University of Dundee Education Opportunities

University of Dundee has offered these free  modules  to care home nurses in the first instance. All interested staff must register before 6th April as places will then be opened up to NHS staff. These online modules commence in May.

Please don’t miss this opportunity for free access. These are open to any care home nurses not just Dundee area as online.

Date and time

Subject

Audiences

11 March, 2 – 3

New test of Competence

Employers, nurses, midwives, registrants lapsed from the register

23 March, 13.00-14.00

My future my midwife

Midwifery educators

20 April, 12.30 – 1.30

Nurse proficiencies

Nurses, students, educators, professionals supporting nurses in practice, employers

28 April, 1 – 2

New test of Competence

Employers, nurses, midwives, registrants lapsed from the register

University of Dundee Education opportunity for May 2020

 

Save the date: National Nurses Day – 12 May

You may be aware that May 12th is National Nurses Day, marking the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing.

As 2020 is also the #YearoftheNurseandMidwife, Scottish Care will be celebrating this occasion by encouraging care homes to hold a coffee morning on 12 May to show their appreciation of nurses and to tweet using the hashtag #carenursescot.

In the afternoon, our Transforming Workforce Lead for Nursing – Jacqui Neil, will host a celebratory event/conference in the Marriott Hotel, Glasgow from 1:00pm – 4:00pm with a range of different nursing speakers. This event is free to attend and we would like to invite nurses working in the social care sector to come along. Programme and more details to follow.

Scottish Care and UKHCA issues open letter on homecare funding

Today (2 March) Scottish Care and UKHCA has issued on open letter to every Health and Social Care Partnership, Local Authority/Lead Agency calling for them to take into consideration of the independent care sector when setting their budget. This letter also highlights the concerns surrounding funding for the homecare sector.

You can read the open letter here.

For further information or to request an interview please email [email protected]

Care Inspectorate: Improving Complaints Workshop (Pilot) – 17 March

Please see below for invite from the Care Inspectorate to their Improving Complaints Handling Workshop.


Dear member

We would like to invite you along to our 1st Improving Complaints Handling Workshop which will be delivered by the Care Inspectorate.

Title:  Improving Complaints Handling Workshop (PILOT)

Agenda:  To Follow

Workshop

Description:  For participants to understand the role of the Care Inspectorate in handling complaints and have an opportunity to explore the importance and benefits of good complaints handling. The workshop will explore the key skills and qualities needed to deal with complaints/concerns effectively. This workshop is aimed at Providers and Managers and Deputes of Care Homes (Adults). This will be an interactive workshop where learning can be shared amongst the group. There will be presentations, group discussions, group feedback and Q & A. A list of Q & A will becompiled at the end of the events and circulated by email to all participants.

Date:  Tuesday 17 March 2020   (PILOT)

Times:  09:30 – 12:45 (Coffee/Tea On Arrival)

Venue:  King Robert Hotel

                  Glasgow Road

                   Bannockburn

                   Stirling

                    FK7 0LK

Numbers: 30 Per Session (only one session running for the pilot)

Registration: To book on to this workshop please email: [email protected]  (Kayren Russell, Business Support)

Please can you register the names of attendees and which service you represent.

Evaluation:  A short evaluation will be emailed for you to complete pre and post event.

Additional Information:  To Follow

If you have any queries please let us know as soon as possible.

We hope you will enjoy the event.

NB. Dates of Future Events (To book a place for either the morning or afternoon workshops please email: [email protected] (Kayren Russell, Business Support)

Please can you register the names of attendees and which service you represent and state whether it’s the morning or afternoon workshop you wish to attend).

31 March 2020 – Edinburgh – Morning or Afternoon – Venue tbc

28 April 2020 – Glasgow – Morning or Afternoon – Venue tbc

5 May 2020 – Aberdeen – Morning or Afternoon – Venue tbc

27 May 2020 – Perth – Morning or Afternoon – Venue tbc

Thank You – The Care Inspectorate Team

Workforce Matters Event – 22 April

Managers and Supervisors: With Social Care Comes Great Responsibility 

Workforce Matters would like to invite you to attend our upcoming April event focusing on the challenges facing managers and supervisors working in social care. This event will take place on Wednesday 22 April from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm at The Marriott Hotel, 500 Argyle Street, Glasgow, G3 9RR. 

