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Care Tech 4 – Tickets now on sale!

Tickets are now available for our fourth technology event ‘Care Tech 4′ which is scheduled for Thursday 26 and Friday 27 August 2021.

The event will take place virtually and will bring together a range of perspectives to discuss developments and impacts of technology and the future potential of technology across the Scottish social care sector. It will also feature a range of panel discussions and opportunities to hear the latest developments around technology in social care.

Tickets are priced at £20+VAT and will give delegates access to both days, as well as access to recordings of the event.

Please see below for an outline of the programme.

Event Programme Outline - Care Tech 4 Final Version
Download programme
Purchase tickets here
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Job opportunity – Project Administrator: Dumfries and Galloway

SCOTTISH CARE IS LOOKING FOR A PROJECT ADMINISTRATOR

An exciting opportunity has arisen within Scottish Care for a Project Administrator to work as part of our team in Dumfries & Galloway. This is a part time post (17.5 hours per week – £23,346 per year pro rata, till March 2022), the post is home based and there will be a requirement for occasional attendance at meetings & events.

Scottish Care 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.

The post holder must have experience in office administration.  They must have the ability to work under pressure and to tight deadlines, versatility & flexibility along with excellent interpersonal skills at all levels is essential. Thepost holder must also have excellent IT skills with knowledge of Microsoft Office packages.

The post holder will possess sound organisational & administrative abilities and the ability to support staff across Dumfries & Galloway in delivering services to members.

This is an exciting post for someone who will have a strong commitment to the work of the organisation and the ability to work in a culture that is innovative.

For further information please email [email protected] who will forward a Job Description, Person Specification and Application Form.

To apply, forward a completed application to [email protected]

Interviews will be held virtually on 19th August 2021

Closing Date: 12pm Friday 13th August 2021

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Climate Action and the Social Care Collective

We are co-hosting a series of virtual roundtable events to explore climate change in the context of social care with The Health and Social Care Academy (an ALLIANCE programme). Discussions will consider both the impact on the sector and the action required to tackle climate change. 

In the run up to COP26, we will be holding a series of roundtable events which will foster dialogue and explore the crucial role that social care must play in the context of climate change – in addressing, adapting to and taking action to mitigate the impacts. 

Scottish Government has pledged to be a net-zero nation by 2045 and Industry and investments are going green. There is a need for the social care sector to be involved in supporting sustainability effort as it is both affected by and contributes to climate change. Presently, there is little policy and action being taken to deliver social care in a changing climate. Given the mixed economy of care provision in Scotland, the impact of climate change will need to be acted upon by a range of different bodies, including local authorities, health and social care partnerships and care providers. 

Events will look at the current context, the barriers to action and will help identify solutions that can be taken forward by the sector as a call to action. It is our hope that these roundtables start to foster innovation, inspire action in the sector and ensure that social care is recognised as an equal partner in tackling climate change. 

The series will inform a set of principles and a call to action to inform stakeholders and groups on the areas for constructive and collaborative improvement in climate change and social care, which will be shared prior to COP26 on November 1, 2021. 

These roundtables will be held online on the following dates: 

  • Wednesday 11th August, 10:00 to 12:00 
  • Wednesday 15th September, 10:00 to 12:00
  • Wednesday 20th October, 10:00 to 12:00 

Final details for each event, including confirmed speakers, will be announced over the coming weeks. 

The events will be held on Zoom and are not designed to elicit person information from participants. For more information, please read our respective Privacy Statements: 

The ALLIANCE 

 Scottish Care 

Please sign up through Eventbrite.  If you have any questions or would like to learn how to get involved, please email [email protected].

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Save the date – Care Home Conference & Awards 2021

SAVE THE DATE
CARE HOME CONFERENCE AND AWARDS 2021
FRIDAY 19 NOVEMBER 2021

We are pleased to announce that our annual Care Home Conference and Awards will take place this year on Friday 19 November 2021. Please get this date in your diary and share with your colleagues.

We are anticipating these events to be live and in-person at the Hilton Hotel in Glasgow (1 William Street, G3 8HT). However, this may be subject to change due to Government COVID-19 restrictions/guidelines at the time of the event.

More details to follow.

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2021 Care Home Awards now open for entries

We’re delighted to announce that the 2021 Care Home Awards are now open for entries! Scottish Care would like to invite you to enter your company, staff and residents for the Care Home Awards 2021.

