Book now for Care at Home & Housing Support Conference 2017

Yes it’s that time of year again!

Scottish Care’s annual Care at Home and Housing Support Conference & Exhibition will take place in the Glasgow Marriott, Argyle Street, Glasgow on Friday 12th May 2017.

This year’s conference is entitled “Bringing Home Care: Transforming Support in the Community”

#bringhomecare

Click here to view the draft conference programme.

  You will notice from the conference programme that there will be insight sessions before and after lunch to enable delegates to attend two different sessions.  When booking, you will be asked to choose the two sessions you wish to attend on the day.

With the care at home reform process ongoing and an ever changing landscape of health and social care, the conference is a crucial opportunity for providers, partners and stakeholders to hear about how the reform work is progressing and what effect it will have on the sector.

Scottish Care will also be launching a new report on the care at home and housing support sector at this conference.

You can book your place to attend conference at: 
https://cahandhssconference2017.eventbrite.co.uk

You can only pay by card for online bookings.  Alternatively you can contact: [email protected] for a booking form.  Please note: no tickets will be issued until payment is received.

We look forward to seeing you on the day.

If you are interested in booking an exhibition stand at the conference, please contact [email protected]

Extended till 17th March – Scottish Care Annual Care at Home and Housing Support Awards

Extended till 17th March – Only a few days left!!!

 

Scottish Care’s Annual Care at Home and Housing Support Awards are an important opportunity to recognise the tremendous work undertaken by organisations and staff who work in care at home and housing support services. This is a chance to highlight the skills, dedication and abilities of the many talented individuals and organisations who are dedicated to making life better for people and in supporting them achieve their fullest potential.

Entries are now open for the 2017 Awards, which will take place on Friday 12 May.

This is your chance whether as an organisation, individual or family member to tell us and others about the work you value.  We want to acknowledge what can be achieved when people work together to improve the lives of those who access care and support services in their own homes.  Awards are open to Scottish Care member organisations, their staff and clients but anyone can submit a nomination.

There are ten categories to enter in 2017 and we can’t wait to hear about your projects and partnerships.

  1. Care at Home Services Carer(s) of the Year – Individual or Team
  2. Housing Support Services Carer(s) of the Year – Individual or Team
  3. Management & Leadership Award – Individual
  4. Training & Staff Development Award – Individual or Company
  5. Care Services Coordinator / Administrator of the Year – Individual
  6. Innovative Practice Award – Individual or Team
  7. Client Achievement Award – Individual or Team
  8. Housing Support Provider of the Year – Company
  9. Care at Home Provider of the Year – Company
  10. Significant Contribution Award – Individual

Please make sure you have read the Awards Guidelines before entering.

Nominations can be submitted online at https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/homecare2017.  If you require a hard copy of the nomination form, this can be downloaded here.

The deadline for entries is Friday 10 March 2017

 

Scottish Care to host Declaration Fest session

Scottish Care is to host a special session on the rights of older people at the forthcoming Declaration Fest.

The festival will take place over two days on Thursday 2nd and Friday 3rd March at Summerhall in Edinburgh as part of an on-going commitment to the right to health and social care in Scotland.

The hour-long session, titled ‘Age is a work of art’, starts at 5pm on Friday 3rd March and will explore through film and discussion all that is beautiful about our ageing society and what we need to do together to ensure that older people are treated with respect, dignity and without discrimination.

Human rights, in their very essence, are universal. However, we all know that certain groups can find it more difficult to claim their rights. In response to this, the United Nations created additional treaties which seek to protect the rights of women, children, disabled people and racial and ethnic minorities. These fundamental agreements strive to keep our society fair, just and equal.

There is no additional treaty for older people. Ageing seems to be viewed as a threat; a health care challenge that cannot be met.  We need to move away from this, to view older people as valuable individuals: as employees, volunteers, carers, parents, grandparents but most importantly- as rights’ holders. Rights’ holders with aspirations, experience, knowledge and potential. As Stanislaw Jerzy Lee said, “Youth is a gift of nature but age is a work of art.”

At Scottish Care we work directly with older people to empower them to claim their rights. We also work with our members who are providing care services to support them to take a human rights based approach which respects, protects and fulfils these rights in practice.

