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A Message from our CEO: A Christmas Thank You

Thank you …

As Christmas Day gains momentum across the country the chorus of thank you’s will become louder in homes up and down the land.

As children with eager-eyed enthusiasm discover the capacity of Santa Claus to forgive their naughty actions.

As partners exchange just a token of what they mean to another.

As friends find wrapped in a gift an expression of their gratitude.

As families, close and familiar, occasional and detached, sit down to pull crackers, drink, share food, stories and gossip, hopes and dreams.

Christmas Day is indeed a day of thank you’s and a reminder of what we count as important in our living and loving.

So I want to add to the chorus of thank you’s…

Thank you to the homecare and housing support staff who have been out from early hours till late this evening bringing food and comfort, presence and a smile to someone who might see no one on this day. Thank you to all 60,000 plus of you.

Thank you to the staff who will serve meals, tender to the physical needs and enliven the hopes of the 33,000 people who are in a care home today. Thank you to the thousands of nurses and care home staff who are working today.

Thank you to the one who holds the hand of someone frightened and anxious as they come to the end of their life- your comfort is a gift beyond price.

Thank you to the one who through word, smile and encouragement gives a lifeline of hope when the dark fog of depression and mental distress freezes up a life.

Thank you to the one who stays longer than she should; who sacrifices her own family time to be with a lonely life; who brings the comfort of presence when the pain of aloneness is overwhelming.

Across Scotland let us hear the clamour of thank you’s to the thousands who are working today to care, to nurse, to heal and to give the gift of presence. We owe you a gift beyond purchase or price.

Thank you

Donald Macaskill

@DrDMacaskill

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Scottish Government Safe Staffing Legislation – Engagement Events

The Scottish Government has taken the decision at this stage to extend the Safer Staffing Legislation, which had initially been envisaged as relating solely to nursing, to the wider staffing of health and social care.

This decision, upon which Scottish Care is asking for greater clarification, is likely to have far reaching impacts on social care providers.

We have been alerted to engagement events to be held in the next few weeks and are keen that care home and home care/housing support providers are as well represented at these events as possible.  These are being advertised on a first come first served basis and we would encourage members to attend these as a matter of some priority.

Please use the three Eventbrite links to the engagement events below to register:

 

Aberdeen event – 5 February 2018

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/scottish-government-safe-staffing-legislation-tickets-41307037461?utm_term=eventurl_text

 

Glasgow event – 7 February 2018

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/scottish-government-safe-staffing-legislation-tickets-41307212986?utm_term=eventurl_text

 

Edinburgh event – 8 February 2018

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/scottish-government-safe-staffing-legislation-tickets-41307246085?utm_term=eventurl_text

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Scottish Care responds to draft Scottish Budget

The Scottish Government have today (14 Dec) published details of the draft Scottish Budget for 2018/19.

Scottish Care has, in the days before the draft Budget, highlighted the need for the Scottish Government to prioritise the older persons social care sector in any funding decisions.  In so doing we have stated the immediate crisis that the care at home and care home sector is currently experiencing.  With fundamental problems of recruitment and retention, of resource allocation and sustainability, we have stated very explicitly that the ability of providers at current resource levels to continue to deliver care to some of our most vulnerable citizens is very much in question.

Whilst we acknowledge the additional £66 million allocated to Local Authorities to deliver on some elements of social care, we are extremely disappointed that the Finance Secretary has chosen not to sufficiently prioritise social care by more substantial assistance.  Our pleas have fallen on deaf ears and we have been unable to convince our MSPs that the care of our citizens matters sufficiently to fund it adequately.

Dr Donald Macaskill, CEO of Scottish Care commented:

 “This draft Budget is deeply disappointing and its decisions are shameful.  When will our politicians wake up to the reality that we are sleep walking into the breakdown of quality support and care of our older citizens across our communities?  They have failed to heed the warnings and regretfully it is not they who will suffer but the older person isolated at home, reduced to even less frequent visits; it is the worker whose dedicated care that will be pushed into ever shorter and undignified time slots; it is those who simply will not get care because the money has run out; it is the family member who already stretched in their caring will be expected to care beyond capacity.