This event will take forward the conversation that has begun with the recent focus groups and will use the feedback provided to create a discussion paper on the various themes that have been raised. The event will have sessions delivered by both the Care Inspectorate and SSSC on the specific initiatives they currently have to provide support to those working in manager and supervisors’ roles.

There will also be opportunity to prioritise the areas that have been determined to be causing the most problems when delivering social care services both in care homes and the community. Due to the vast and complex nature of the challenges facing the sector we see this as an opportunity to highlight these issues as advised by Scottish Care members and for care providers and the workforce to decide what pressure areas require to be addressed first.

Please contact [email protected] to register your interest and book a place at the event.

Latest blog from our National Director: Immigration Workforce

A career in care is one where every day you can make a difference. Yet everyone who has any contact or connection with social care knows that we have a workforce shortage. In short, we’re talking about 29% nursing vacancies and a steady turnover for frontline care staff with a 24% attrition rate. If you fancy a deeper dive into the intelligence, both the SSSC and Scottish Care have written plenty on the subject and it’s available on their websites.

It is a critical time to raise the profile of the sector, recognising it for the vital role it plays in supporting the human rights of our some of our most vulnerable citizens and recognising its workforce for the skilled role they play in that as registered and regulated staff. Social Care enables people to stay healthier for longer, able to contribute to their communities and easing pressure on the NHS. I heard only yesterday about an 87 year old lady from a care home in Dumfries and Galloway going to local primary schools to teach German and French.

There is currently a national recruitment campaign for the sector, devised by Scottish Government and with contribution from many across the sector. It includes a campaign website and clear examples of career progression expressed by the SSSC, PR in the form of advertising and the promotion of case studies. A real opportunity to promote the many positives so often overlooked.

But this positive promotion has just had a coach and horses driven right through it by the Migration Advisory Committee and UK Government. Their complete and utter ignorance and underestimation of the critical role of the sector despite repeated warnings has led to the creation of a migration system which will see the care sector lose significant numbers of staff from the EU and beyond.

This is an action which has ripped apart families and caring relationships undermining the concept of continuity of care and the critical role which the sector plays. Whilst between 6 and 9% of our care staff come from the EU, this rises to as much as 40% in some parts of Scotland. Places where families have settled into local communities, where several members of that family might work in one care home taking on a variety of roles from nurse to carer, to handyperson and gardener.

Last month, the Scottish Government launched a report seeking for the option to introduce local solutions to address local challenges, this proposal was drawn from local evidence and systems which already exist in Australia and Canada, and could be implemented in any country or region of the UK.

Yet, by lunchtime the paper had been rejected by Westminster.

What is clear is that decisions around immigration need to be based upon facts and evidence, removed from any political rhetoric, whilst focussing on prosperity and wellbeing. There needs to be a move towards a more flexible policy which recognises social care as the skilled and vital service it is. It needs to accommodate the reality of regional difference such as the demographics of rural and remote areas, adjusting income thresholds to recognise a lower rate of pay outside of London, and also to allow for families to immigrate which means recognition of the contribution made by part time staff too. The system must not rely on funding from employers – the care sector is mostly funded by the public purse and this effectively produces bureaucratic duplicity.

There is also a need to consider the context for staff who may bring their qualifications with them come from abroad for instance, in supporting projects such as the one at Glasgow Caledonian University on migrant skills recognition to enable people to work in the care sector more easily, whilst also offering protection both to the workforce and those they care for.

The situation for social care is critical. Simple and effective solutions exist but cannot be implemented because of political jurisdiction made by those who are far from the frontline. To add another 9% to the social care vacancy rate risks blocking the whole system, an issue fundamentally of human rights given the catastrophic risk to people and their families.

Whilst our NHS colleagues have raised significant concern about what a reduction in social care would mean for acute services including NHS 24, the ambulance services and hospitals, I urge you also to share this message. For social care, for the people who access care and support, and the workforce affected by the proposals, we need to act now – time is running out.

Karen Hedge

National Director, Scottish Care

 


Read Scottish Care’s response to the UK Government’s immigration plans here.

Webinar: In-house surgery – 6 March

The next Scottish Care Webinar will take place on Friday 6 march 2020 at 11:00 am. This session will be a in-house surgery where Dr Donald Macaskill – CEO, Scottish Care – or Karen Hedge – National Director, Scottish Care – will give an update on what’s impacting the social care sector and will be available to take questions from members regarding areas of concern.

Link to join: https://zoom.us/j/331700344

Webinar ID: 331-700-344