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Focus on care home workforce: nursing films

As part of Care Home Week and especially Workforce day, it is important that we celebrate the range of vital roles undertaken in our care homes.

Nurses are one part of this 54,000-strong workforce.

Over 5,000 nurses work in care homes across Scotland.  These individuals are key contributors in the delivery of quality, person-centred care and support to some of our most vulnerable citizens.

We know there are challenges relating to nurse recruitment and retention sector, and we also know that there are misconceptions about what nursing in care homes is actually like.  In reality, it is a rewarding, challenging and extremely skilled career. 

But who better to explain this than nurses working in the sector?

This series of short films highlight nurses who are working across Scotland in care homes, and are role models for us all in terms of the passion, dedication and professionalism they show in their work:

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Arts & Engagement – Care and Create event

Today we are focusing on Arts and Engagement as part of our week-long celebration of those who live and work in care homes. 

In complement to the theme, Scottish Care members may wish to consider attending the following upcoming event, organised by Luminate along with ArtWorks Scotland, Creative Scotland and the Care Inspectorate. 

Please see the full details below and on the Scottish Care events page, with details on registration to attend via the links.

#carehomeweek17

 

 

Care and Create – arts and older people

A workshop event for care professionals and artists working with older people in care

Thursday, 29th June 2017

11am – 3:30pm

Edinburgh

Care and Create will bring care professionals, artists and cultural organisations together to create a shared understanding of good practice and explore opportunities to work together.

This event will include presentations of inspring arts projects for older people experiencing care, facilitated discussion sessions and a networking lunch. It will enable artists, cultural organisations and care professionals to explore the opportunities and  challenges of delivering creative projects in the care community, broaden their understanding of good practice and discuss ways of connecting and working together.

Attendees will:

  • gain a better understanding of the arts world and the roles artists might play in care services
  • gain a better understanding of good practice in care provision and the opportunities and challenges faced by the sector
  • broaden your view of how professional artists can creatively collaborate with the care community and create successful projects

Workshop will be facilitated by Kate Organ.

 

Speakers will include:

  • Paula Brown, Arora, Scotland
  • Anne Gallacher, Director, Luminate
  • Noortje Kessels and Maaike Mul, Wintertuin, Netherlands
  • Natalie McFadyen-White, Impact Arts, Scotland
  • Carol Reilly, Care Home Manager, Catmoor House, Scotland

Presented by ArtWorks Scotland, Creative Scotland, the Care Inspectorate and Luminate

Venue: City of Edinburgh Methodist Church, 25 Nicolson Square, Edinburgh EH8 9BX

 

Admission: Free but advance booking is essential.

Please note: spaces are limited so bookings are restricted to one place per organisation

Lunch included. Teas/coffees available from 10:30am.

 

Booking: For more information and event registration, visit Eventbrite at

https://careandcreate.eventbrite.co.uk

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Arts in Care project: note your interest by 23 June

As part of #CareHomeWeek17 Scottish Care are today celebrating arts & engagement opportunities in our independent sector care services.

The arts have become an increasing focus of Scottish Care’s work, not only in terms of the importance of ensuring older people continue to be able to express their creativity but also in sharing the extraordinary lives and stories of those who live and work in care services.  This has been evidenced in the ‘Directed by North Merchiston’ film series and the films produced for recent Scottish Care Conferences and Awards, including ‘What A Difference Good Care Makes’.

We are therefore delighted to announce plans for a new collaborative arts project between Scottish Care and Luminate, Scotland’s creative ageing festival .

We are looking to identify a care home or day care service who would like to take forward a new funded arts initiative with us.  This project will:

* Get underway in August, with the intention of sharing the results as part of the Luminate festival in October.

* Be premised on engaging residents/service users in the arts

* Involve working with a professional artist, but have a particular focus on involving staff as equal partners/participants in the project

* Be flexible to the choice of artform and artist (which won’t be a film).  This will be chosen in partnership with the successful care service

This project will lead into a larger piece of work in 2018, which will be open to engagement with more services and artists.

However at this stage, only one service will be selected to be involved.

If you are interested in taking part or finding out more, please email [email protected] with a short description of your service and why you would like to be involved.

The closing date for expressions of interest is Friday 23rd June 2017.

We look forward to hearing from you regarding this exciting opportunity.

#carehomeweek17

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Arts & Engagement – Opportunity to get involved with Luminate

Invitation to be part of Luminate, Scotland’s creative ageing festival

There’s no better way to support Arts and Engagement day during #carehomeweek17, than to consider getting involved in this year’s Luminate festival.

 October 2017 will once again see an innovative and vibrant nationwide programme offering a wealth of creative experiences that prove that creativity has no age. Organisations, groups and individuals are now invited to put an event forward to be a part of this year’s festival.  It is a chance to celebrate creativity, share stories, and to explore what ageing means to all of us, providing a national platform for local creative activities by, with and for older people in Scotland.

