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Our CEOs Latest Blog: Spiritual care is everyone’s business

Spirituality is everyone’s business. Scottish Care has recently launched its latest Care Cameo. Its central theme is spirituality and spiritual care. But what is it all about? Two definitions to start our reflection: “Spiritual care is that care which recognises and responds to the needs of the human spirit when faced with trauma, ill health or sadness” (NHS Education for Scotland,) “A person’s spirituality is not separate from the body, the mind or material reality, for it is their inner life. It is the practice of loving kindness, empathy and tolerance in daily life. It is a feeling of solidarity with our fellow humans while helping to alleviate their suffering. It brings a sense of peace, harmony and conviviality with all.” (Spiritual Care Matters, NES 2007) As will be clear once you start exploring the Cameo, there are many divergent views on what is meant by ‘spirituality’ and also what it means to offer and deliver ‘spiritual care’. This is for some people a difficult area both to explore and to engage with and that is precisely why we decided to dedicate a Cameo to this important issue. It is written by three authors with a particular experience in working in this field. Spirituality has to do with the heart and pulse of being human. It is the soundless language which communicates our deepest emotions of love, anger, fear and belonging. It is the rhythm which gives form to many of our innermost thoughts and feelings. It is the space where we rest in the awareness of meaning beyond comprehension and experience beyond description. To offer spiritual care is to give opportunity, time and place to enable an individual to explore and to express who they are as a human individual. As we seek to embed a human rights-based approach to care and support through the new National Care Standards it is an important that we not only understand the role of formal religion and belief systems but wider understandings of spirituality. As a care sector and as carers we need continuously to explore what this may mean for the work we do and the services we offer. Spiritual care is care both at the margins and at the centre of the life experience. The way we commission care and support at the moment in Scotland leaves very little room for spiritual care. For spiritual care is a care that needs space, relationship, time and the chance to grow and nourish in a mutual dynamic of respect and understanding. Spiritual care happens in the ‘touching place’ between the carer and the supported person. It cannot be pressured into allocated seconds in a task-oriented approach. So when, I wonder, will our commissioners prioritise spiritual care? For if we are truly commissioning to the new National Care Standards then there has to be space to be spiritual in our care giving and there has to be funding to enable that space and time to happen. I hope you will read the Care Cameo, and I have no doubt it will raise as many questions as it will seek to offer answers, but I hope you will find it, as I have, a thoroughly interesting and thought-provoking piece of work which is all about putting the individual and their holistic needs at the heart of person-led care and support. Dr Donald Macaskill

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Tech Care, Care Tech – event update

Scottish Care is hosting the first dedicated technology event for the social care sector on 24 August at the Strathclyde University Technology & Innovation Centre. Tech Care, Care Tech will showcase the latest technological developments of potential interest to those working in a care setting.

We are delighted to confirm that the following organisations will be involved in the workshops available to delegates on the day: 

Further details on workshop content, speakers and exhibitors will be confirmed in due course, along with a full event programme. 

Tickets are on sale now for £20 per delegate. Secure your place at this event by clicking the button below. 

Huge thanks to our event sponsor, the Clydesdale Bank.

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Upcoming integration event – 4 September

INTEGRATE, INNOVATE, IMITATE

Teacher Building, Glasgow – 4 September

The Partners for Integration and Improvement team are delighted to host an event which showcases how effective partnership working with the independent sector can foster innovation and good practice across the integrated health and social care setting. The Local Integration Leads are proud of their contribution to service development and improvement having facilitated better outcomes for those who access care and support, and better value for commissioners. The Three I’s is an opportunity to share impact through stories of success and top tips to achieving it.

The event will bring together independent sector providers of health and social care, those involved in commissioning services, senior managers, regulators, colleagues from statutory and third sectors, improvement experts and many others with an interest in service development and person-led care.

As well as key speakers on setting the scene for improvement the event will include workshops, each of which will focus on 4 key themes:

  • Palliative care and end of life
  • Dementia
  • Care at the time of transition
  • Assessment and support planning

By attending the workshops, delegates will have the opportunity to hear from those directly involved in the development of innovative approaches to service delivery and new initiatives.

