Website of the Department of Health

Voicepiece

David Behan, Director General of Social Care at the Department of Health, highlights action to raise the status of social care

“In an age when deference has all but disappeared, there is a particular challenge in considering how to raise the status of social care. An old Sufi saying can perhaps help. It asks: How does a mouse eat an elephant? The answer is: one bite at a time. Similarly we can raise the status of social care through a number of interrelated initiatives. This edition of the Social Care Bulletin contains two such initiatives designed to contribute to raising the status of social care.

“The social care recruitment campaign began in early March. It aims to promote social care as a career. The campaign seeks to recruit people who want to ‘make a difference’, people who want to put something into society, but also people who want to get something back.

“The campaign focuses on recruiting people who wish to work in partnership with older people, with people with disabilities, and with people with learning disabilities. We know good social care has the power to transform people’s lives – the lives of those receiving the care, help and support, and of those providing the care, help and support.

“The second initiative was the decision to extend the registration of staff working in social care to domiciliary care workers. Doctors, nurses, teachers and solicitors are all registered with their professional body. Registration is part of a profession’s accountability framework, an essential component of a profession’s identity.

“This announcement sees social care workers afforded a similar accountability. The decision to link registration to the achievement of a qualification is a critical development. There is clear evidence that a qualified workforce delivers higher quality care. Linking registration to qualification is a key driver for improving the quality of social care.

“Two initiatives which, by and of themselves, will have limited value but taken together, and with other initiatives, will undoubtedly raise the status of social care workers in the 21st century and lead to improved quality and status.”

Your questions answered

David Behan, Director General of Social Care, answers readers’ questions.

Q – Will the bulletin include any content on children’s services in future, or only adult social care?
Helen Walters, NSPCC library and information services
A – The bulletin will focus on adult social care, however, it will cover children. Most children live in families and a significant number of adults parent children. We will ensure that we cover these elements of children’s services and parenting. One example is the recently announced health-led parenting project, which is receiving £7m government funding. The demonstration sites in the project are playing a key role in renewing and reshaping health-led child and family support services to reflect the needs and aspirations of local families.

Q – What has happened to the latest Wanless report? I heard that the DH was doing its own investigation into its conclusions. Has this happened and what is the outcome?
Anne Ashby, Sheffield PCT
A – The budget report in March repeated a paragraph that was in the pre-budget report in November, stating that the Government would consider the findings of the reports by Sir Derek Wanless and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. That work is likely to be part of the comprehensive spending review (CSR) later in the year. It will consider changes in demography, expectations, and demand. The CSR will announce the resources that will be available for social care from 2008 to 2011.

All the evidence is that it will be a tight settlement.

Social care recruitment campaign

At-a-glance

• campaign promotes social care as a rewarding career
• emphasises relationships with clients
• adverts show real-life carers and service users.

Adverts are appearing on national TV, radio and in magazines to highlight the rewards of working in social care. The campaign uses the device ‘1+1=3’, illustrating that the partnership between a carer and the person being cared for is greater than the sum of its parts.
 

The TV and radio adverts feature real-life carers and users of social care services in the following three scenarios:

• a carer accompanying a wheelchair user to a skate park
• an older woman being supported in her home by a carer
• a young man with autism whose carer is teaching him the route to his new job.
  

As well as illustrating the rewards of helping people, the adverts explain that social care workers liaise regularly with other professionals – for example teachers, doctors, nurses, police, lawyers – on behalf of the people they support.

This campaign is designed to increase the number of applicants to the social care sector and also to encourage people who are already trained to return to the sector.

Martin Green, Chief Executive of the English Community Care Association said: “One of the really positive things about this campaign is that it broadens out the type of people that we would be attracting to the profession.
“This campaign is going to be really important in that it’s going to raise the profile of social care and to promote a better understanding of what social care is about within the general population.”

David Behan, Director General of Social Care at the Department of Health, said: “The radical change taking place in social care is in the relationship between those providing help, care and support and those receiving help, care and support. 
“We are moving from a relationship where help is given to a person, to a relationship where people agree how best support is provided. For the first time ever we have used this new relationship as the basis of the campaign.”

• The campaign website (opens new window)

Registration extended to domiciliary care workers

At-a-glance

• Social Care Register extended to cover domiciliary care workers.

The registration of staff working in social care is being extended to cover domiciliary care workers. The Social Care Register, maintained by the General Social Care Council, covers people who work in social care and have been assessed as trained and fit to be in the workforce.

It was launched to register the following social care staff:

• social care workers and managers working in children’s care homes and domiciliary care agencies
• staff working in care homes for older people and care homes for adults, residential family centres, fostering agencies and adoption agencies.
  