 I hope our elected representatives will in the coming days and weeks speak to those lives, I hope they will find arguments based in humanity rather than finance, to answer why they have chosen not to care about care.”

#careaboutcare

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Scottish Care to give evidence to Parliamentary Committee on care home sustainability

On Tuesday 12 December, Scottish Care CEO Dr Donald Macaskill will give evidence to the Scottish Parliament’s Health and Sport Committee.

Following the announcement from Bield Housing Association that they are withdrawing from the residential care sector, the Committee is holding an evidence session relating to care home sustainability.

Prior to this session taking place, the Committee issued a short targeted call for views with the following questions:

  • What impact does the recent announcement of the closer of 12 residential care homes have on your area?
  • Are there concerns regarding the sustainability of residential service provision (in your area)? and if so, how could they be addressed?

Scottish Care’s response can be accessed here.

To read other responses, click here.

The following organisations have been invited to give evidence:

  • CCPS – Coalition of Care and Support Providers in Scotland
  • Scottish Care
  • COSLA
  • Bield
  • Care Inspectorate
  • Scottish Federation of Housing Associations
  • Lothian Integration Joint Board
  • Fife Integration Joint Board
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New Care Cameo launched on Human Rights Day

Sunday 10 December 2017 is UN Human Rights Day.

Human Rights Day is observed every year on 10 December – the day the United Nations General Assembly adopted, in 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This year, Human Rights Day kicks off a year-long campaign to mark the upcoming 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a milestone document that proclaimed the inalienable rights which everyone is inherently entitled to as a human being — regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.

To coincide with this important day, Scottish Care is delighted to announce the launch of our latest Care Cameo – Human Rights and Social Care. 

This, the 4th in Scottish Care’s Care Cameo series*, is written by Judith Robertson, Chair of the Scottish Human Rights Commission.  She highlights a range of challenges which are of real urgency to all who are concerned about social care and its future direction in Scotland.

Throughout 2017 Scottish Care has sought to argue the importance of moving beyond the rhetoric of rights to the reality of their delivery. This Care Cameo summarises that challenge with real articulacy and urgency. Its arguments should be the focus of all our efforts in
2018 and beyond.

It is time to bridge the human rights gap in social care in Scotland.

Care Cameo 4 human rights and social care

 

 

*The Care Cameos series is designed to present short but, we hope, challenging sketches of various issues and to provide a forum to encourage and foster debate on a whole range of issues important for the delivering of care and support for older individuals across Scotland.

 

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CMA publishes final report on market study into care homes

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has published a new report based on its year-long market study of care homes across the UK.

The review focused on whether the care home sector is working well for older people and their families.

The report’s general findings include:

  • The current system for providing care is not sustainable without additional funding. The CMA’s financial analysis of the sector has identified a funding shortfall of £1 billion a year across the UK because councils are paying fee rates for the residents they fund which are below the costs care homes incur. This has led to care homes propping up their finances by charging higher prices to those who pay for their own care (self-funders). On average, self-funders’ fees (£44,000 per year) are around 40% higher than those paid by councils (UK average).
  • Beyond the challenges of continuing to meet existing needs, the sector must grow substantially as the population ages. However, uncertainty about future funding, including whether council fees will cover the full costs of care, currently means that there is not enough investment in new accommodation for council-funded residents.
  • Many people choose care homes during an emotionally traumatic time, but the basic information and support needed is often not available to help them navigate the system and make informed choices.
  • There needs to be greater protection in place for people in care homes. Residents and their families often find it difficult to raise concerns or make complaints, and the systems for redress and feedback need to be improved. There is also too great a risk of residents being treated unfairly, and in breach of their rights under consumer law. Examples of the CMA’s concerns include where homes are not being clear enough up front about their prices or terms and conditions, do not protect residents’ deposits effectively against the risk of insolvency, are not fair when asking a resident to leave or when they ban visitors.

