Kaleidoscope of Care

Scottish Care's Workforce Matters team is delighted to confirm they will be hosting an event on 28 September in Glasgow.

Kaleidoscope of Care will centre around recruitment, retention and fair working practices in the adult social care sector. For further details including the programme on the day and how to secure tickets please click on the graphic below:

‘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.

Palliative & End of Life Care: NES event

Due to demand, NES (NHS Education Scotland) are running another workshop specifically for front line workers and would welcome applicants from care homes and care at home organisations.

The workshop is to take place on 29 August, 2018.

To register please follow: https://response.questback.com/isa/qbv.dll/ShowQuest?QuestID=5222834&sid=bTt2wYKviY

See full event details below:

Care Home Week 18: Workforce Blog from Katharine Ross

Let your actions be stronger than your excuses

For the past 8 weeks, I’ve managed to do something I thought would be impossible:  I’ve cut sugar out of my diet.  Now, I won’t go into the health and lifestyle reasons behind this bold decision in this blog, but if you catch me tucking into a tub of almonds at a meeting sometime soon I’ll happily discuss metabolism and insulin spikes with you in more detail!

In an office where I had a meeting last week I noticed a poster advertising a local boot camp which was enticing new members with the phrase ‘let your actions be stronger than your excuses’.  If I’m completely honest, I felt a surge of pride.  Who’d have thought I had such willpower!

I should emphasise that it’s not just refined sugars I’ve shunned.  Oh no.   I’m carefully avoiding all food which contain oodles of sugar but which is marketed as ‘low fat’ and ‘healthy’.  Also, a significant number of my meetings as the National Workforce Lead for Scottish Care take place in coffee shops which always have an enticing array of pastries and I must admit to having a terrible soft spot for almond croissants.  Mmmm…almond croissants…..

Anyway, back to the blog.

There is a growing recognition that the health and social care infrastructure in its current format is not delivering human rights based care and support to older citizens living in Scotland.  The system is broken and one of the reasons is chronic staff shortages.  A recent Scottish Care workforce research report entitled ‘The 4 Rs’ confirmed our fears; fewer people are entering the social care sector and more people are leaving.

And they’re not coming back.

The workforce that do stay are at breaking point, desperately trying to provide compassionate and person focused care – but finding themselves crumbling, physically and mentally, under unsustainable pressures.  This was captured in another Scottish Care report entitled ‘Fragile Foundations’.

I believe that the failure to embrace integration and to actively engage the independent sector is at the heart of the present-day problem.  85% of care homes in Scotland are independently owned and there are almost twice the number of people living in care homes in Scotland than there are in hospitals.    A new report about the economic impact of the adult social care sector highlighted the fact that the sector contributes £3.4 billion to the Scottish economy.

However, I’m not seeing much action to embrace the reality – and potential – of working in a collaborative, integrated way.

There always seems to be some excuse….

Don’t get me wrong, at a local level there are several examples of effective integration projects which are taking place.  There are two remarkable projects currently progressing which involve Scottish Care providers and the Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice – exploring anticipatory care plans and how best to maximise the potential of the new palliative and end of life care educational framework.  From a workforce perspective, it’s extremely encouraging that we’re involved in more cross sectoral activities and work closer than ever with the Scottish Government, the SSSC, Health Care Improvement Scotland and the Care Inspectorate on both operational and strategic developments and improvements.  Relationships are being built and meaningful changes are being seen.  This is all very positive because it’s widely acknowledged that transformational change is needed – not a little tinkering around the edges – if we are to maintain and improve health and social care provision.

However, tinkering around the edges is what I continue to see.

Strong decisions and policy implementation are eschewed in favour of “guidance”.  Health continues to dominate our national political discourse to the detriment of the social care sector.  Decisions are being made at a local level which could have significant unintended consequences to our dedicated, skilled yet dwindling workforce and providers.  Only last week the Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership announced a new approach in their attempt to address the significant number of older people waiting for a care package or who are inappropriately staying in hospital when their needs would be better met in their own home or a care home.  This approach is going to rely on relatives providing more preventative interventions and being more pro-active in their relative’s care. I would welcome a discussion with the HSCP to find out more – as I have a concern that an unintended consequence of this proposed approach is that it sends out the message that ‘anybody can do social care’.

Well, they can’t and it’s a very dangerous assumption to think that they can.