The caring side of data: latest blog from our CEO

The caring side of data

I have become a victim of data or at least I have succumbed to the world of fitness data. Last year I was given a Fitbit and started using it in the autumn. I wasn’t aware of the massive advertising campaigns behind the Fitbit which is basically a cloud-based fitness-tracking device. But according to the advertisements this small device – with a little help from myself in the form of walking and sleeping more (though not together) – will enable significant life-quality changes. I will leave for others to decide the truthfullness of that statement viz-a-viz my waistline. But what I have been astonished by is the sheer amount of data that I am sent every week from this small device which sits on my left wrist everything from my average heart rate, my calories burning, my steps walked etc.

There has been an obvious shift in the data available to us about our own health in the last few years. I remember the early devices which enabled you to track your blood pressure or heart rate but what we now have is an empowerment of the individual, what some specialists have called the ‘democratisation of self-care.’ My device can now be used to adjust, alter and direct my behaviour – I have control and choice in its applicability and use. There is therefore huge potential in the realm of preventative health and self-care.

 The accumulation of statistical data indicates a shift of legitimacy and power from the medical expert to the individual.

 Many of you will be familiar with the concept of Big Data – defined as:

 extremely large data sets that may be analysed computationally to reveal patterns, trends, and associations, especially relating to human behaviour and interactions.

 But it is not the size so much as its applicability to determine trends, behaviours and patterns for whole populations that has become significant for social scientists and planners. This has especially become the case in the world of health. In some senses the data information I get and which is produced by my Fitbit gives me ‘Small Data’ –

 data in a volume and format that makes it accessible, informative and actionable. … Small data connects people with timely, meaningful insights, organized and packaged – often visually – to be accessible, understandable, and actionable for everyday tasks.

So what is the place of such Data, Big or Small, in social care?

One of the issues facing those of us who work in social care is that we need to take a greater degree of ownership of the data and the debate about data – we cannot leave this to technicians and data analysts alone but must increasingly work in partnership to enable a shared determination of what data can do to enable better outcomes for individuals who use and seek to access services. Data has a tremendous potential to advance care and improve health but it is one which has to be managed and to some extent controlled.

So much of our world is being increasingly defined by an analysis of numbers, statistics and data. Are we making the right decisions from that data? Is the picture of our health and wellbeing which is painted, a true one? Just as we get suggested reading from an Amazon account or Tesco might determine what it offers us in our shopping trolley from what we have bought before – are we sufficiently aware of the streamlining of choice as a result of someone else’s analysis of our data? That may be an issue for my shopping but it becomes a critical one if data becomes a key determinant of health and social care choice.

There is therefore an important ethical debate to continually be held about the use of both Big and Small data which necessitates an awareness of the ethics behind not just the use of technology which has been much articulated but the ethics of the use of health and social care data both individually, at community levels and wider society.

Other fields are much further ahead in exploring the use of Big Data in transforming the way we do things, especially education. There is clear potential but we have to guard against a whole-scale adoption of approaches that will serve to unhelpfully alter our care landscape.

Next month sees the first ever conference to be held in Scotland which will explore some of the ethical and social science questions behind the use of data in Scottish society.  This Edinburgh Data Summit is part of DataFest17 and will hear from international thinkers. But its debates and the messages which come from the conference will doubtless shape our response to data. Those of us involved in policy development, in preventative care, in empowering choice and control over health and care; those of us working or caring in care homes and in communities need to be alive to and aware of these debates.

 

Donald Macaskill (Dr)

 

 

 

 

 

Feedback and Complaints and Duty of Candour

Working in partnership, the Scottish Government, NHS Education for Scotland, Scottish Social Services Council, Scottish Public Services Ombudsman, the Care Inspectorate and Healthcare Improvement Scotland are delivering 4 conferences across the country for all relevant health and social care staff including independent contractors and care providers.

The focus of the events is to provide staff with the skills, knowledge and confidence to implement the new model Complaints Handling Procedures for the NHS and Social Work which will be introduced in April 2017, as well as understand the social care complaints process.  The events will also enable staff to prepare themselves and their teams for the introduction of the new Duty of Candour, which will come into force on 1 April 2018.