The 2016 festival included an enormous range of creative events for older audiences all across Scotland, from workshops in care homes to performances in professional arts venues, and from exhibitions of artwork by older community members to creative activities that brought the generations together.  We worked in cities, towns and rural communities across Scotland.

Previous festivals have included:

  • Creative activities and performances in care settings or for older people’s social groups
  • Exhibitions and performances of work by older artists, both amateur and professional
  • Arts projects bringing together the generations, giving older and younger people the chance to take part as equal partners
  • Special offers for older people, for example theatre ticket deals including the chance to meet and have a cup of tea together afterwards
  • Plays, poetry readings and film screenings that feature stories of ageing

The deadline for proposals this year is 5pm on Friday 30th June for inclusion in the brochure, and 5pm on Friday 4th August for inclusion online only.  To find out more about Luminate and to apply online, visit: http://www.luminatescotland.org/luminate-proposal.

For any additional information, or to request a hard copy of the application form, contact Luminate by phone on 0131 668 8066 or email [email protected].

 

 

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News release: Week dedicated to busting care home myths

Today (Monday) marks the start of a week of celebration of Scotland’s care homes.

Care Home Week runs from 12-18 June 2017 and is the first event of its kind in Scotland.  The week aims to bust some myths about care homes and tell their vast number of good news stories.  Across the course of the week, a variety of events will take place and a range of stories will be shared, celebrating different elements of care home life.

In Scotland there are:

  • Over 1,100 care homes
  • Over 36,000 residents
  • Nearly 54,000 staff employed
  • Over 5,000 nurses

Care Home Week will be celebrating individuals who live and work in care homes, their role in local communities and the opportunities care homes offer to enhance lives and improve wellbeing for a wide range of people.

The week is being led by Scottish Care, the representative body for independent sector care services.  CEO, Dr Donald Macaskill, said:

“We’re calling for people all over Scotland to join us in celebrating care homes and the vital role they play in our communities.

“All too often, the stories that people hear about care homes are the bad ones – when things have gone wrong.  Whilst it is important that these failures are exposed, thankfully they are rare and are in no way representative of the amazing care provided by the vast majority of services. 

“In reality, good news stories happen day in, day out in our care homes.  These include examples of innovative care delivery, dedicated staff, partnerships with local communities and inspirational achievements of care home residents.  These stories are what we want to highlight throughout Care Home Week, and we want other people to share their experiences with us.

“It’s time that we as a society value our care home services much more.”

As part of Care Home Week, Scotland will be celebrating Care Home Open Day 2017. Now in its fifth year, the Open Day takes place on Friday 16th June 2017.  On this day, care homes across the UK will be opening their doors to their local communities and inviting people in to find out more about care homes and the amazing people who live and work in them.   To find out which care homes are taking part in your area, simply visit www.carehomeopenday.org.uk and search via postcode, town or care home name.

More information about Care Home Week, Care Home Open Day and the other events planned for the week can be found at www.scottishcare.org/care-home-week/

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Launch of Anticipatory Care Planning Toolkit

A new Toolkit for Anticipatory Care Planning has been launched by Healthcare Improvement Scotland’s ihub.

Anticipatory Care Planning is about individual people thinking ahead and understanding their health.  It’s about knowing how to use services better and it helps people make choices about their future care.

Planning ahead can help the individual be more in control and able to manage any changes in their health and wellbeing.

The Toolkit can be accessed here.

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New Health and Social Care Standards launched

Scotland’s new Health and Social Care Standards have been launched, with human rights at their core.

The standards, which will be implemented on 1 April 2018, will apply to the NHS as well as services registered with the Care Inspectorate and Healthcare Improvement Scotland, and set out the standard people should expect when using health or social care services.

They are focused on improving people’s experience of care and are based on five outcomes:

  • I experience high quality care and support that is right for me.
  • I am fully involved in all decisions about my care and support.
  • I have confidence in the people who support and care for me.
  • I have confidence in the organisation providing my care and support.
  • I experience a high quality environment if the organisation provides the premises.

They are also underpinned by five principles: dignity and respect; compassion; be included; responsive care and support and wellbeing; which reflect the way that everyone should expect to be treated.

Health Secretary Shona Robison said:

“I’m delighted to launch our new Health and Social Care Standards and commend all of the hard work that has gone into creating these new, human rights-based standards.

“The new standards are wide reaching, flexible and focused on the experience of people using services. One of the major changes is that they will now be applicable to the NHS, as well as services registered with the Care Inspectorate and Healthcare Improvement Scotland.

“Everyone is entitled to high-quality care and support, designed for their particular needs and choices. This could be in a hospital; a care home; a children’s nursery; or within their own home.

“Each and everyone one of us at some point in our lives will use, or know someone who uses a health or social care service. That’s why these Standards are so important – to ensure that everyone in Scotland receives the care and support that is right for them.”

CEO of Scottish Care, Dr Donald Macaskill said:

“To be treated with dignity, to be related to as an individual and to achieve what you can in life are at the heart of all good care and support. I am delighted that the new Health and Social Care Standards enshrine a human rights based approach to the way in which services support some of our most vulnerable citizens.