Care at home providers are now looking after vulnerable people who often have extremely complex physically and mental health conditions.  The workforce undergo a significant amount of training to enable them to carry out their job safely and competently.

Care home staff are delivering extraordinarily complex care and are actually the largest providers of palliative and end of life care in Scotland.  Sadly, this is still largely unacknowledged.  Our report Trees that bend in the wind shone a light on the needs of the workforce who are, day in day out, providing solace to hundreds of people in their last days and hours of their life.

So: have we come to a point where we can’t accept any more excuses for not embracing integration in a way that will transform the lives of the workforce and the people they support and care for?

 

Katharine Ross, National Lead – Workforce Matters

@kguthrieross

 

#carehomeweek

CAPA Update

The Care Inspectorate has given an update on its Care About Physical Activity (CAPA) improvement programme, please see below.

For more information about this, please contact National Project Lead for Workforce Matters, Katharine Ross

Additionally, the dates for the next round of CAPA learning events have been set as follows:

  • Tuesday 8 May 2018 – North Lanarkshire (Care Homes)
  • Thursday 10 May 2018 – Stirling and Clackmannanshire (Care Homes)
  • Tuesday 15 May 2018 – Inverclyde (Care at Home/Housing Support)
  • Thursday 17 May 2018 – East Renfrewshire + North Lanarkshire (Care at Home/Housing Support)
  • Tuesday 22 May 2018 – East Ayrshire (Care Homes)
  • Thursday 24 May 2018 – Aberdeenshire (Care Homes + Care at Home/Housing Support)
  • Tuesday 29 May 2018 – Glasgow (Care at Home)
  • Thursday 31 May 2018 – Glasgow (Care Homes/Residential/Day Care)
  • Wednesday 6 June 2018 – Perth and Kinross (Care at Home/Housing Support)

Anybody interested in taking part should contact Chelsea Bell – [email protected]

 

CAPA improvement programme update APR 2018

One month to GDPR

An update and reminder notice on General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

Current Data Protection Legislation

Currently anyone who uses and stores information about people who use their services, suppliers or their workforce must ensure that the data is held in accordance with the Data Protection Act (DPA), but this is changing to allow for changes in our ‘digital age’, and conformity across the EU.

Changes to Legislation

The GDPR comes into effect from 25 May 2018 and it is likely that it will affect all of our members as it applies to anyone who stores or processes another’s personal information.
It follows the same principles as the DPA, but with additional requirements on storage, consent, privacy and access. It includes the following rights:

  • The right to be informed
  • The right of access
  • The right to rectification
  • The right to erasure
  • The right to restrict processing
  • The right to data portability
  • The right to object
  • The right not to be subject to automated decision-making including profiling.

Key Terms

A ‘Data Processor’ is a person who processes data, and the term may apply to the majority of your staff as it includes someone who will look at, contribute to or store data. They will need to know about GDPR.

The person who is responsible for compliance with GDPR and principles is called the ‘Data Controller’. All organisations who process personal information will need to nominate someone to this role.

What do I need to do?

Here’s a short overview of some steps which should be taken. This is not an exhaustive list:

  • Appoint or nominate a Data Controller
  • Write a policy explaining your Privacy Policy, why you hold information, why you may have it in different formats (e.g. paper and digital), how you will address the rights listed above and what happens in the event of a data breach (escalation and notification). Make sure this is available and visible.
  • Write and act upon your digital strategy to ensure data is stored using encrypted hardware, and software which is GDPR compliant (most big software providers should already). Be careful of USB pens.

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) enforce data protection so are the experts on compliance. They have easy-to-read materials available for free, as well as a handy helpline to ensure that you are GDPR ready (number below).

They have produced a 12 step guide to preparing for GDPR:

https://storage.googleapis.com/scvo-cms/media/1624219/preparing-for-the-gdpr-12-steps.pdf

As well as more detailed guidelines which are available here:

https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-the-general-data-protection-regulation-gdpr/

Data Breach

Any data breach needs to be reported to the The ICO within 72 hrs, as well as anyone affected. They are the UK’s independent body set up to uphold information rights. Non-reporting can lead to a fine.

Information and support

For further information and support, please contact the ICO directly
https://ico.org.uk
ICO Helpline: 0303 123 1113

CAPA Update

The Care Inspectorate has given an update on its Care About Physical Activity (CAPA) improvement programme, please see below.