Help us recognise the work of fantastic staff and providers whilst also giving positive visibility to this often neglected sector.

There are 13 award categories:

  • Ancillary & Support Staff Award
  • Nutrition & Eating Well Award
  • Meaningful Activity Award
  • Training, Learning & Staff Development Award
  • Emerging Talent Award
  • Outstanding Achievement Award
  • Management & Leadership Award
  • Palliative & End of Life Care Practise Award
  • Nurse of the Year Award
  • Carer of the Year Award
  • Specialist Service/ Unit of the Year Award
  • Care Home Service of the Year Award
  • Positive Impact Award

Find out more about the awards and submit your nomination here.

Award entries close on Friday 10 September 2021.

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‘The future vision of health and social care nursing’ event recording

Huge thanks to all our speakers and attendees for coming along to our nursing event in June which focused on ‘The future vision of health and social care nursing’. We hope that you found the event enjoyable and informative and that it will inform and support your practice moving forward.

We are pleased to share the recording and presentation slides from this event. These are available via the buttons below. If you have any issues accessing these files at all, please contact [email protected].

You can also catch up on the day on Twitter with the hashtag #carenursevision.

Thanks again for your attendance and we look forward to welcoming you to another Scottish Care event in the future.

Kind regards,

Jacqui Neil

Transforming Workforce Lead for Nursing

Recording available here
Presentation slides available here
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Open with Care – Moving to and past Level 0 & testing update: 15 July

Open with Care – Improving care home residents’ contact and connection – moving to and past Level 0

As per the First Ministers announcement on Tuesday 13th July, Scotland will move into Level 0 on 19th July.  The recommended relaxations to restrictions at Level 0 within care homes are detailed in the letter below. For those care homes already in level 0 these recommendations can be implemented immediately and those care homes who are moving into level 0 can take effect from Monday 19th July 2021.

Key points are:

  • Care homes are encouraged to increase opportunities for good quality and meaningful contact with a return towards more normalised visiting
  • Physical distancing reduces to 1m indoors and changes outdoors. This applies to visiting and communal activities
  • Day care services operating in care home settings supported to resume.
Improving care home residents' contact and connection - moving to past Level 0 - 15 July 2021
Download letter
Open with Care - Supplementary Information

Care Homes – Testing update for staff and visitors

You will no doubt be aware that a letter on testing was issued to adult care homes on Tuesday 13th July, setting out arrangements for increased care home discretion on the location of lateral flow testing (LFD) for family and friends, visitors and for staff.

Key points are:

  • Family/friend care home visitors – discretion to allow LFD testing at home where tests are collected through the community testing route.
  • Care home staff – discretion to allow staff one LFD test per week at home using LFD test kits approved for self-test at home once available
  • All results for visitors and staff should be recorded at Welcome – COVID Testing Portal (service-now.com)

This letter will be uploaded to the following webpage on Friday 16th July: Coronavirus (COVID-19): adult care home lateral flow device testing – gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

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Supporting Student Placements in Care Homes Webinar – 22 July

We have an upcoming webinar on Thursday 22nd July at 2:00pm around supporting student placements within our care homes.

Dr Kathleen Duffy from NES will provide an overview of the current placement picture across all our care homes currently approved for students. She will highlight the benefits of supporting our future workforce and discuss the potential contribution care homes can make as practice learning environments (PLEs).

Due to the reconfiguration of all health and care services in wake of the pandemic, the demand for student placements is extremely high, not just for nursing students, therefore it is paramount that we utilise all potential care homes to support students by ensuring staff have the resources and information to be able to supervise and assess students through the new curriculums. One of the CHEF‘s will discuss their role in relation to this.

We also recognise that the last year had particular challenges which resulted in care homes having to safeguard residents against unnecessary footfall from external staff, this meant a significant decline within some student placement areas.

Joining details now available on the Members Area of this website.

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Care Home Day 21 – A blog from our Joint National Partners for Integration Lead

Respair: The Return of Hope

“The work of restoration cannot begin until a problem is fully faced” -Dan B Allender

After what can only be described as an uncertain and difficult 16 months – where family life became intertwined with working life, where working life was lived through a computer screen and workdays lasted long past when they should have finished. There does seem to be a small chink of light at the end of the tunnel.

The Partners for Integration (PfI) team, like everyone else, has worked hard during this time with resilience and tenacity, going above and beyond what is expected of them. But they also at times felt isolated and anxious, having sleepless nights and wondering if there will ever be a time when things will get back to “normal”.