Throughout the study, the Competition and Markets Authority have engaged with Scottish Care and members to better understand the particularities and nuances of the Scottish care home sector: its challenges, developments and how it operates differently to other parts of the UK.  This has included focus groups and multiple telephone interviews, plus the sharing of Scottish Care’s research and reports.

Based on the CMA’s engagement with various stakeholders in Scotland, the final report includes a Scottish summary of the market study’s findings.

It identifies two broad areas for improvement in Scotland:

  • Those requiring care need greater support in choosing a care home and greater protections when they are resident. Current and prospective care home residents must be able to make the right choices, and must be protected if things don’t work out as expected;
  • Issues around state-funded care and the provision of sustainable capacity – the market must support the state’s intention to ensure that all those who have care needs have them met. This requires that the industry must be sustainable and incentivised to invest and modernise to meet future needs.

In light of these areas, the CMA have made a number of recommendations to the Scottish Government, the Care Inspectorate, local authorities, IJBs and the care home sector.  These include:

  • A programme of actions around clear and accurate information, supported decision making and awareness raising to enable people to make informed decisions about their options when choosing a care home and to ensure they are aware of their entitlements.
  • Safeguarding actions to protect against infringements on consumer law, such as the development of detailed guidance for care homes and residents, stronger regulatory oversight of consumer law compliance and the use of model contracts between care homes and prospective residents.
  • Improvements to complaints systems such as a review of access to advocacy services and closer inspections of feedback mechanisms.

The report also gives particular focus to the issue of state funded care and its sustainability currently and in the future.  It clearly recognises the shortfall in state funding in meeting the cost of care and recognises the importance of investment in the care home sector.

Recommendations are made in this area for other parts of the UK.  However for Scotland, the CMA explicitly welcome the ongoing development of a cost of care model for local authority-funded care and the planning and commissioning roles of IJBs.  The CMA has therefore opted not to make specific recommendations other than to stress the importance of the ongoing assessment and monitoring of these actions to ensure they are delivering the changes required.  The report emphasises:

“Our concerns around the delivery of state-funded social care are important, as the delivery of an effective and sustainable social care system must be maintained.”

Scottish Care will continue to work with partners and stakeholders around these recommendations.

Dr Donald Macaskill, CEO, said:

“Scottish Care welcomes the publication of the CMA’s market study, particularly in its articulation of the reality long described by Scottish Care – that there is significant and damaging underfunding of social care in Scotland and the rest of the UK.  It highlights the impact of stripping tens of millions of pounds out of social care by Westminster and by Scottish Government, which can only serve to negatively and disproportionately impact on our older and vulnerable citizens.  Current rates of as low as £3.42 an hour to support an elderly person with multiple and complex needs for 24 hours, 7 days a week in a care home in Scotland in no way meets the true cost of providing high quality, sustainable care.  It is absolutely essential that this funding reality is addressed as a matter of urgency in order that everyone who requires care home support can receive this in a way that promotes equality, transparency, dignity and respect.”

The full CMA report can be accessed here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a1fdf30e5274a750b82533a/care-homes-market-study-final-report.pdf 

The Scottish summary can be accessed here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a201ae7ed915d458b922ec6/scotland-short-summary-care-homes-market-study.pdf 

The CMA’s financial report, published in September, can be accessed here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/59b2bb0ae5274a5cfcda2d18/financial_analysis_working_paper.pdf

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Care Home Conference materials now available

Scottish Care annual Care Home Conference & Exhibition

Pushing the boundaries: care home reform and reality

Friday 17th November 2017

Scottish Care held its 18th Annual Care Home Conference & Exhibition on Friday 17th November 2017 at the Hilton Hotel in Glasgow. 