For more information about this, please contact National Project Lead for Workforce Matters, Katharine Ross

Additionally, the dates for the next round of CAPA learning events have been set as follows:

  • Thursday 3 May 2018 – Perth and Kinross (Care Homes)
  • Tuesday 8 May 2018 – North Lanarkshire (Care Homes)
  • Thursday 10 May 2018 – Stirling and Clackmannanshire (Care Homes)
  • Tuesday 15 May 2018 – Inverclyde (Care at Home/Housing Support)
  • Thursday 17 May 2018 – East Renfrewshire + North Lanarkshire (Care at Home/Housing Support)
  • Tuesday 22 May 2018 – East Ayrshire (Care Homes)
  • Thursday 24 May 2018 – Aberdeenshire (Care Homes + Care at Home/Housing Support)
  • Tuesday 29 May 2018 – Glasgow (Care at Home)
  • Thursday 31 May 2018 – Glasgow (Care Homes/Residential/Day Care)
  • Wednesday 6 June 2018 – Perth and Kinross (Care at Home/Housing Support)

Anybody interested in taking part should contact Chelsea Bell – [email protected]

 

CAPA improvement prorgramme update MAR 2018

4 Rs: Packed room sees launch of report

Event Report by Paul O'Reilly (Workforce Development Consultant)

On March 15th 2018, Scottish Care launched its report into recruitment, retention, regulation and representation within social care to over 100 attendees – including frontline workers, managers, owners, regulators and government representatives -  at the Glasgow Hilton Hotel.

Katharine Ross, National Workforce Lead for Scottish Care, opened the day highlighting that the report identifies many concerning trends and advising delegates that the programme would be underpinned by a fifth ‘R’ - reality.

Scottish Care’s Policy and Research Manager, and the report’s author, Becca Gatherum next took to the podium.

In launching her report Becca described the research process, explaining that the purpose of the report was to capture the journey that an employee in the independent social care sector travels along from initial engagement to disengaging.  While the journey is of varied distance for individuals, this workshop would seek to follow it by exploring the 4R themes in order – recruitment, representation, regulation, and finally retention.

Recruitment: Attracting the right people for your organisation

Katharine again took to the stage, alongside colleague Paul O’Reilly, to discuss the recruitment findings published in the report.

Along with statistics highlighting that the majority of job applicants are female (84%) and that there has been an increase in the number of applicants aged over 45years (20%), it was noted that 63% of new entrants are leaving their positions within the first six months.

The need to increase the number of younger people and male applicants was covered, before exploration of why so many people are leaving their jobs so soon.

In a session called Right person...Right job? delegates were asked to consider if we are being up-front with candidates about the challenges of the role, and what more can be done to inform people at interview stage before they accept a role as well as through induction to better support and prepare new colleagues.

This generated many interesting and creative ideas from delegates, while the fifth ‘R’ was present in recognising the challenges.

Representation: Understanding the process - and your rights

 Katharine next introduced two speakers -  Grant Brown, Fitness to Practise Manager at SSSC, and Richard Henderson, an Advocate from the Faculty of Advocates.

Grant explained what is meant by ‘fitness to practise’ and where it fits within the Strategic Plan of SSSC, linking to the Codes of Practice.  Following advice on just when someone should refer a practitioner to the Fitness to Practise team, Grant bust some myths by carrying out an exercise with some True or False statements.

Representation at hearings was explored by Richard, with him explaining the process and what to expect.  This included some background information and terminology, who sits on a panel and what they can decide, and who can represent a worker should they be called before it. 

Regulation: Exploring the reality and potential of working in a regulated social care sector

Ann McSorley, Qualifications & Standards Manager at SSSC, was introduced to discuss regulation and registration of the social care workforce.

Ann explained how qualifications have developed, qualification requirements and how Modern Apprenticeships are a useful tool in achieving these before sharing links to useful recruitment and learning & development resources.

There then followed what for many was the highlight of the day – a panel discussion with three frontline workers, led by Katharine.

Pauline Cumming (Activities Coordinator with Balhousie Care), Dean McMillan (Quality Officer and Supervisor with Carewatch) and Joanne Bilsland (Support Supervisor with Bluebird Care) discussed their individual career journey, their thoughts on SVQ, what needs to change for frontline workers if a career in care is to be more widely viewed as a positive career choice and what they love about their job.

