This year’s Autumn bulletin has now been published online and is available to view.
We will not be sending out physical copies of the Bulletin due to Covid-19, this edition is in a digital format instead.
Final Autumn Bulletin 2021 compressed
This summer saw wild, hot and wet weather causing disruption and taking lives in communities across the globe. The heat wave in Canada and the USA, and the devastating floods in Germany and Belgium are some of the international examples. Closer to home flash flooding following unusual summer heat has hit communities in Scotland and across the UK. What does this changing climate mean for the social care sector?
Earlier this summer the UK Climate Change Committee released its Independent Assessment of UK Climate Risk saying the UK is ‘struggling to keep pace with climate change impacts’. The summary for health and social care points to flooding, overheating, and water scarcity as the main concerns. There could also be increasing risks from high winds or storms, and changes in air quality.
These risks will impact the social care sector both as disruption to the services from transport and access issues, and through the service users’ changing medical needs. It is also important to remember that the impacts of climate change are not evenly felt. Those already disadvantaged or in poor health are disproportionately impacted.
This is recognised in Climate Ready Scotland: Second Scottish Climate Change Adaptation Programme, which has an aim of ‘Scotland’s health and social care is ready and responding to changing demands as a result of the changing climate’. It also acknowledges that ‘impacts on these services will likely disproportionately affect those who are already more vulnerable’. The programme lists a number of actions underway to improve the sector’s resilience.[1]
At the same time every organisation and every one of us individually have a role in reducing the greenhouse gas emissions causing climate change. Travel, waste and energy use are some of the practices where organisational and individual everyday practices can be part of taking us in the right direction, with a wealth of resources available to inspire and enable change to reduce the unhealthy and dangerous impacts of a warming world.
Anne Marte Bergseng
ClimateXChange
[1] Last year ClimateXChange published a report looking at how social care at home services had faired through three extreme weather events. The research found that extreme weather events result in a substantially increased workload for care workers and managers in the care at home sector.
About the author:
Anne Marte is the Knowledge Exchange Manager at ClimateXChange – Scotland’s centre of expertise connecting climate change research and policy. She manages research projects on behaviour change and adapting to the impacts of climate change and is a knowledge exchange expert with 20+ years’ experience from media, corporate and science communications, and facilitation. In addition to specific research projects she works across ClimateXChange’s portfolio to connect research and Scottish Government policy-making.
Twitter handle: @annemarteb
This blog was specially commissioned as part of the Health and Social Care Academy (a programme of the ALLIANCE) and Scottish Care’s ‘Climate Change and the Social Care Collective’ roundtable series. The roundtables are helping to 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. The last roundtable session will be held on October 20th 2021, from 10:00 – 12:00. More information can be found here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/climate-change-and-the-social-care-collective-roundtable-series-tickets-162420268395
On the evening of Wednesday 22 September 2021, significant buildings across Scotland will be lit up in yellow to acknowledge care at home staff. This initiative is in line with the ‘Celebrating Homecare’ event taking place on the same day.
‘Celebrating Homecare’ is an online event developed by the Homecare Association in conjunction with the Care Workers’ Charity. It’s all about celebrating the amazing difference homecare makes in people’s lives every day. It is also being supported by care associations across the UK and Ireland including Scottish Care, Care Forum Wales, Independent Health & Care Providers (Northern Ireland) and Home and Community Care Ireland.
The Partners for Integration team, along with Scottish Care, supported by the Scottish Government, the Scottish Parliament and the Care Inspectorate will be marking ‘Celebrating Homecare’ by lighting up buildings in Scotland to give thanks to the homecare workforce. This initiative is also supported by the Health and Social Care Partnership for Edinburgh, West Lothian, Argyll and Bute, Aberdeen, South Lanarkshire, Perth and Kinross, and West Dunbartonshire.
The buildings will include:
The buildings will be lit up in the colour yellow, which was chosen to symbolise the flame of a candle. This relates to another initiative by Scottish Care – ‘Candle for Care’, whereby candles are lit every Tuesday at 7:00 pm to express gratitude to all those who provide care and support during the COVID-19 crisis and in memory of all those who have died from COVID-19.
To be able to stay in the place you call home and to remain around family, friends and community is a desire many of us have, maybe most especially when we are ill or requiring support and care. It is this independent living which thousands of homecare staff enable people to achieve every day across the UK.
Throughout the pandemic, care at home staff has continued to support some of our most vulnerable people in their own homes, ensuring their health and safety whilst combatting the challenges of COVID-19. They provide support not only to individuals but their families too. Recent months have also seen unprecedented demand in home-based care organisations, despite this, the homecare workforce has rallied together and gone above and beyond their roles to deliver quality care.
The homecare sector shows us caring, resilience and compassion at its best. Yet this workforce is often undervalued and not recognised. This workforce deserves recognition for their dedication and professionalism every day of the week, regardless of weather, risk or fear.
