to further embed human rights in Scotland’s care homes. I look forward to seeing a whole range of creative projects which will help care homes to get even better at delivering a human rights based approach to care".

Anna Buchanan, Director for the People Affected by Dementia Programme at Life Changes Trust, said:

“The funding on offer from the Life Changes Trust is for initiatives in care homes that demonstrate better ways of making rights real for people who live there. Care home residents still have a life to live and they have the right to thrive. Older people, including those living with dementia, have a right to maintain strong connections with family and friends, with their communities and with the things that matter to them. They do not give up these rights when they cross the threshold of a care home. We are looking to fund creative and innovative projects and ways of working that will benefit people living with dementia and show others how to make rights real in care homes.”

Care homes can apply for up to £20,000 to be spent over a period of up to 24 months.

To view guidance on the Rights Made Real fund and how to apply, click here.

Applications must be made via the Trust’s online application portal, which opens on 29th November 2017 and will close on Friday 9th March 2018.

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Guest Post from Policy and Research Manager, Becca Gatherum

2018: The year of positivity or negativity?

So here we are… the second week of 2018 and I have already written a report about how strained the social care sector is and why partners need to start listening to us.

This particular report focuses on the sustainability or otherwise of the care at home sector, with survey data from members telling us that 2017 saw half of providers not tendering for Local Authority contracts and 40% handing work back to councils.

Looking ahead to 2018, home care services tell us they are concerned about their ability to continue operating this year.  In fact, only 14% feel confident about their provision this year and nearly a quarter have extreme concerns.

What a way to start to the year.

A noticeable trend over the past 12 months has been the extent to which Scottish Care’s research and statements have gained widespread media coverage in a way that didn’t happen before.  The publication of today’s report is no different, with STV and the Herald already covering it this morning.  Whilst this is a positive reflection on Scottish Care’s ability to reach and influence others, it is probably much more an indication of just how important the issues we raise really are, not only to the sector but to the whole of Scotland and to the health and social care infrastructure which as a whole seems so fragile.  Does it mean people are starting to listen?

This new report comes on the back of the 2017 reports I wrote, which included work to highlight the lack of support for care staff’s palliative and end of live provision (Trees that Bend in the Wind), the impact of the removal of preventative homecare (Bringing Home Care), the growing recruitment & retention crises (Care Home Workforce Data & Independent Sector Nursing Data) and the strain placed on care staff’s mental health (Fragile Foundations).

And coming up in the next few weeks will be the uncertainty around the future of the National Care Home Contract.

This all sounds extremely negative and in many ways it is, showing again and again just how undervalued and under-resourced the independent care sector is.  So is this negativity the theme of 2018?

Well, not entirely.  All these reports also highlighted how many examples of compassionate, innovative care take place in spite of the vast array of challenges. Even today’s report highlights that care services are trying their utmost to continue delivering high quality care and won’t allow their values to be continually undermined by poor contract terms.

A planning meeting that we held last week within Scottish Care highlighted how many exciting projects and initiatives aimed at supporting reform will be undertaken in 2018.  These include work with the Glasgow School of Art on reforming home care and many other proposals in the pipeline which we’ll share through our blogs in the coming weeks and months.

What’s more, there are so many good news stories to be told about care.  Just this week, I’ve been made aware of a relative of a care home resident who wants to recognise the amazing care they received over the 14 years up to and including their death.  I also heard of another service who realised that across 7 of their staff, they had a combined sector experience of 130 years (an average of over 18 years each), so there are still many people who pursue care as a career and love it.

So is 2018 a year of positivity or negativity?  I would contend that it is partly both, but more importantly it needs to be the year of listening, and of acting.

The challenges won’t be solved overnight, not by a long shot.  And the positive work will continue in terms of everyday good care and the learning and sharing of new ways of working.  Both of those things are a given.

What will really make the difference (and determine whether we have a sector to survey next year on their sustainability), is what partners, policy makers and practice influencers do with the messages we continue to give to them – of the real challenges and the real difference our services make.

As we say in the new report:

“We can no longer tinker around the edges of social care – the challenge needs to be grasped with both hands and driven forward by a political will to ensure there are a range of high quality, sustainable services.”

2018 needs to be the year we move past a flurry of media coverage, a wringing of hands and then a return to the status quo.  It simply can’t happen anymore if we want there to be a social care sector.

Scottish Care doesn’t want to be the constant bearer of bad news.  We want to be a positive partner in finding practical and meaningful solutions so that everyone who requires social care can receive the best.  So this year I ask that you listen to us, and act with us, to ensure the positivity outweighs the negativity in social care.

Becca Gatherum

Policy and Research Manager, Scottish Care