However, after these long hard months, we must look for some of the positives. There is no point in being inward-looking, we need to acknowledge that this has been hard and traumatic for many people in many ways, but if we don’t acknowledge that, how can we begin to learn and move forward?  Recognition of where we have been is important. Some reflection of the learning is vital but most importantly coming together, being courageous and warmly supporting one another to bravely take those important steps to recovery as one.

Along with many people, the PfI team have had to change and adapt how they have worked. Looking for how they could continue to represent and support the sector from the confines of their own houses. They have achieved this by providing support in a variety of ways to those who needed it across Scotland.  There have been many shared and difficult emotions – some many of us will never forget, yet we have realised how important our relationships are. They are relationships that will carry us through to recovery from this difficult time.

New collaborative relationships have been established; old relationships strengthened. Teams are working closer together with a greater understanding of everyone’s role in that team and we have many quotes from providers and peers that have shone a very positive light on the vital role of the team during this time. Relationships have been developed across Scotland which will last way beyond the pandemic, and we hope will take a different supportive pathway going forward as we look to what the future will bring.

The new different relationships will be what we embrace going forward. They are relationships based on respect and value. The answer was always within the virtual room, and we have grown to discover, realise knowledge and cherish the ability to share across the miles. This must be what we hold onto going forward, this has to be what we build on to create a positive and flourishing future for the sector. No one says it will be easy, but like the phoenix, it’s time to rise!!!

“You’re off to great places, today is your day, your mountain is waiting so get on your way!!” – Dr Seuss

Janice Cameron

Joint National Lead for Partners for Integration

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Care Home Day 21 – A blog from our Membership Support Manager

Membership Support Care Home Day 21 Blog

In volunteering to write a blog for this important day in the Scottish Care calendar – Care Home Day ’21 –  I feel a little underqualified to share my thoughts with you. In part because I am relatively new to social care, or because I only started in the role of Membership Support Manager in February of this year, so what do I know? Granted, I have been with the organization for nearly 2 years in other roles here at Scottish Care, but do I really have enough to say that is important or relevant or valuable that shares how I feel about all of you and the work you do? How you should be celebrated not just on Care Home Day, but every single day of the year, for the work and the service you provide to loved ones everywhere?

One thing I have realized during my time with Scottish Care, that it is not the individual role any of us play that counts; it is all of us as part of the sum, part of the whole, that has kept things going these last 12 months.  By ourselves, we can all do our little bit, but together we can, and we have created a movement. We have created an environment where no one is left behind and everyone is taken care of, no matter their level of need, all are loved and cared for – but often times this has been to the detriment of those who do the caring – YOU the amazing care workers, our incredible members.

It is so easy to say how much we admire you, how you inspire us and how we know the value you bring to the people you take care of. Because it is true. I can only speak to my experience working with all of you and I am in awe. I speak to you every day – learning about your struggles, your challenges, the issues you must deal with daily, especially in this last year when things have been so very hard. I sit in meetings and hear the passion, the spirit, the frustrations, the sadness even – and I truly cannot believe you get up and do this day in, day out, 24/7, 365 days a year.  I try to be creative, solution-oriented, and supportive for you and I always promise if I cannot help you, I will find someone at Scottish Care who can. Because it takes all of us to get to where we need to be – as a sector, as care home providers, as individual care workers, together we are stronger.

I truly believe it is this can-do attitude that personifies social care and all of you who have been working tirelessly in care homes this past year. You care SO much for the residents and their day-to-day experiences. You speak passionately to regulatory bodies, local authorities, HSCP’s, Scottish Government, to anyone who will listen – that this is about the care home being the resident’s HOME, somewhere they need to live with dignity and with love. You advocate for them in ways far above and beyond what some may feel is your role. Why?  Because you CARE – CARE as in CARE home, CARE as in CARE worker, CARE as in CARE home day and CARE as in CARE FORWARD. The skill, talent and dedication you bring to work every day, even those days when you feel you just can’t do it– this is what we must shout to the world! YOU have the power, you have the GIFT, you need to be recognized again and again and again for who you are and what you do – with LOVE, with RESPECT and with DIGNITY for those you care for. Thank you seems so little for all you have done but truly, thank you sincerely for all that you do, for all that you have undertaken this past year and let us hope that this next year will be all about YOU and that you can and should be CARED for too!

Stefanie Callaghan

Membership Support Manager