A relative of a service user said:
“During the Pandemic, it has been a lifeline for my mother to have carers support her at home. We live around 90 minutes away and supporting mum daily would be challenging, particularly as my husband is going through cancer treatment. On the occasions when we have met with carers, usually when delivering meals for mum, we’ve both been extremely impressed by their care and professionalism.
My mother very much enjoys the company of the carers and the support they provide. It gives her a focus and also a ‘raison d’etre.’ It’s encouraging to hear that they are supporting mum leaving her flat for short walks. Our thanks to all the carers.”
Jim Carle, Joint National Lead for Partners for Integration, Scottish Care, commented:
“This ‘light up’ is an acknowledgement of the care at home workforces’ uphill battle to continue to provide an incredible service in a year like no other, as they have faced and met the challenges of Covid-19. In an extended period of unprecedented demand, they have gone above and beyond. To acknowledge the magnificent contribution they make to the vulnerable individuals they care for on a daily basis, which is truly worthy of celebration. Our heartfelt thanks for their dedication and care.”
The Scottish Social Services Council, the Care Inspectorate, Scottish Care and the Coalition of Care and Support Providers in Scotland have issued a joint statement supporting the inclusion of certain social care staff in the flu vaccination programme.
The free flu vaccine programme for 2021 will again include social care staff of all ages who have a direct hands-on care role.
Workers in the following settings are eligible:
This is targeted at those delivering direct care in these settings, whether they are employed by local authorities, private or third sector employers.
Scottish Care, the Care Inspectorate, the Coalition of Care and Support Providers in Scotland and the Scottish Social Services Council support this approach.
Influenza is a highly infectious disease that occurs every year, usually in the winter. Symptoms can come on very quickly and include fever, chills, headache, aches and pains in the joints and muscles, and extreme tiredness.
Healthy individuals usually recover within two to seven days, but some people are more vulnerable and for them it can increase the risk of developing more serious illnesses, such as bronchitis and pneumonia. In the worst cases, flu can result in a stay in hospital, or even death. Even for healthy people, flu can be serious, making them feel extremely unwell and unable to carry on with everyday activities
Infected health and social care workers can spread flu to people receiving care and colleagues even if they have very mild symptoms or have no symptoms at all.
The flu vaccine provides the best protection available against the virus.
The best way for social care staff to avoid flu is to get a flu jab as part of this programme.
You can register and book your vaccine appointment on the NHS Inform website or by calling 0800 030 8013 (open 8am–8pm seven days a week).
Appointments are available from mid-September and it’s best to get your jab before winter when flu starts circulating.
The vaccine is safe, quick and free and we encourage all eligible staff to take up this opportunity to help protect themselves against flu.
If you have any questions about the flu vaccine please see www.nhsinform.scot/flu
Free tendering for Scottish Care Member
Practical tips and guidance on improving success…
No matter the size of your business and your ambition, tendering offers exciting opportunities and is an important part of a care business’s ultimate success. But in a world of competition, are you doing everything you can to stand out from the crowd?
Join Gold Tier Preferred Supplier, Citation, for a free, 60-minute webinar on 30 September (2 – 3 PM) which will cover the key HR, Employment Law and Health & Safety aspects needed to drive efficiency as well as practical tips and guidance on how to tender correctly.
Key talking points in the webinar will include:
Date: 30 September
Webinar time: 2 – 3 PM
How to join: Joining link will be available on the Members Area of this website. If you come across any issues accessing this area, please contact [email protected].
They’ll also be answering your business-specific queries, so feel free to come along armed with any questions you may have.
‘Leadership in Social Care – Supporting you to recognise and develop your Leadership Role’
Scottish Care’s Workforce Matters is delighted to invite you to join us for our next workforce event being held on the 6th October 2021 between 10am and 2pm over MS Teams.
This event will focus on the importance of Social Care Leadership and is titled ‘Leadership in Social Care – Supporting you to recognise and develop your Leadership Role’ and will aim to highlight the vital qualities inherent in leadership skills, attributes and capabilities. The event will also examine how these skills can be seen throughout the social care workforce and not only in management positions within the sector.
We will be joined on the day by colleagues from the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) who will be delivering sessions on ‘23 Things Leadership’and ‘Leading in a Crisis’ which we hope will be of significant interest. We will also share with you plans to use our leadership resources and activities to support staff wellbeing following the work undertaken by the whole social care workforce in the response to the COVID pandemic.
This event will give an overview of SSSC leadership resources that are available for free for all social care organisations and how they can be best implemented to train and upskill the workforce to enhance their leadership skills.
A panel session will also take place which will give space for care providers to discuss their approaches to embedding leadership within their organisations in the sharing of good practice throughout the sector.
Further information for the event including the programme for the day will be available shortly, please contact [email protected] to express your interest in this event.
We look forward to seeing you there.
Today, Tuesday 14 October, 2021, the findings of the Workforce Recruitment and Retention Survey have been released as a summarised report.