The conference attracted over 450 delegates from across the health and social care sector.  It set out to explore the many positive ways in which care home provision and commissioning is changing, yet also the realities of the accompanying pressures associated with delivering this vital form of community support.

Conference Chair and previous Scottish Care CEO, Ranald Mair OBE, provided the opening welcome for the conference and outlined the importance of the timing of it, as the current National Care Home Contract draws towards a close.  He suggested that there are 20 weeks remaining to save the care home sector, and that what is required to achieve this is sustainable commissioning, funding and workforce.

Derek Breingan from the Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank then provided the sponsor’s welcome, highlighting the positive and important contribution that banking organisations can make to finance and sustainability discussions in the care home sector.  He also welcomed the ongoing relationship with Scottish Care and outlined the number of partnership events and opportunities, including the Inaugural Scottish Care Lecture, which have taken place throughout 2017. 

This was followed by Dr Donald Macaskill, who took to the stage to announce the launch of Scottish Care’s new report, ‘Fragile Foundations: Exploring the mental health of the social care workforce and the people they support’.  He shared some powerful messages on the reality of a fragile social care workforce.  Unlike the report cover which shows a precarious Jenga tower, care is not a game, he said.

Next up was Christine Bell from the Communities along the Carron Association, who spoke about the Cycling Without Age initiative.  She shared the positive impact of volunteer cyclists taking care home residents out on trishaws in the Falkirk area, and the plans to extend the initiative across Scotland. 

Professor Sir Harry Burns then delivered the first keynote address of the day, talking about the challenge and potential facing care homes in Scotland.  He provided a fascinating talk on the importance of wellness and purpose, and about this being about more than the absence of illness or injury but about improving wellbeing through assets-based models with coproduction at their heart.    

Dr Julie Watson from the University of Edinburgh then gave delegates an insight into her PhD research, which focused on relationship-centred palliative dementia care in care homes and the fact that even before death, dementia can be viewed as ‘a death that leaves the body behind’. She emphasised the importance of the body and embodied memory as a communication and support tool and the ‘slow work of gentleness’ required to deliver this care.

The conference then had the first showing of ‘What Good Care Means’.   This short film, created by filmmaker Michael Rea and commissioned by Scottish Care, showcases examples of what difference the delivery of high quality care home support makes to the lives of residents and their families. 

After refreshments and a chance to explore the 80+ exhibition stands, delegates headed to one of a range of ten insight sessions covering various areas of policy and practice in the care home sector from law and finance to pressure ulcers and hydration. 

Click to view slides for:

To kick-start the afternoon session, Dr Tara French from Glasgow School of Art spoke of the vast physical, psychological, cognitive and social benefits of music for wellbeing.  To demonstrate the point, she managed to get over 400 delegates singing in the first care home conference choir which proved to be hugely enjoyable and surprisingly tuneful!

Tara was followed by an address by the Cabinet Secretary for Health & Sport, Shona Robison, who spoke of the new health and social care standards as well as the importance of innovation and redesign.  She asked that everyone works together with the Scottish Government to deliver health and social care reform on a journey towards choice, control and independence for the individual whilst delivering the right care in the right place at the right time. 

The programme then focused on practice and research-based inputs which showcased innovative approaches and new learning in the care home sector.  Firstly, Ann Murray from the Active and Independent Living Improvement Programme challenged delegates to take part in the Balance Challenge as a means of highlighting ways in which falls can be reduced.

 Ann was followed by Margaret McDonald from Summerlee Care Home and Alice Macleod from the NHS who introduced a short video relating to their award winning, partnership based continence project in North Lanarkshire.

The final input of the day came from COSLA’s Sally Loudon and Paula McLeay, who gave their perspective on the National Care Home Contract reform agenda.  They highlighted the importance of partnership in this difficult work whilst also recognising the challenges of growing demand, limited resource and the need to ensure that changes in local government personnel doesn’t negatively impact on the relationships developed even if it means changes in priorities and the future direction of the contract.

