Job: Development Officer – Partners for Integration and Improvement (2 posts)

DEVELOPMENT OFFICERS PARTNERS FOR INTEGRATION AND IMPROVEMENT, Health and Social Care Integration – Independent Sector Initiative.

12 months contract initially
£30,000 per annum pro rata – full and part time posts available

Integration of Health and Social Care is the Scottish Government’s ambitious programme of reform to improve services for people who use health and social care services.

Scottish Care is a membership organisation representing the largest group of independent health and social care providers across Scotland.

The Independent Care sector is a key player in health and social care integration agenda and we are seeking to engage Development Officers support this programme. Hosted by Scottish Care and working closely with Independent sector Regional Lead, providers and partners, the post involves ensuring sector involvement in the delivery of the agreed outcomes for integration.

The post holder will have a key role in supporting Health and Social Care Integration in Aberdeen City. They will develop close working relationships with Scottish Care’s Aberdeen City team (Regional Integration Manager and Reablement Trainers) as well as key stakeholders from Aberdeen City Health and Social Care Partnership, Third and Independent sectors, NHS Grampian and people who use services and their carers and family members. The overall aim of this role is “to inform, engage with and support care providers from the Independent Sector so that we can fulfil our obligations and be an equal partner in Health and Social Care Integration”.

The post holder will require to be highly motivated and be able to use initiative, possess excellent communication and networking skills, demonstrate success and experience working with providers, regulators, people supported by services and carers. Qualifications and experience at a management level in health or social care would be an advantage as would knowledge of relevant policy, practice and the needs and aspirations of the Independent sector.

The post will be based in Aberdeen and hosted through Scottish Care. Consultancy, employment, secondment and job share opportunities considered. Employment is the default position.

For further information please contact Julia White, Regional Lead, Aberdeen City at [email protected]. Application forms are available through Scottish Care [email protected]

Closing date 4pm on Friday 26th May 2017 Interviews will be held in Aberdeen on Tuesday 6th June 2017

New overnight care at home service in Inverness

The following news item appeared in The Press and Journal on 20th April 2017 and highlights the success of a pilot undertaken by Scottish Care Local Integration Leads in Inverness.

A new overnight care-at-home service is to be trialled in Inverness to ease pressure on hospital beds.

NHS Highland announced yesterday that it was launching the year-long pilot project in partnership with care provider group Scottish Care.

It will involve staff at three independent providers – Gateway, Castle Care and Eildon – helping support patients in the Highland capital in their homes at night.

The initiative, which is expected to be rolled out across the region in the future, aims to reduce the length of hospital stays in the region and enable patients to receive more care at home.

Announcing the pilot, NHS Highland’s special projects lead Jean-Pierre Sieczkarek said: “The overnight service is a response to the need for support during the night to allow safe discharge from hospital where required, to respond to social care interventions such as falls and help calls and support people to be safely supported in their own home.

“We are hopeful that this type of intervention will take pressure off our hospitals by reducing the number of admissions and speeding up discharge for patients.

“We are confident that this initiative can prevent people from being placed in residential care, when support overnight could allow them the choice of returning home.”

Rhoda Grant, Highlands and Islands Labour MSP, said: “It’s a good initiative. Anything that keeps people at home, or allows them to get home more quickly, is to be welcomed.

“I often speak to GPs who say they have no alternative but to send vulnerable people to hospital because there is no alternative at night when they should not be left alone either due to illness or a fall.”

Innovative care at home

Older people have benefited from a pilot project which saw Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) physiotherapy students provide care at home.

The project was delivered in partnership with Carers Direct, NHS Highland, NES, Scottish Care, and the Care Inspectorate.

Fourth year physiotherapy students undertook placements with two providers, Carers Direct, a care at home service, in Argyll and Bute, and an NHS reablement physiotherapy service. The placement combined time spent in a physiotherapy practice and care delivered in the home.

The Care Inspectorate praised the work of the students and tutors.

Karen Reid, Chief Executive of the Care Inspectorate said:

“For people who receive care at home, it can sometimes be difficult to get out and about to access services like physiotherapy.

“We were delighted to be involved in this project and it demonstrated that by rethinking the way care is provided, we can better meet people’s needs and provide the care which matters to them, in a setting which suits them.

“We know that as more people are living longer, healthier lives, rethinking the way services are provided will become more important.”

 

GCU Senior Physiotherapy Lecturer Douglas Lauchlan said:

“The integration of health and social care and reablement of clients at home and in community settings is a strategic drive of Scottish Government. It is important that physiotherapy students, many of whom are graduating, work alongside acute NHS services and independent providers of care within the home.

“In addition to the students’ learning, all partners involved in the project gained an insight into a fast-developing area of care where collaborative working is key to its success.”

 

Student Lindsey Justine Chisholm, from the School of Health and Life Sciences, delivered care to patients before returning to Canada to work in physiotherapy and kinesiology.

She said:

“Delivering care in the home offers the patient greater choice. Seeing patients in their own environments allowed me to tailor and understand the challenges many of them experience on a daily basis. Working as part of a team, we were able to learn from patients, our colleagues and carers and provide the care needed to patients. ”

Vacancy: East Liaison Officer for the Independent Sector, Dumfries and Galloway

Scottish Care (Dumfries and Galloway) is recruiting a new team member to work with the new Regional Integration Manager for the Independent Sector. The new post is

  • An East Liaison Officer supporting independent sector providers in the Localities of Annandale & Eskdale and Nithsdale. This is a part time post – 2.5 days per week.

