Queen Margaret University – PgCert/PgDip Person Centred Practice (Advancing Care Home Practice)

Queen Margaret University have developed a post graduate Certificate and Diploma specifically aimed at leaders and future leaders for our care homes. The course has 2 routes for clinical and non clinical leaders or future leaders. Please listen the Professor Brendan McCormack who explains the programme.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUUDyktOJ-I&t=2s

If you have any queries about the course and are interested in hearing more, please contact our Transforming Workforce Lead – Dr Jane Douglas at [email protected].

Advancing Care Home Practice flyer 2021-22

Scottish Care comments on the Scottish Government’s Excess Deaths Report

This report is yet another piece of statistical analysis into the pandemic and in so far as it goes it is both robust and evidential. It states a reality which we have known about for some time, namely that the population most at risk from Covid-19 are individuals with pre-existing and multiple comorbidities and those who are in the older age population. It is not surprising, therefore, that given a sizable number of those living with advanced dementia and in later age live in our residential and nursing homes that – as has been consistently said – they were a population most at risk of the pandemic and its threat to life. Sadly the lack of prioritisation of our care homes in the early stages of the pandemic was one factor which has led to the deaths reported in this research.

What the research, following a long line of analytical pieces of work, does not show is the human evidence of the impact of managing the pandemic in care homes. Questions remain as to whether or not the early clinical Guidance issued by Scottish Government clinicians, the level of transfer of residents to and from hospitals, the nature of isolation over lengthy periods of time, were, amongst other factors, one which contributed to the high death rates that this report describes. It is regretful that despite numerous requests from Scottish Care that bespoke and targeted independent academic work be undertaken to explore the experience of those with direct knowledge of what was happening in our care homes, especially, staff, residents, and their families, that such work has not to date been forthcoming or prioritised. The raw scientific data offers a partial picture, listening to the stories of those who matter the most would tell us a whole lot more.

One area which would also merit further exploration is the evidence in the report to show that there were higher number of excess deaths of those living with dementia in the community (both on the previous year and five-year average) and a lower number of deaths of individuals with dementia in our hospitals. Was this because those with dementia were being discouraged from or felt unable to go to hospital? Could some of these excess deaths have been prevented with alternative clinical prioritisation both in the community and in hospitals? Was there an impact of the speedy withdrawal of homecare and community supports in the early stage of the pandemic etc?


Read the Scottish Government report on ‘Excess deaths from all causes and dementia by setting 2020 – 2021’ here.

TechFest Talks – The Future of Technology in the Care Sector

 TechFest Talks hosts continue to interview industry professionals from various industries and learn more about their jobs, challenges they meet at work and exciting projects they work on!

In this week’s episode, Cults Academy student Jui Patkar interviews Marcus Nisbet and our very own Frances Loughrey (Development Officer, Aberdeen City) about future workforce roles in health care and embedding technology in the social care sector. They speak about the new ‘Care Technologist’ role and how technology can be useful in delivering care.

Give it a listen here: https://techfest.org.uk/techfest-talks/other

Leadership sessions for senior/strategic leaders in social care

Please see below for fliers from SSSC for two separate workshops for senior/strategic leaders in social care and social work.

The first is an informal two-hour Peer Support and Reflective Practice session which is designed to bring people together to reflect on, and share, their leadership experiences and learning from the past two years, thinking about how this learning can be used to support themselves and others going forward.  Eight of these sessions will be delivered between now and the end of March 2022 and group sizes will be limited to eight to allow for meaningful discussion.  Participants would only need to attend one session.

The second session is a more focussed Leading in a Crisis workshop where participants will be supported to consider in a bit more depth what’s needed to successfully lead with compassion during a crisis and to reflect on personal leadership capability, including strengths and areas for leadership development.  These will be three-hour sessions and they will be delivered in March 2022.  Again group sizes will be limited to eight and people would only need to attend one session.

The sessions are being delivered by Kinharvie, have been funded and commissioned by the Scottish Government, and are being supported by the SSSC.  If you’re interested in attending any of the sessions, please note interest using the email address noted in the fliers and they willl get back in touch to confirm your place and with further details.  The sessions will be delivered online via Zoom.

Leadership sessions for senior/strategic leaders in social care

Please see below for fliers from SSSC for two separate workshops for senior/strategic leaders in social care and social work.

The first is an informal two-hour Peer Support and Reflective Practice session which is designed to bring people together to reflect on, and share, their leadership experiences and learning from the past two years, thinking about how this learning can be used to support themselves and others going forward.  We are delivering eight of these sessions between now and the end of March 2022 and will limit group sizes to eight to allow for meaningful discussion.  Participants would only need to attend one session.

The second session is a more focussed Leading in a Crisis workshop where participants will be supported to consider in a bit more depth what’s needed to successfully lead with compassion during a crisis and to reflect on personal leadership capability, including strengths and areas for leadership development.  These will be three-hour sessions and they will be delivered in March 2022.  Again group sizes will be limited to eight and people would only need to attend one session.

The sessions are being delivered by Kinharvie, have been funded and commissioned by the Scottish Government, and are being supported by the SSSC.  If you’re interested in attending any of the sessions, please note interest using the email address noted in the fliers and they willl get back in touch to confirm your place and with further details.  The sessions will be delivered online via Zoom.