This event is a must for those with an interest in innovation and improvement.

A full programme and information on how to secure your place will be available soon.

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Media statement: Ipsos Mori research highlights social care Brexit challenge

New research undertaken by Ipsos Mori on behalf of the Scottish Government has painted a worrying picture for the future of social care.

The research highlights that 1 in 10 workers in adult social care and child care are non-UK EU nationals, with the figure even higher in nursing.  Whilst the research found the current impact to be limited, it emphasises the negative consequences for the future if these workers choose to leave Scotland after Brexit.

Responding to the research, Scottish Care CEO Dr Donald Macaskill said:

“We welcome the Ipsos Mori findings but we believe they provide a conservative estimate of the current situation.  We have been calling for a commitment to clarity but political events of the last few days are further indication that we aren’t getting that.

“We agree that there is a particular challenge facing nurses with a 31 per cent vacancy rate for nurses in care homes.  The lack of commitment to put in place a flexible migration system which prioritises the real gaps in social care is causing us profound concern. 

“The impact is not just on EU nationals, but the general negative political climate around migration is putting off non-EU workers too.  The consequences of this political gamesmanship over Brexit are going to leave some of the most vulnerable people in Scotland stuck in hospitals because there will not be enough people in the community to care for them.

“When all the politicians fall silent, we will have a social care system in tatters.”

For more information, see: www.heraldscotland.com/news/16343645.warning-that-care-workers-could-quit-scotland-after-brexit-leaving-system-in-tatters/

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‘The Experience of the Experienced’ – Scottish Care launches new workforce report

Recently (Thursday 28 June), Scottish Care launched a new report on the independent social care workforce at our Workforce Matters event in Glasgow.

‘The Experience of the Experienced’ explores the employment journeys of experienced and older individuals working in nursing home, care home, care at home and housing support organisations.

It is based on interviews with 9 social care workers, aged 41-71, who have either entered the care sector later in life or have worked in the sector for a long time.

Following the report launch, CEO Dr Donald Macaskill said:

“Our experienced social care staff are our experts.  As we seek to address the challenges of re-designing roles, of recruiting a new generation of carers, of reshaping how we support and care for people we forget the voice of experience at our peril.

“We need to mould our systems of regulation, registration, learning and qualification to enable those entering later into social care to know that their skills and experience is valued and validated.”

Katharine Ross, National Workforce Lead, added:

“We welcome the opportunity to work in partnership with providers, front line staff and partners across the health and social care sector to not only attempt to answer some of the challenging questions that the report raises but to ensure that the experience of the experienced is respected, appreciated and celebrated.”

The report can be accessed here: https://www.scottishcare.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/SC-The-Experience-of-the-Experienced.pdf

You can follow discussions from the event on Twitter using the hashtag #exPEERience

If you would like to discuss the report and its findings in more detail, please contact Katharine Ross, Paul O’Reilly or Becca Gatherum.

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Scottish Care Comment on Government Appointment – Jeanne Freeman

Scottish Care notes the decision of the First Minister to appoint a new Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport.

We would like to put on record our appreciation of the work of Ms Shona Robison. In challenging times she has sought to engage and include the independent care sector recognising the critical and central role social care and its workforce play in the health and well-being of our citizens. We wish her well in the future.

We welcome the appointment of Ms Jeanne Freeman to her new position. Scottish Care has supported the development of the Social Security legislation and has commended the emphasis on the principles of control, choice and human rights which lie at the centre of that Act. We believe that core principles of equal treatment and human rights should be at the heart of all integrated health and care provision. We look forward to working with the new Cabinet Secretary in advancing the care and support of older people, not least through quality Care Home, Care at Home and Housing Support services.

We are also pleased to see the appointment of a Minister for Older People: a new post which Scottish Care believes will be important in driving forward the progress we have been calling for in recognising, valuing and supporting older people in Scotland. We are delighted to see that older people have been prioritised in the reshuffle and we look forward to working with Ms Shirley-Anne Somerville in ensuring that Scotland is a positive country to grow old in.