These free events will run from 9.30am – 4.30pm and will be held in:

Golden Jubilee Conference Hotel, Clydebank           2 March 2017

Perth Concert Hall                                                              9 March 2017

Edinburgh International Conference Centre            16 March 2017

Stirling Court Hotel                                                            23 March 2017

The events will provide the opportunity to learn from the experiences of colleagues across health and social care.  There will be a range of presentations, including a keynote address from the Scottish Government and also a conversation with a carer around their experience.  In addition, there will be a series of interactive workshops which will provide you with the information and tools you need to meet the requirements of the new model Complaints Handling Procedures and also help to understand your roles and responsibilities under the Duty of Candour which applies to all health and social care staff in Scotland. NHS Education for Scotland will monitor applications so that, where possible, there is a mixture of staff across all the workshops.  You will be able to attend 4 workshops from the following options:

Power of Apology

Are you unsure of when to apologise?  Is sorry really the hardest word to say?  This session will explore the barriers to giving an apology and saying sorry as well as providing some tools which will support staff in the frontline.  It will also outline what an apology is, as well as good practice in providing one.

Dorothy Armstrong, DA Professional

NHS and Social Work model Complaints Handling Procedures

SPSO will take you through an overview of the new model complaints handling procedures that will come into force as of 1 April 2017. The key areas covered in this workshop will be:

  • The definition of a complaint
  • Recognising feedback, comments and concerns
  • Details of the two-stage process
  • Governance arrangements

This will be an interactive session and will involve working in groups for further discussion.

John Stevenson and Alison Bradley, Scottish Public Services Ombudsman

Duty of Candour – Roles and Responsibilities

The session will enable participants to hear more about the Duty of Candour and the implications on roles and responsibilities for staff and organisations.  It will cover the main aspects of the Duty and allow participants to consider their readiness for the implementation of the Duty and also share experiences of openness and learning with other participants.

Craig White and Michelle Campbell, Scottish Government

Jane Davies, NHS Education for Scotland & Laura Wylie, Scottish Social Services Council

Adverse Events in Health and Social Care

Healthcare Improvement Scotland published a National Framework for learning from adverse events through reporting, review and the sharing of learning in September 2013 and refreshed the Framework in April 2015. It includes a national definition of an adverse event, guidance on reporting, accountability, responsibilities and learning, and principles for an open, just and positive safety culture. The principles of this framework applies to all health and care settings.

The adverse event national programme of work supports a consistent national approach to identification, review, reporting and learning from adverse events based upon national and international good practice and promotes the sharing of learning points following adverse event reviews. It also supports a consistent approach to Being Open and communicating well with people following an adverse event which directly links with the new duty of candour provisions in the Health (Tobacco, Nicotine etc. and Care) (Scotland) Act 2016.

In this awareness raising session, Healthcare Improvement Scotland and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde will share their experiences of implementing the national approach to adverse events and how effective management of adverse events includes being candid, open and communicating well with the people affected.

 Julie McQueen, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde

Nanisa Feilden, Healthcare Improvement Scotland

Social Care Complaints and Duty of Candour

The Care Inspectorate occupies a unique position in the UK of being the only regulator that also takes and investigates complaints regarding registered care services. We are responsible for the scrutiny and improvement of care and social work across Scotland. We regulate some 14,000 care services for children and adults and carry out joint inspections of care services with other scrutiny partners.

This workshop will give the attendee an overview of how the care inspectorate deals with complaints from the perspective of:

  1. using risk assessment to inform the action it takes
  2. supporting improvement in service delivery
  3. the impact of the Duty of Candour.

We all share a common purpose as partners in health and social care – and that is to ensure the best possible outcomes for people using care services. Promoting improvement is very much at the heart of what we do.

Marie Paterson, Service & Complaints Manager, The Care Inspectorate

Meetings with Families and Difficult Conversations

Meeting with patients, families and carers provides a unique opportunity as an organisation to:

  • Listen, understand and sometimes learn from their experience
  • An opportunity to apologise
  • Staff to explain face to face the detail of care that was and is provided
  • Alleviate fear and provide closure
  • Avoid complaints or escalation

This workshop will present the experiences of NHS Forth Valley and enable participants to understand the practicalities and skills required to establish a pool of skilled and trained staff to meet with families and have difficult conversations regarding harm caused or provision of care that falls below expected standards.