The post is hosted by Scottish Care, a membership organisation representing the largest group of independent health and social care providers across Scotland.

Part time East Liaison Officer (£29,311 pro rata, initially fixed term contract to end of March 2018 )

The post holder will support independent care providers in their Locality areas and will have a key role in supporting Health and Social Care Integration in Dumfries and Galloway. The successful candidate will develop close working relationships with Scottish Care Dumfries & Galloway’s team (especially the Regional Integration Manager, Locality Representatives and the Independent Sector Support Officer) as well as key Locality stakeholders (including the Locality Manager, local partner colleagues from NHS Dumfries and Galloway, Dumfries and Galloway Council and Third Sector Dumfries and Galloway and those in receipt of services).

The post holder will be highly motivated and be able to use initiative, possess excellent communication and networking skills, demonstrate success and experience working in partnership with policy makers, providers, regulators, people supported by services and carers. Qualifications and experience at a management level in a current health or social care provider organisation operating in Dumfries & Galloway is an advantage as well as knowledge of relevant policy, practice and the needs and aspirations of the Independent sector.

The post holder will attend Scottish Care D&G Team Meetings on a monthly basis. They will liaise with local providers and contribute to Locality Meetings with Locality Representatives. They will have an active role in supporting Health and Social Care Integration and delivering the business plan for the team in D&G. They will also contribute to ongoing Research and Development activities to support independent providers in the region. They will be supported by the Independent Sector Support Officer and report to the Regional Integration Manager for the Independent Sector in D&G.

The post is 18.75 hours per week (2.5 days per week) and will be paid at £29,311 pro rata. Travel expenses will be paid at 45p per mile.

The post will be primarily home-based and hosted through Scottish Care. Consultancy, employment, secondment and job share opportunities considered. Hot desk facilities are available to support your work with partners in each Locality and you will be expected to spend at least some of your time in each Locality each week.

For further information:

To express an interest and request a job description please contact [email protected] or telephone Dawn on 08456 434 022 for further information.

If you are interested in the role you will be asked to submit a tailored CV showing how your knowledge, skills and experience are relevant for the post and a Personal Profile (a template will be provided).

The closing date is 5pm Friday 27th January 2017.

Shortlisting will take place 30th January 2017 and interviews will take place 1st & 2nd February 2017.

Opportunity to participate in Tests of Change for Technology Enabled Care

Building on the work of the Technology Enabled Care (TEC) programme, funding of up to £15,000 is being offered for around 6 technology enabled care Tests of Change.  This offer is open to any NHS Board, Integration Authority, Housing, Independent or Third Sector organisation and is intended, primarily, as a support to inform local or organisational planning and commissioning activity.

The aim of any application must align with the overarching TEC programme aim which is to support more citizens to make greater use of technology to manage their own health and wellbeing at home and in the community.  A test of change should seek to demonstrate measurable improvement in outcomes either directly to individuals or indirectly through improved service delivery processes.

For more information, please read the letter of invitation.

To apply, you must complete a Test of Change Planning template and table (contained in the above letter of invitation).

These must be submitted to NSS.TEC @nhs.net by the 11th November 2016

Joint working between Local Integration Leads, Development Officers & Workforce Leads

Workforce Matters has been working closely with Scottish Care Local Integration Leads and Development Officers to identify, and develop, workforce solutions appropriate to different localities across Scotland.

This approach will shape the way we communicate and share local workforce activities and training opportunities.

If you are a provider, and would like to know who your Local Integration Lead is, please go to Local Partnership Information for more details.

Leadership for Integration: You as a Collaborative Leader

Supporting collaborative leadership in health and social care integration: an invitation from NES, RCGP Scotland and SSSC

Applications are now open for Cohort 2 of You as a Collaborative Leader, which begins in September 2016.

You as a Collaborative Leader is part of the Leadership for Integration programme, which supports leadership development for health and social care integration.  It is offered in joint partnership by NHS Education for Scotland (NES), the Royal College of General Practitioners Scotland (RCGP Scotland) and the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC), and is fully funded – no fees are payable by participants or their organisations.

The programme is aimed at you if you are a primary care or social care professional such as a GP, middle/senior primary care professional, or middle/senior manager in a statutory, third or independent social care organisation.  You will already be working in a lead role within  a locality or health and social care partnership to shape, develop and deliver integrated care.

You as a Collaborative Leader supports you to recognise your own leadership strengths and sources of resilience so you can lead more collaboratively and effectively in delivering integrated care. It is completed over a period of approximately four months and involves:

  • three 1:1 coaching sessions (one at the start, middle and end of the programme)
  • a 360-degree assessment and feedback exercise on your leadership capability
  • two full-day workshops on October 6th and November 10th in Edinburgh, focusing on leadership capabilities for health and social care integration
  • a tailored personal development plan to help you sustain your learning in practice

The application period for You as a Collaborative Leader is open for 7 weeks, from 13 June until 29 July.

Click here to apply.

There is a high demand for places on this programme, so all successful applicants cannot be guaranteed a place on this cohort.  However, a further two cohorts will be running over the next year, so those who do not get a place on cohort two may be considered for a future cohort.

More detailed information on You as a Collaborative Leader is available on the Knowledge Network webpages.

Please get in contact with [email protected] with any queries you may have.