Complaints Coach Webinar – 10 February 2022

We are delighted to welcome Dr Dorothy Armstrong to our webinar taking place on Thursday 10th February, 2:00 pm. This session titled ‘Don’t take it personally: An introduction to responding to complaints while caring for yourself’ looks at The Complaints Coach Programme, exploring the triggers that may escalate complaints and how to respond effectively.

This webinar is for Scottish Care Members only, details to join will be available on the Members Area of this website. Please contact [email protected] if you come across any issues.

More information on Dr Armstrong and this webinar session is available on the leaflet below.

Scottish Care WEbinar Feb 22

Scottish Care comments on social care report from Audit Scotland & the Accounts Commission

The report from Audit Scotland and the Accounts Commission joins a long line of similar pieces of analysis from representative bodies like Scottish Care and others such as the Feeley Report. They are wholly accurate.

The way that Scotland plans, buys, and contracts social care is not only inadequate for the delivery of quality, person-led and human rights dignified care but creates real unsustainability and risk. This has a profound and frankly shameful effect on the ability of the sector to reward and value the frontline care workforce, not least in our inabilities to trust their skilled professionalism through the way in which they are monitored and regulated. It also fails to meet the very real needs of family and unpaid carers and continues to pay lip-service to their real and proper inclusion and involvement in choosing and selecting the services and supports they need.

Scotland’s social care system contributes more to the Scottish economy than agriculture, forestry and fishing, as well as enabling individuals to lead purposeful and contributive lives. There is a real potential to change. We urgently need inclusive leadership to act upon this report. As the report comments we cannot wait for the promised land of the National Care Service because there will be disintegration and collapse long before that. The social care sector in Scotland is in crisis now to a degree few of us have ever experienced.

The report is absolutely right in saying that the Scottish Government must work with its partners in addressing issues now as a matter of urgency. To do that means listening to, talking with, respecting, and valuing the voice and contribution of the employers and organisations who provide social care. This is singularly lacking in large measure. Instead of only engaging and asking those who contract and pay for services at local authority and partnership levels, we all need to start listening to those who deliver and who use those supports. Radical change and transformation require everyone to be at the table, not treating employers and care organisations as an afterthought and keeping them outside the door whilst the ‘grown-ups’ talk. Continued lack of engagement with social care employers will lead us to the bizarre situation where there are better terms and conditions for employees, but no organisations left to employ them to deliver that fundamental role of care and support.

The pandemic has undoubtedly made matters worse and has led many care organisations to the brink of survival. We regularly hear of the real impact this has on the people who need that care and support and their unpaid carers. This requires systematic response and requires real involvement of care employers and representative bodies, otherwise all we are doing is papering of the cracks as the building collapses around us.


The Social Care Briefing report from Audit Scotland is available here: https://www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/report/social-care-briefing

 

NCHC Webinar: Cost of Care Model – 27 January

We will be holding an information session which will provide members with an opportunity to have a ‘walk through’ the Cost of Care Model which underpins the National Care Home Contract. Stephen Giles, one of the main architects of the Model who has acted as a Scottish Care consultant since its inception will take us through the Model line by line, explain the baselines where they exist, and any background information. Stephen will be available to answer any questions.

We hope this will be a useful session for members to explain the Model.

This session will take place on Thursday 27th January at 2:00 pm, details to join will be available on the Members Area our this website. If you come across any issues accessing this, please contact [email protected].

Staff joining social care to have fees waived

SSSC registration and PVG checks to be funded.

New staff joining the social care workforce are to have entry costs paid by the Scottish Government until the end of March.

Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) checks and Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) registration will now be funded to help encourage more staff into the profession and address winter staffing pressures.

The scheme starts today and will include staff taking up direct care posts in adult social care, along with comparable roles in children’s social care services and the justice sector.

It has been introduced following discussions with COSLA and will cover local authority, private and third sectors.

Social care minister Kevin Stewart said:

“Care workers have been absolutely critical to our pandemic response, giving vulnerable people the care they need and avoiding further pressure falling on the NHS.

“This trial aims to assist easing winter pressures in this sector by removing any financial barriers that may stop people from applying for a rewarding career in care.

“There are  significant pressures in social care due to high vacancy levels and increased demand. I hope this support will encourage those considering joining this vital workforce to go ahead and do so.

“We will continue to work closely with our partners to identify all possible ways we can assist the social care sector to aid recruitment and retention within the workforce at this critical time.”

Staff joining social care to have fees waived

SSSC registration and PVG checks to be funded.

New staff joining the social care workforce are to have entry costs paid by the Scottish Government until the end of March.

Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) checks and Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) registration will now be funded to help encourage more staff into the profession and address winter staffing pressures.

The scheme starts today and will include staff taking up direct care posts in adult social care, along with comparable roles in children’s social care services and the justice sector.

It has been introduced following discussions with COSLA and will cover local authority, private and third sectors.

Social care minister Kevin Stewart said:

“Care workers have been absolutely critical to our pandemic response, giving vulnerable people the care they need and avoiding further pressure falling on the NHS.

“This trial aims to assist easing winter pressures in this sector by removing any financial barriers that may stop people from applying for a rewarding career in care.

“There are  significant pressures in social care due to high vacancy levels and increased demand. I hope this support will encourage those considering joining this vital workforce to go ahead and do so.

“We will continue to work closely with our partners to identify all possible ways we can assist the social care sector to aid recruitment and retention within the workforce at this critical time.”