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Care at Home & Housing Support Awards reopen for entries

In light of the Coronavirus pandemic, we have decided to reopen entries for our Care at Home and Housing Support Awards. This offers the opportunity to recognise all the compassion and hard work from the homecare workforce during the pandemic. 
 
We would like to thank everyone who has already submitted nominations in March. These awards entries have been kept and will still be valid. Should you need to make a change to your entry, please contact [email protected].
 
Please submit your award entries by Monday 31 August.

Entries can be made either online on our website, or by sending a completed Word version of the nomination form to [email protected]. 

For more information: https://scottishcare.org/cah-awards-2020/

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Save the date – Homecare Festival: 7-9 October

Unfortunately, we are unable to hold our annual Care at Home and Housing Support Conference/Awards that was originally scheduled for 25 September in Glasgow. We are now organising a ‘Homecare Festival’ which will take place virtually from Wednesday 7th to Friday 9th October. 

The Homecare Festival is an important opportunity to recognise the crucial role of care at home and housing support services in supporting our older and vulnerable citizens. 

There will be a series of online sessions over this three-day period, bringing together a range of speakers to highlight challenges faced by the care at home and housing support sector and to discuss the future of homecare. 

The Homecare Festival will end with an Awards Evening on Friday 9th October to celebrate the dedicated workforce in the independent homecare sector and all the extraordinary work that they do.

More details will be available shortly.

Posted on

Care at Home & Housing Support Awards reopen for entries

In light of the Coronavirus pandemic, we have decided to reopen entries for our Care at Home and Housing Support Awards. This offers the opportunity to recognise all the compassion and hard work from the homecare workforce during the pandemic. 
 
We would like to thank everyone who has already submitted nominations in March. These awards entries have been kept and will still be valid. Should you need to make a change to your entry, please contact [email protected].
 
Please submit your award entries by Monday 31 August.

Entries can be made either online on our website, or by sending a completed Word version of the nomination form to [email protected]. 

For more information: https://scottishcare.org/cah-awards-2020/

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Save the date – Homecare Festival: 7-9 October

Unfortunately, we are unable to hold our annual Care at Home and Housing Support Conference/Awards that was originally scheduled for 25 September in Glasgow. We are now organising a ‘Homecare Festival’ which will take place virtually from Wednesday 7th to Friday 9th October. 

The Homecare Festival is an important opportunity to recognise the crucial role of care at home and housing support services in supporting our older and vulnerable citizens. 

There will be a series of online sessions over this three-day period, bringing together a range of speakers to highlight challenges faced by the care at home and housing support sector and to discuss the future of homecare. 

The Homecare Festival will end with an Awards Evening on Friday 9th October to celebrate the dedicated workforce in the independent homecare sector and all the extraordinary work that they do.

More details will be available shortly.

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Care Tech 3 – 28 August

Save the date – Friday 28th August 2020

Care Tech 3
Tech that Cares: making tech personal in post-COVID social care

We are pleased to announce our third technology event hosted by Scottish Care. 

The event will bring together a range of perspectives to discuss developments and impacts of technology, particularly during COVID19, and the future potential of technology across the Scottish social care sector.

The event will take place virtually on Friday 28th August 2020.

The event will feature a range of panel discussions and opportunities to hear the latest developments around technology in social care.

For exhibitor enquiries please contact: [email protected]

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Support for EU citizens applying to the EU Settlement Scheme

The UK voted to leave the EU in June 2016 and this will have an effect on the immigration status of approximately 3.5 million EU citizens* that live in the UK. Since leaving the EU in January 2020 we have been in a transition period which runs until 31st December 2020 and EU citizens and their non-EU family members must apply under the UK Government’s EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) before 30th June 2021 if they wish to live and work in the UK.

From 1st July 2021 all EU citizens must be able to show that they have either Settled Status or Pre-Settled Status to prove that they have a right to remain and continue working in the UK.

The care sector in Scotland employs large numbers of EU citizens and our service, which is free, confidential and impartial, recognises that some of the most vulnerable people on our communities rely on their carers, whether in the community or in care homes,  to provide them with the support that they need.

The Citizens Advice network in Scotland provides a national service called the EU Citizens Support Service (EUCSS) and we have a team of specialist advisers working across the country and taking calls on our national telephone helpline to provide information and support to people with their application to the EUSS.  We also have a solicitor-led service to support complex cases.  The national helpline number is 0800 916 9847.

If you require any further information please do not hesitate to contact our national co-ordinator at [email protected]

* ‘EU citizens’ includes citizens of the EU member states, as well as citizens of the EEA states (Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein), and citizens of Switzerland

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Alzheimer Scotland – Coronavirus resources

Alzheimer Scotland have been working to respond to the main concerns expressed by callers to their 24 hour Freephone Dementia Helpline (0808 808 3000) and now have a suite of resources on their website’s Coronavirus Information Hub (www.alzscot.org/information-during-coronavirus<http://www.alzscot.org/information-during-coronavirus>). A specific section provides information and resources for all those supporting people living with dementia in Scotland’s care homes.
 