Karen Maclure, NHS Forth Valley

If you are interested in attending, please email the completed application form to

[email protected]

APPLICATION FORM

NAME:

……………………………………………………………………………………………………

ORGANISATION:

………………………………………………………………………………………………..

JOB TITLE:

……………………………………………………………………………………………………

EMAIL ADDRESS:

………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Please indicate preferred venue:

Golden Jubilee Conference Hotel, Clydebank   2 March 2017   ☐

Perth Concert Hall                                               9 March 2017   ☐

Edinburgh International Conference Centre     16 March 2017   ☐

Stirling Court Hotel                                             23 March 2017   ☐

You will have the opportunity to attend 4 workshops during the day.  Please prioritise your preferences 1-6: 

Power of Apology                                                                                                    ☐

Human Factors Approach                                                                                      ☐

Model Complaints Handling Procedure                                                               ☐

Duty of Candour Roles and Responsibilities                                                      ☐

Monitoring and Reporting for Duty of Candour                                                  ☐

Meeting with Families/Difficult Conversations                                                    ☐

Please advise of any dietary or accessibility requirements you may have:

……………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………..

……………………………………………………………………………………………………

Applications must be submitted no later than 22 February 2017 and places will be allocated after that date.

 

Survey open now till 17th March – Care at Home and Housing Support Survey

Scottish Care has decided to undertake a survey own the current status and challenges facing the Care at Home and Housing Support sector in Scotland.

This is a major piece of work which will form the basis with other research for a Report on Care at Home and Housing Support services in Scotland. This report will be published at the Scottish Care Care at Home /Housing Support Conference on the 12th May.

 

It is being gathered at individual service level rather than corporately – this will help in analysing trends across Scotland.

 

The survey explores issues such as workforce challenges, including recruitment and retention; financial and operational sustainability and wider stakeholder relationships

The survey can be accessed at https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/D8XQTND

Please complete the survey by the 17th March 

 

Duty of Candour

Duty of Candour implementation

As you will be aware, the Health (Tobacco, Nicotine etc. and Care) (Scotland) Act 2016 received Royal Assent on 1 April 2016 and introduced a new organisational duty of candour on health, care and social work services. This duty will apply to almost ten thousand organisations. Annex A gives a full list of the services to whom the duty applies. The implementation date for the duty of candour to come into effect is 1 April 2018.

The overall purpose of the new duty is to ensure that organisations are open, honest and supportive when there is an unexpected or unintended incident resulting in death or harm, as defined in the Act. This duty requires organisations to follow a duty of candour procedure which will include notifying the person affected, apologising and offering a meeting to give an account of what happened. The procedure will also require the organisation to review each incident and offer support to those affected (people who deliver and receive care). The details of this procedure will be set out in Regulations which will be published prior to 1st April 2018. Organisations will have a new requirement to publish an annual report on when the duty has been applied. This will include the number of incidents, how the organisation has complied with the duty and what learning and improvements have been put in place.

An implementation structure has been set up to oversee this work, with representatives from a broad range of health and social care organisations. To assist you to meet these new requirements the Scottish Government, Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS), the Care Inspectorate (CI), Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) and NHS Education for Scotland (NES) are working in partnership with a wide range of stakeholders to design and develop education and training resources and monitoring requirements to support organisations meet the new statutory duty of candour.

Annex B gives some questions and answers which you may wish to consider when planning local implementation of the duty. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to email [email protected]

A dedicated webpage with Frequently Asked Questions has been established. Regulations and guidance, examples of duty of candour templates and local policies will be added during 2017.

As Care Inspectorate and Healthcare Improvement Scotland already have existing eForms systems for regulated health and social care services, the intention is to align existing processes and systems as far as possible to minimise paperwork whilst still ensuring that the organisational duty is being applied through a culture of openness and learning.

Further information and updates will be issued as this work progresses.