The compassion of the panel, as well as their passion for the work and those they care for, was well received by the room. 

Joanne had the final word on what she loves about her job, saying ‘I get to learn more about Life by providing End of Life care.  I get to see humanity at its best, I get to witness touching family moments.  I get to hold people up when they are struggling to live with their health conditions and I get to hold their hands when they are frightened and alone.  I'm helping people to cope with very challenging circumstances and that gives me a huge amount of satisfaction.’

Retention: Retaining a skilled and compassionate workforce

The final session of the day was led by Scottish Care CEO Dr. Donald Macaskill.

Donald explained that we cannot stop employees from leaving until we have a plan to make them stay before asking delegates to spend some time thinking about their current role and what makes them stay, as well as a job that they may have left and the reasons for this.

A series of slides exploring employee satisfaction within social care were presented, with Donald closing by explaining that other sectors have learned to improve this by ensuring frontline staff wellbeing, engagement, empowerment and hearing of their voice. 

Social care must do likewise.

Paul O'Reilly

Scottish Care, Workforce Development Consultant.

Scottish Care launches new report highlighting changing picture of social care employment

Scottish Care has released a new report which explores recruitment and retention of individuals working in the care sector.

Read the 4Rs: The open doors of recruitment and retention in social care

The report findings show:

  • Employers have seen an almost 20% increase in those over the age of 45 applying for care vacancies.
  • Providers are operating a wide range of workplace benefits and initiatives to help with the retention of staff, most of which are premised on the importance of giving staff a voice and a sense of value.

However, it also highlights:

  • 63% of staff who have left the sector in the last year did so within the first 6 months of employment, mostly because of mutual unsuitability identified by the employer and employee.
  • Providers believe the lack of responses to advertised care vacancies plus competition with other employers and sectors to be the main reasons for recruitment difficulty.

The report will be launched at an event in Glasgow today (Thurs 15 March) attended by over 100 staff from across the health and social care sector including a number of those working at the front line of care delivery.

Speaking ahead of the launch, CEO of Scottish Care, Dr Donald Macaskill, said:

“Our new research shows the need to consider how we attract people to enter the care sector and to pursue a fulfilling career within it. Whilst more needs to be done through education and careers advice to encourage young people to work in social care, the findings show an increase in older people applying for care jobs so we must also make sure that employment opportunities are suitably flexible and promoted appropriately amongst people of all ages and backgrounds.

“Yet concerningly, we know that a huge number of people are leaving the sector at an early stage of their employment, predominantly because they are not suitable for the work or it wasn’t what they expected it to be. Whilst working in care is undoubtedly challenging, it is also a hugely rewarding and skilled profession with lots of opportunities and we must therefore ensure that there is better awareness of all that comes with a career in care –to better recognise the importance of this profession but also to ensure we have the right people delivering complex care to our loved ones and that we have a sustainable care sector going forward. Without a committed workforce, we won’t have social care services.”

Scottish Care’s National Workforce Lead, Katharine Ross, added:

“A career in care is not the same for everybody but it needs to be available to everybody. This report captures the employment journey of so many committed, dedicated and skilled individuals of different ages, backgrounds and experiences working in care homes and care at home organisations across Scotland.

"However, it also shows the reality facing the care sector:

  • The reality of trying to develop, train, qualify and lead a workforce against a backdrop of task and time commissioning, fifteen minute visits and the persistent denial by policy and decision makers of the true cost of delivering dignified, person led, preventative care and support to older citizens across the country in care homes and care at home organisations.
  • The reality that the potential of health and social care integration is yet to be realised in Scotland and we continue to see the confliction of a health or social care workforce.
  • The reality that a largely unappreciated and undervalued social care workforce, delivering compassionate care to individuals with multiple complex mental and physical illness, is at breaking point.
  • The reality that fewer people are choosing to work within the sector, and more people are leaving.

“Only by acknowledging these realities will we be able to shut the door through which dedicated and skilled individuals are flooding out from, and create conditions where people enter, stay, develop and thrive in the care sector. It is the only way to ensure the development of a rights-based, dignified social care system for the tens of thousands of older people receiving care in their own home, or in a care home.”

Read the report here.