A podcast developed by Helen Skinner, Alzheimer Scotland Dementia Nurse Consultant, (NHS Fife) and Yvonne Manson, Quality Care and Support Manager (Abbotsford Care) shares experiences and good practice in supporting the wellbeing of residents at this difficult time.
 
Family visiting to care homes is slowly being reintroduced beyond ‘essential visits’ at the end of life or to ease significant personal distress, in accordance Scottish Government Guidelines (first issued 25 June 2020). Helen and Yvonne have developed a further podcast to share experiences of the first phase of this reintroduction.
 
Both podcasts are accompanied by sample resources developed to facilitate best practice and have been also been produced as topic specific shorts for selective viewing. Future podcasts will follow the journey for staff and residents as progress is made into stage 3 and 4 of the Government’s ‘staged approach to visiting and communal activity in care homes’.
 
Links –
Covid-19: Supporting residents’ wellbeing in the care home setting https://vimeo.com/434410511 Shorts from this video:
 
  1.  Wearing Face Masks https://vimeo.com/434386043
  2.  Hand washing and infection control https://vimeo.com/434386477
  3.  Signs of coronavirus in older people https://vimeo.com/434388060
  4.  Keeping it normal and staying in touch https://vimeo.com/434388342
  5.  Social distancing and self-isolation https://vimeo.com/434389023
  6.  Supporting families and friends https://vimeo.com/434389469
  7.  Supporting staff and professional development https://vimeo.com/434390589
  8.  Testing for Covid-19 https://vimeo.com/434394940
  9.  Working in partnership https://vimeo.com/434395479
  10. Looking back – and finding support https://vimeo.com/434395695
 
Covid-19: Supporting phased family visiting in the care home setting https://vimeo.com/437143845 Shorts from this video:
 
  1.  First steps https://vimeo.com/438553397
  2.  Making it work for everyone https://vimeo.com/438556106
  3.  It’s still a difficult time https://vimeo.com/438556610
  4.  Together again https://vimeo.com/438557948
  5.  Keeping everyone safe https://vimeo.com/438559051
  6.  Friends reunited https://vimeo.com/438559515
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Funding deadline extended – Graduate Diploma in Integrated Community Nursing –

Nominations for funded places for the Graduate Diploma in Integrated Community Nursing programme has been extended until Friday 7 August 12 PM.

There are 200 funded places available in this year’s intake of the new 2-year part-time work-based Graduate Diploma in Integrated Community Nursing (GDipICN) which is designed for nurses working at level 5 of the Career Framework for Health (Agenda for Change Band 5 equivalent).

NES has commissioned two universities to deliver the programme; Queen Margaret University (east and north regions) commencing in September 2020 and the University of the West of Scotland (west region) commencing October 2020.   See Appendix 1 for NHS Boards associated with each region.

It is expected approximately 150 places will be allocated to nurses from district nursing teams, 50 places to nurses from care home and prison healthcare settings and 40 places to nurses working in general practice.

More information about the programme is available at:

https://www.nes.scot.nhs.uk/our-work/community-nursing-graduate-diploma/

Due to an oversight we would like to confirm that this course is open to all RN’s(Registered Nurses) not just registered general nurse as noted. Therefore any nurse registered nurse can apply.  

Below is a letter from Jane Harris, the Head of Programme detailing more information on funding. There is also a spreadsheet for providers to complete with details of all individual nurses who require funding.

Completed spreadsheets must be returned to [email protected] 

Letter from Jane Harris, Head of Programme - NES
Nomination spreadsheet
Application Process Graphic
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Digital Safety Huddle Webinar Recording

Huge thanks to everyone who joined us for our Digital Safety Huddle webinar and demonstration on Monday 3 August. And thank you to Nancy, Angela, Tracey, Anna, David from NES and Derek from Erskine for presenting on this webinar. We hope that care home providers has found this session useful.

The recording for this webinar can be found below.

Providers should have received an email from NES with invite to use the Safety Huddle Tool, if you haven’t received this email, please contact:

 [email protected]

Please email with your name, role, email and the name of care home/group you are in or responsible for.

View the webinar here
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Update on social care sustainability payments

We have received a letter today (3 August) from the Scottish Government and COSLA with an update on social care sustainability payments.

The initial funding arrangement to support the social care sector expired on 31st July. However, due to ongoing challenges for Local Authorities, IJBS and social care providers, it has been agreed that there will be an additional fund of up to £50 million. This fund will be available until the end of September.

The Social Care Staff Support Fund remains unchanged by this extension and will also be available until the end of September.

Letter - Additional Funding for Social Care
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