Yours sincerely,

Claire Sweeney,

Interim Director of Quality Assurance
Healthcare Improvement Scotland

Rami Okasha

Executive Director of Strategy and Improvement
Care Inspectorate

Professor Craig White

Divisional Clinical Lead, Planning & Quality Division
The Scottish Government

ANNEX A

Duty of Candour: organisations covered by the Act

  • NHS Boards
  • Scottish Ambulance Service
  • State Hospital
  • Golden Jubilee
  • GP services
  • Dentistry
  • Glasgow Dental Hospital
  • Pharmacy
  • Optometry
  • Independent hospitals and hospices
  • Private psychiatric hospitals
  • Independent clinics
  • Independent medical agencies
  • Independent ambulance services
  • Support services
  • Care home services
  • School care accommodation service
  • Nurse agencies
  • Child care agencies
  • Secure accommodation services
  • Offender accommodation services
  • Adoption services
  • Fostering services
  • Adult placement services
  • Day care of children
  • Housing support services
  • Social work services offered by or on behalf of local authorities

ANNEX B

Points to consider
1. How will your organisation identify the incidents that trigger the Duty of Candour procedure, as outlined in section 21? Have you satisfied yourself that you understand your responsibilities and have systems in place to respond effectively?
2. Who do you need to engage with to satisfy yourselves you can meet the responsibilities of the Duty and deliver the requirements outlined in the Act?
3. What systems do you have in place to support staff to provide an apology in a person-centred way and how do you support staff to enable them to do this?
4. Do your current systems and processes provide you with the information required to report on the Duty of Candour? How will you align this annual report with other reports you are required to provide such as feedback and complaints, significant events reviews, case reviews etc.?
5. What training and education do you have at present that will support the implementation of the Duty? This could be training that considers issues such as how to give an apology, being open, meetings with families, dealing with difficult situations. You should also consider national training that is available freely to your staff such as e-learning opportunities.
6. What support do you have available for people involved in invoking the procedure (staff) and those affected (staff and service users)?
7. How do you currently share lessons learned and best practice around incidents of harm? Could this be improved in any way?

Useful links

The links below include an example of a local duty of candour policy in England. Although the legislation differs (there is no requirement for an annual report, a written apology must be given, definitions of harm are based on national patient safety agency), the policy intention is the same: to be open and honest with service users, regulators and the general public.
Executive summary of the Mid-Staffordshire Inquiry: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/279124/0947.pdf
Case of Robbie Powell, whose father campaigned for a duty of candour https://www.theguardian.com/society/2006/jan/04/health.healthandwellbeing
Sample policy from The Children’sTrust: https://www.thechildrenstrust.org.uk/media/images/IncidentReportingInvestigationIncludingDutyofCandourPolicy_1183.pdf

Palliative Care Event CEO Opening Address

The following is the text of the address given by our Chief Executive Dr Donald Macaskill as he opened the Scottish Care Palliative Care event, ‘Trees that bend in the wind.’ in Glasgow on the 8th February.

 

Welcome to The Trees that bend in the wind… the Scottish Care Frontline Worker Event on Palliative Care.

 

Death happens to us all. It is a journey whose steps we each of us will make in our own way, at our own pace, and in our own time; it will for some of us be a journey which is a long one with all the emotions, energy, and fears and tears that a parting brings; for others it will be short, painfully brief, leaving us breathless with regret, with hopes unmet and tasks unfulfilled.

That journey at the end of life will happen at a time beyond our calculation or design; whether in the depth of winter’s cold or the tiredness of an uncomfortable summer it has a season of its own time. For some it will be heralded by progressive illness and decline, for others its suddenness will take our living breath away.

For many people today around Scotland they will make that journey and take these steps, in the company of others; their families, friends partners and lovers  – who will sit with them and walk with them, carry them and support them.

 For countless hundreds the last few weeks and months of life will be accompanied by someone who entered into their life as a stranger,  became a companion and often towards the end becomes a friend.

 It is those individuals, the undervalued, unrecognised thousands of frontline carers in care homes, in homecare and housing support services whose contribution to giving our fellow Scots a good death we are here to value, to learn from and be inspired by.