Scottish Care issued a survey to gain an up-to-date picture of the top issues faced by the workforce with the objective of gaining data on recruitment and retention of staff at both the national scale as between care services; the level of sustainable delivery and financial viability of services for providers; feedback on what it working and what is not. We noted there is not just room for improvement, but a dire need for a change in commissioning and procurement, improved career pathways and better valuing of the distinct work that the social care workforce provide.
The findings from the survey show widespread difficulty across the independent, third and voluntary sectors, shared by members and non-members alike. The current workforce crisis is the worst in recent years, and the findings of the report highlight as much: recruitment and retention is increasingly problematic and cannot be sustained, not least attributable to high costs involved in trying to attract individuals to the sector, ineffective methods of advertising and no guarantee that those invited to attend interviews even show up.
The report also details findings related to contract types and hours worked as well as sickness and absence levels. Absence levels are significantly higher for the care sector than health, and the sector must continue to mitigate the impact that COVID is having on the health and wellbeing of the workforce.
Social care workforce issues are complex, and the issues have never been as serious as they are today. With recruitment and retention problems compounded by Covid and Brexit, many providers of care in care at home and nursing homes will struggle to keep going through the coming autumn and winter without urgent action to support the sector. There is evidently more work that needs to be done in partnership to ensure that clear pathways into social care recruitment are established.
The report does not detail immediate solutions but captures the data we believe necessary to initiate and seriously push for change in the sector so that delivery of care can be sustained, where there are better wages, terms and conditions, and a proper valuing of the workforce and sector in Scotland.
On August 11th 2021, The Health and Social Care Academy (a programme of the ALLIANCE) and Scottish Care held the first of a series of roundtables – ‘The Climate and Social Care Collective.’ The roundtable was developed to highlight the role that the social care sector can play in the climate change debate. Social care has been largely absent from climate discussions, and we believe national attention must be urgently given to achieve a sustainable development strategy in social care in Scotland, which embeds sustainable environment concerns and supports inclusive climate action. There is clear need for the social care sector to be involved in the debate, given how the sector is both affected by and contributes to climate change.
The first session was focused on understanding what is currently happening in terms of the social and wider policy context. A group of panelists brought their expertise and knowledge to the forum with presentations, followed by a question-and-answer session moderated by Scottish Care National Director, Karen Hedge.
Christine McGregor, unit head with the Directorate for Mental Health and Social care at the Scottish Government, discussed the current priorities of Scottish Government and some of the targets in place to rebuild and recover greener, with focus on equality and wellbeing. There was recognition of the point of shift that we are seeing within the social care sector, and the importance of implementing the recommendations of the Independent Review of Adult Social Care which will feed into the creation of a National Care Service.
Anna Beswick, Programme Manager from Sniffer (a sustainability charity) covered climate resilience, adaptation, and the impact a changing climate has, not least on the more vulnerable people in society. Learning to live with the unavoidable impacts, what some of the barriers to action are and understanding how to empower people to take action are all key elements to embedding climate change action in policy and practice.
Lastly – though certainly not least – Katie Gallogly-Swan, Board Members from the Scottish Women’s Budget Group highlighted the parallels between social care and climate change which has resulted in them both being historically overlooked within policy, with points echoing Christine and Anna on how we have to mitigate, adapt, and support the communities most affected by climate change.
Following presentations, attendees were invited to breakout rooms for further discussions on what people, organisations and the sector can start to do to take action and engage with those who may not yet feel that climate issues are relevant to them. Indeed, there is some way to go – known challenges include social injustice, promoting buy-in to the sector at large, lack of information and awareness, staff capacity, sustainable transport and demonstrating the real work going on behind the scenes.
We are looking forward to the next panel session on Wednesday 15 September from 10:00 – 12:00 which will be largely innovation and solution focused. We look forward to welcoming our panelists for the session and invite anyone interested in the subject to attend!
The deadline to enter the 2021 Care Home Awards has now been extended to close of play on Friday 17 September 2021.
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 which you can enter in:
Find out more about the awards and submit your nomination here.
Scottish Care will be holding a number of events over the next few weeks to consult and directly engage with members on the topic of the National Care Service.
From these events, we hope to gather insights and views from Scottish Care members to allow us to officially respond to the National Care Service Consultation held by the Scottish Government. More details on these consultation events can be found below.
Care Home Members – Tuesday 14th September, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm (instead of our usual care home surgery)
Care at Home Members – Wednesday 22nd September, 9:00 am – 11:00 am
Details to join these events will be available on the Members Area.
The pandemic has shone a spotlight on the importance of social care services. Last year, the Scottish Government commissioned an independent review of adult social care to identify ways of consistently delivering high-quality services for everyone who needs them.
The review recommended the creation of a new National Care Service, with Scottish Ministers being accountable for adult social care support. The Scottish Government now have a consultation to seek views on the creation of a community health and social care service that supports people of all ages, whatever their needs may be.
Find out more about the National Care Service Consultation here.
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