“They are a great opportunity for those who work in health and social care, those who use the services and wider Scottish society to work together to create a world-class system of health and social care. By the means of the new Standards Scottish Care providers will join with others in making rights real for the citizens of Scotland.”

You can access the new Health and Social Care Standards here.

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Care Home Week: 12-18 June 2017

Care Home Week: 12-18 June 2017

#carehomeweek17

www.scottishcare.org/care-home-week/

Led by Scottish Care, the inaugural Care Home Week will take place in Scotland from 12-18 June 2017.

Throughout this week, we will be celebrating and raising awareness of Scotland’s care homes, the individuals who live and work in them, their role in local communities and the opportunities care homes offer to enhance lives and wellbeing for a wide range of people.

We’ll be celebrating different elements of care home life each day from 12-18 June:

  • Monday 12 June – Politics and Policy
  • Tuesday 13 June – Arts and Engagement
  • Wednesday 14 June – Workforce
  • Thursday 15 June – Ordinary Living
  • Friday 16 June – Friendship & Care Home Open Day
  • Saturday 17 June – Volunteering
  • Sunday 18 June – Dreaming…

This week is an opportunity to share good news stories and promote the positive things that services and their local communities are doing.

We are seeking your help to enable us to prepare and share good news stories throughout Care Home Week.  This can be in the form of any (or all!) of the following:

  • Examples/case studies around any work you have been part of with care homes which relate to the week’s themes (information plus photos, quotes, stories etc)
  • Reports/resources/initiatives/events you think would be relevant to publicise and promote during the week
  • A guest blog of up to 500 words around any of the Care Home Week themes or about care homes more generally
  • Participating in Care Home Open Day on Friday 16 June, either by registering your service to take part or by visiting a care home on the day – find out more at carehomeopenday.org.uk
  • Publicising Care Home Week through your website and social media channels
  • If you’re on Twitter, using the hashtag #carehomeweek17

If you have any other ideas about how you could link with us for Care Home Week, we’d love to hear those too!

We would really appreciate receiving your stories and other contributions by Wednesday 7 June. Please send any information or resources via email to [email protected]  Please specify which day you think each element would be relevant for and please also provide your logo so we can include this on Care Home Week materials.

If you have any questions relating to this, or wish to discuss an idea for Care Home Week, please do not hesitate to get in touch with either Kat MacMillan or Becca Gatherum.

More information about activities throughout the week will be shared at www.scottishcare.org/care-home-week/ over the next few days.

We look forward to working with you to celebrate Care Home Week!

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Care at Home & Housing Support Awards 2017

As ever, the annual Care at Home and Housing Support Awards were held to coincide with the daytime Conference and Exhibition and took place on 12 May at the Marriott hotel in Glasgow.

It was an evening to highlight and celebrate the best in care at home and housing support across Scotland, with an extremely strong field of finalists, all carrying out work of an incredibly high standard in an era of challenging budgets and an increasingly demanding work environment.

Hosted by Michelle McManus, the ten award categories were presented over the course of the evening and winners and finalists then danced the remainder of the night away with the band Waterfront providing the soundtrack to the festivities.

 

The full list of winners of the Care at Home and Housing Support Awards are as follows:

  • Care at Home Carer (Individual or Team), sponsored by Mears Group – Accommodation & Alcohol Support Fordeuk (Loretto)

  • Housing Support Carer (Individual of Team) sponsored by Healthcare Improvement Scotland – Belleisle House Team (Aspire)

  • Management and Leadership, sponsored by Strategic Thinking  – Sharon Fleming (Loretto Care)

  • Training and Staff Development, sponsored by Workforce Matters – Nina MacLean (Bluebird Care)

  • Co-ordinator/Administrator, sponsored by Partners for Integration and Innovation – Leona Hollywood (Mears Group)

  • Innovation, sponsored by Hazelhead Homecare – Appin & Lismore Community Care Team (Highland Home Carers)

  • Client Achievement, sponsored by Barchester – David Breingan (Mears Group), Steven Brodie (Mears Group), Sam Cullen (Aspire), Craig Ireland (Mears Group)

  • Housing Support Provider, sponsored by Loretto Care – Bright Care

  • Care at Home Provider, sponsored by Carewatch – Bluebird Care

  • Significant Contribution, sponsored by Citation – Gina Fordyce (Hazelhead Homecare)

Scottish Care worked with film maker Michael Rea to profile the finalists in the Care at Home Provider category. The audience at the Awards ceremony were shown the below film, which demonstrates just how important high quality care at home can be, not only for the recipients themselves but also for family members and indeed members of the workforce, who are striving to provide the best possible service to their clients.

Huge thanks to all our sponsors, who have supported the Awards, helping to make them the success they are.

The Scottish Care team work incredibly hard to make the Awards a real cause for celebration and we look forward to seeing you all next year when we will continue to fly the flag for excellence in Care at Home and Housing Support in Scotland.