 It is they who somewhere in a quiet house at the bottom of a glen will be the worker who this morning shares a moment of laughter which distracts from the loneliness of absence;

 It is they who in a high rise flat are giving companionship and a listening ear to someone who never gets out anymore and probably won’t leave their home until they die;

 It is they who in a suburban, very ordinary street, are the worker who today right now is holding someone’s hand as they tremble with emotion and upset;

 They are the worker who brushes the hair and dries up the tears of the woman in the room in the care home that has become their home showing that touch is often more important than talk;

 It is these workers who when folks are on their end of life journey and stumble in uncertainty and fear, in pain and distress – it is they who give the strength to find direction and carry on; it is these workers who spot the subtle signs of conditions changing, a new path starting and a final stage dawning.

 Today we are indeed here to celebrate these workers, to hear their stories,  but we are also here to be challenged by their words and experiences.

 Because we have not always valued these workers or their contribution; we have not always resourced them so that they feel more confident and skilled;

Indeed we have through some of our practices served to place very real obstacles in their path as they have sought to bring solace and give comfort to others at the end of their life’s journey.

 So in the midst of the stories you hear this morning, do not just listen to the words of dedication and professionalism; give space in your listening and your response to the challenge and to the call to do things differently and better.

 This morning is part of a bigger piece of work we have started here at Scottish Care on palliative and end of life care. We hope that our call in this report for a National Conversation on Dying will encourage our fellow Scots to challenge the silence, which adds to the loneliness of our final steps.

 For whilst the ending of our life will always be a journey which no-one else can make for us, we can become much better as a nation at being there, being with, at talking, consoling and holding.

 Donald Macaskill 

Scottish Care launches new report on Palliative and End of Life Care

Today (8 February 2017), Scottish Care has launched its latest report relating to the role of social care staff in palliative and end of life care.

‘Trees that bend in the wind: Exploring the experiences of front line support workers delivering palliative and end of life care’ is a 47 page report which provides a forum where the views, experiences and values of social care staff in palliative and end of life supports are explored in detail.

It has allowed those involved in the front line of social care to:

  • speak for themselves
  • share their insights on what constitutes good palliative support
  • express their frustrations and anxieties, and
  • explain what keeps them going in the face of such emotional challenges.

The report highlights the contributions of 50 individual staff in care home and care at home services in four areas of Scotland who took part in structured focus groups. The research took place in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Highland and Dumfries and Galloway but the insights are without boundary or geography.

The report was launched on the 8th February at an event which brought together over 100 stakeholders from across Scotland who explored together its insights and recommendations.

At the event Scottish Care’s Chief Executive, Dr Donald Macaskill, highlighted Scottish Care’s commitment to ensuring that the often unrecognised and undervalued contribution of social care staff in palliative and end of life care was given a greater prominence at both policy and practice levels.

He said the aim of the research was to ensure that everyone in Scotland was able to achieve a truly person centred end of life experience by being supported by staff who were properly resourced and supported. He reflected on the way in which the ‘tree that bends’ (an image from one of the workers to describe their role) was in danger of breaking unless front line care staff are adequately supported.

Dr Macaskill encouraged all stakeholders to work together with Scottish Care to ensure the recommendations in the report, which arose directly from the insights of the frontline workforce and which included a call for a National Conversation on Dying, were enacted as soon as possible. In addition, the report highlights the potential contribution of social care staff to supporting the work of Integrated Joint Boards in achieving positive end of life outcomes, including the benefits of joint team-working and the value of Anticipatory Care Planning.  It also stresses the need to explore the role of commissioning practice in relation to palliative and end of life care in social care delivery.

We hope you will find reading the report of interest.  It is also available in hard copy format directly from the Scottish Care offices.

We would be more than happy to meet with individuals and organisations to discuss ways in which we could work collaboratively in the implementation of the report’s recommendations.

If you have any questions either about the report or our work with front line support staff, please don’t hesitate to contact Katharine Ross, Becca Gatherum or Donald Macaskill.

 

 

We are the trees that bend in the wind: watch our animation


This week, we published our new report on the role of social care staff in palliative and end of life care.

This animation “We are the trees that bend in the wind”, pulls together what we learned from the 50 people we interviewed.

People told us that the role is challenging and often undervalued, but that it can be immensely rewarding to be with someone at the end of their life. We have made recommendations  a series of recommendations on how front line social care staff can be better supported to deliver this role.

You can learn more by reading the full report.