The registration process is now being extended to cover all social care staff working in domiciliary care.
Health Minister Ivan Lewis said: “Registration over time will ensure better skilled and more accountable care workers who will be able to offer disabled people, older people and their carers a higher quality, more personalised service.”

• The Social Care Register (opens new window)

Councils ready to harvest POPPI’s bounty

At-a-glance

• forecasting tool helps councils predict demand for services
• starting point for strategic needs assessments.

Powerful new forecasting software is helping local authorities to better plan services to meet the needs of people who use social care services. The Projecting Older People Population Information (POPPI) system from the Department of Health’s Care Services Efficiency Delivery (CSED) programme is now available for councils with social services responsibilities (CSSRs).

POPPI brings together the latest census information and forecasting tools to predict how the demand for social care will change.
The forecasting is designed to be accurate down to district level, enabling CSSRs to forecast and cater for local demographic changes, providing a starting point for strategic needs assessments. The tool can provide information about:

• local population characteristics
• national information on the prevalence of health conditions
• local performance data
• data for other councils.
  

POPPI is web-based so information will be available to registered users wherever they are. Data can be downloaded either as a spreadsheet or as a word processing document.
CSED is planning regional workshops to help council planning and commissioning staff use the system. You can register online at the POPPI website:

• More details on POPPI (opens new window)

Dignity champions make a difference

At-a-glance

• dignity champions share good practice across social care
• Leeds City Council launches inquiry into dignity in care.

Social care staff throughout the country are signing up to be local ‘dignity champions’, helping to share good practice and place dignity and respect at the heart of caring for older people.

Karen Dooley, Project Manager of the Dignity in Care campaign, said: “We now have more than 450 champions across the country and the number is growing every day.
“They are bringing together colleagues to look at what they can all do to improve care for older people. The campaign is also celebrating staff who go the extra mile. For example, an annual awards scheme has been set up to recognise innovation around dignified care. One of the winning ideas is to compile brief résumés of older patients’ lives and achievements to remind staff that they’re caring for an individual. That kind of understanding is what the campaign is all about.”

Sign up to become a dignity champion on the Dignity Champions Network website or by phoning 020 7972 4007.

Dignity audit in Leeds

Leeds City Council has opened an inquiry into dignity in care. It is looking at existing services in hospitals and care homes to examine whether older people’s needs are being met and to reassess the skills, competence and leadership needs of the workforce.

The council has also involved older people’s groups in setting criteria for allocating £1 million to care homes in the city.

• Online Dignity Champions Network (opens new window)
• Dignity in care practice guide (opens new window)

Social enterprise pathfinder schemes

At a glance

• 26 social enterprise pathfinder schemes lead the way in innovative health and social care
• Newcastle’s Dementia Care Partnership is one of the pathfinder schemes
• April sees an expansion of funding for social enterprise schemes.

Social enterprise pathfinder schemes, which are currently sharing more than £1 million funding from the Department of Health (DH), are leading the way in delivering health and social care services in innovative ways that involve users of services.

One of the pathfinders that involves social care staff is the Dementia Care Partnership in Newcastle. Chief Executive Rani Svanberg explains why the service was initially set up: “We brought a group of carers together, and identified a number of unmet needs, including home support services, independent supported living houses and respite care.”

A charity was established in 1993, and services have since been developed to cover each need. In 2005, the charity opened a centre to provide facilities for the community, in particular people with dementia and older people recovering from depression.

Rani adds: “Today we offer home support services (approximately 4,000 care hours per week), day service attendance in three venues, supported living houses, carers’ support groups, residential short breaks and training and staff development.”

The aim of the social enterprise project is to:

• set up a volunteering and employment agency targeting clients, carers and local people
• develop and market specialist training in dementia/mental health care
• improve independence and well-being through better prevention, early intervention and mental health promotion
• educate and empower clients and carers in the use of assistive technology.
  

Rani explains the benefits of operating as a social enterprise: “It involves clients, carers, local people and employees in the design and delivery of the services. We believe there will be strong commitment to its success as employees and clients will have a stake in it. As any profit is reinvested into the service it will also benefit the local community.” The scheme will help around 400 people with dementia and mental health problems each week.

From this month, the DH will invest another £73 million in a wider range of existing and emerging social enterprises, many of which involve partnerships with providers from the voluntary and community sectors.

• Guidance on setting up a social enterprise in the health and social care sector
• More on social enterprises

Mental health update

At a glance

• new IMCA services launched 1 April as part of the implementation of the Mental Capacity Act
• service represents people who lack mental capacity

New Independent Mental Capacity Advocate (IMCA) services are being introduced to help people who lack mental capacity and face important decisions about their care and treatment. The services are being implemented from 1 April as part of the Mental Capacity Act.