To close the day, Ranald Mair thanked all contributors and stated that delegates from all parts of the sector need to ask:

“Not, ‘can we afford to properly fund care?’ but ‘can we afford not to?’”

 

“We need to stop seeing care as a cost, but as a contributor.”

Donald Macaskill then delivered his closing remarks.  He highlighted the economic value of social care, a sector which employs 1 in 13 Scots, and the need to properly prioritise the country’s resources and needs.  He called for urgent re-imagination of care and closed on the following statement:

Scottish Care would like to thank everyone that helped make this year’s Care Home Conference a success, including delegates, speakers, exhibitors and sponsors. 

You can also see tweets from the day at the hashtag #carehome17

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New Care Cameo launched: Human rights and dementia

Scottish Care is delighted to announce the launch of the latest Care Cameo, entitled 'Human rights and dementia' and writted by Anna Buchanan, Programme Director at Life Changes Trust.

The Care Cameos series is designed to present short but challenging sketches of various issues and to provide a forum to encourage and foster debate on a whole range of issues important for the delivering of care and support for older individuals across Scotland.

The latest Care Cameo was launched at Scottish Care's 'Raising the Standards' human rights event in Glasgow on Wednesday 29 November 2017.

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Media statement: Scottish Care warns of human rights complacency in Scotland

Care body warns of human rights complacency in Scotland

The representative body for independent care services has called on the Scottish Government to make human rights meaningful for older people in Scotland, including those living with dementia.

Scottish Care has today warned that Scotland is becoming ‘complacent’ in protecting against everyday human rights abuses for vulnerable citizens through a lack of action.

The call for action will be made at an event in Glasgow today (29 Nov), which will bring together stakeholders from across health and social care to explore the realities of human rights for care delivery in Scotland.

At the event, Scottish Care CEO Dr Donald Macaskill will tell delegates:

“Human rights complacency happens when people delude themselves into thinking that the articulation of rights is equivalent to the realisation of those rights. Merely having excellent human rights based legislation does not give citizens the ability to realise and access those self-same human rights.

“In too many instances, such as Self-directed Support, we talk a good game in Scotland but the reality is less than what we would desire.

“The failure to invest, to monitor, to hold accountable and to hold to task those who have acted against the human rights enshrined within the Self-directed Support Act should shame us all. The peril of human rights complacency is that we issue an Audit report, utter some rebuke, gain some negative media headlines, but effectively fail to really challenge and change the systemic breach of those human rights.

“So today across Scotland we will still have instances where hundreds of older people will fail to be properly assessed, informed of what budget they have to spend, be given real choice for their care and support, and if they want to, be able to alter that package of care and do something new and different. For too many there is no choice. No transparent offering of information to enable folks to make decisions. Rather, there is a complacent attitude that the old don’t want the fuss or trouble of taking control of their lives.”

The event will also see the launch of a new fund, made available by Scottish Care and Life Changes Trust, aimed at making rights real for people with dementia living in care homes.

Speaking about the Rights Made Real fund, which care home services can apply for, Dr Macaskill said:

“I am delighted that Life Changes Trust has dedicated £300,000 to work alongside Scottish Care to further embed human rights in Scotland’s care homes. I look forward to seeing a whole range of creative projects which will help care homes to get even better at delivering a human-rights based approach to care.”

Anna Buchanan, Programme Director at Life Changes Trust, added:

“The funding on offer from the Life Changes Trust is for initiatives in care homes that demonstrate better ways of making rights real for people who live there. Care home residents still have a life to live and they have the right to thrive. Older people, including those living with dementia, have a right to maintain strong connections with family and friends, with their communities and with the things that matter to them. They do not give up these rights when they cross the threshold of a care home. We are looking to fund creative and innovative projects and ways of working that will benefit people living with dementia and show others how to make rights real in care homes.”