Some people with dementia, learning disabilities, mental health problems, stroke or head injuries may lack capacity to make certain decisions. Local authorities and NHS trusts are now required, when making important decisions about serious medical treatment or change of accommodation for people who lack capacity, to appoint an IMCA to represent the individual if there is no one else to speak for them, such as family or friends.

The IMCA represents the person’s wishes, feelings, beliefs and values, and can challenge the decision-maker. IMCA services have been commissioned locally by councils with social services responsibilities. They will work both in social care and health care and will be provided by independent advocacy organisations.

Advocacy experts pilot new IMCA service in Croydon

Croydon was one of seven areas where IMCA services – the new statutory advocacy service – were piloted. Led by Advocacy Partners, a well-established independent advocacy organisation, the service helped several people including Arthur, who has severe learning disabilities and autism and does not use words or other formal methods of communication.

An IMCA was instructed to represent Arthur in a decision about his future home. The IMCA accompanied him on visits to two possible homes, observing his reaction and taking photographs to help Arthur express his views.

Arthur was able to communicate his unhappiness about the stairs in one house and his positive reaction to the people that lived in the other. The IMCA represented his wishes and Arthur was able to move to the house that he preferred.

Jonathan Senker, Chief Executive at Advocacy Partners, said: “It can make a real difference, ensuring that people’s rights and views are respected. It helps to ensure that a formal assessment that a person lacks capacity does not mean that their opinions are disregarded.”

• Details of the IMCA service

News in brief

CSCI’s new website

The Commission for Social Care Inspection’s new website for social care professionals offers the latest guidance on how to interpret standards and improve quality. Care providers can also subscribe to email alerts and download registration and self-assessment forms.

• Access the site (opens new window)

New vetting and barring scheme

A new vetting and barring scheme comes into effect in autumn 2008 as part of the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act. The scheme will introduce a register for all people wishing to work with children or vulnerable adults.

• View more information on the scheme (opens new window)

Personality disorder website

A new website, developed by the Care Services Improvement Partnership, the Department of Health and the Home Office, provides information, resources and resources about personality disorders.

• Visit the website (opens new window)

Community care statistics

The 2006 community care statistics are now available. The data include referrals, assessments and packages of care for adults in England, as well as a range of statistics on councils with social services responsibilities (CSSRs). Also available are the statistics on CSSR expenditure on personal social services.

• View the care statistics (opens new window)
• View the financial statistics (opens new window)

Launch of ADASS

The Association for Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) has launched, representing all the directors of adult social services in England. The Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) has also been launched.

• View the ADASS website (opens new window)
• View the ADCS website (opens new window)

Infection control

New tools and advice are available to help staff to minimise the risk of infection and provide safer, cleaner care. Visit the Clean Safe Care website for regular updates.

• Clean, Safe Care (opens new window)
• View the revised national guidance on infection control for care homes
• View details of essential hand hygiene procedures (opens new window)

Social care high impact changes

CSIP is collecting evidence to determine what changes have the biggest impact on adult social care. It will announce details of these ‘high impact changes’ in January 2008. For details, contact Ruth Kent on 01206 287544 or email

• info@csip.org.uk (opens new window)
• View more details (opens new window)

Unitary authorities

Sixteen councils bidding for unitary status have been shortlisted for consultation.

Local area agreements

The Government has approved a final 62 local area agreements.

Mental health computer-based care

Two computerised cognitive behavioural therapy (CCBT) programmes have been approved by NICE for people with milder mental health conditions.

• View the guidance (opens new window)

Learning disabilities inquiry

The Department of Health will hold an independent inquiry after the deaths of six people with learning disabilities in NHS care. The inquiry will look at the national implications of the cases.

NHS continuing healthcare: Continuing care redress

New guidance for PCTs has been published in response to the recommendations by the Parliamentary Ombudsman and the Health Service Ombudsman for England. It reminds PCTs of their responsibilities concerning maladministration and redress.

• View the guidance

Diary

Gold Standards Framework Programme annual conference

13 June, Birmingham. To cover end of life care developments, including end of life care in care homes.

• Further details (opens new window)

Publications

Positive Steps: Supporting race equality in mental healthcare

A new online guide offers advice and support to staff working in mental health services about the needs of black and minority ethnic patients. It summarises the religious and cultural needs of different ethnic groups, and showcases good practice.

• Further details (opens new window)

Dementia UK report

The Alzheimer’s Society has published a major study of the prevalence and economic impact of dementia in the UK

• The Alzheimer's Society (opens new window)

A Recipe for Care - Not a Single Ingredient

A report from Professor Ian Philp, National Director for Older People, outlines how the NHS and social care systems need to change to meet the needs of an ageing population. The report includes examples of good practice.

• A Recipe for Care-Not a Single Ingredient