Care Academy Blog

Monday, October 05, 2009

The Department of Health has launched a capital investment fund named 'Get Connected' to enable registered providers of adult social care in England to access digital technology more effectively. The fund will be administered by Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) and is intended to allow those who use, visit or work in adult social care to benefit from the learning, knowledge and access that the internet can bring.

The launch of 'Get Connected' is particularly timely given that Care Quality Commission will require registered providers to provide their returns online from April 2010.

Details of how to apply for the grants will be posted via the SCIE website

If you are considering making a bid once funds have been announced, Care Academy will be pleased to provide support in creating and submitting a bid. To discuss further please contact us on 0161 228 1712 or via our online form.

In recent weeks both Advance Housing and Support and Carewatch have chosen to purchase Care Academy to help them deliver their regulatory and compliance training.

Advance Housing and Support

Advance, based in Witney, West Oxfordshire provide housing, support and employment advice to people who have either a learning disability or mental health problems. Faced with the need to provide specific learning disability training to key staff, Advance reviewed the market and decided Care Academy was the most cost-effective and efficient solution. Our City & Guilds accredited LDQ qualification provides the option to enrol staff immediately, ensuring they are able to complete their qualification in a timely manner at their own pace.

Carewatch (Kingston upon Thames)

Carewatch is one of the leading providers of care and support to people in their own homes throughout the UK. With 127 franchised offices and 11 company owned 'best practice' centres the company supports a wide range of groups including, elderly people, children with special needs, people with physical or learning disabilities and individuals with mental health problems.

Carewatch franchise owner, Veronica Miller purchased Care Academy to assist with delivering Common Induction Standards training, stating,

“I have looked through a few of the demonstrations.  I like what I see.  It is thorough, with current and relevant information.  Similar to the information I would be putting together if I was running a training course.  I also did some of the questions with right and wrong answers and like the way it makes you stop and consider the right answer.”

Not only will Carewatch benefit from high quality training, but they will also be able to take advantage of the robust candidate tracking and management reporting (on-demand) to assist with future Care Quality Commission inspections.

To find out more about Care Academy please call 0161 228 1712 or complete our online form.

Monday, January 26, 2009

Thousands of people live in Care Homes throughout Britain and for most people this is pleasant experience. However, some people become victims of abuse and neglect, which can go unnoticed and unreported.

This is why care provider Southern Cross is offering a new helpline to residents in all of its 735 care homes in the UK.

The helpline which has been set up for residents or their relatives, to report cases of neglect is the first scheme of its kind, and the company is the only major care provider offering such a service.

The helpline is staffed by trained advisors from the charity Action on Elder Abuse, which means they will not need the permission of Southern Cross to alert authorities to any problems, as they are entirely independent.

Chief executive, Gary Fitzgerald of Action on Elder Abuse hopes other major providers of care homes might follow this lead.

"We hope this initiative provides an influence for the whole sector to seriously tackle issues of abuse... We recognise how difficult it can be for residents and their families to raise issues of abuse and neglect. This service will tackle many of those barriers, making it easier to report abuse in the knowledge that a response will be achieved."

The charity already has a national free phone helpline offering confidential advice to anyone concerned about abuse of the elderly. This latest project with Southern Cross will run alongside, and the success of the helpline will be reviewed in a year.

Friday, January 23, 2009

The Dignity Challenge lays out the national expectations of what constitutes a service that respects dignity. It focuses on ten different aspects of dignity - the things that matter most to people.

High quality care services that respect people's dignity should:

• Have a zero tolerance of all forms of abuse.
• Support people with the same respect you would want for yourself or a member of your family.
• Treat each person as an individual by offering a personalised service.
• Enable people to maintain the maximum possible level of independence, choice and control.
• Listen and support people to express their needs and wants.
• Respect people’s right to privacy.
• Ensure people feel able to complain without fear of retribution.
• Engage with family members and carers as care partners.
• Assist people to maintain confidence and a positive self-esteem.
• Act to alleviate people’s loneliness and isolation.

The Dignity Challenge is a clear statement of what people can expect from a service that respects dignity. It is backed up by a series of 'dignity tests’ that can be used by providers, commissioners and people who use services to see how their local services are performing.

To take the Dignity Challenge click here.

Monday, January 19, 2009

Phil Hope will be hosting his first web chat Today at 11am to discuss ‘Dignity in Care’.

The web chat will provide the opportunity to talk to the Minister for Care Serves about your thoughts and ideas on how the ‘Dignity in Care Campaign’ can be expanded.

To access the web chat, all you have to do is to visit the website, or you can visit the website at anytime between now and the event itself to pre-submit your own question.

Friday, January 16, 2009

The Safeguarding Adults Alliance has been launched this week by a coalition of more than 700 organisations and individuals, with representatives from Action on Elder Abuse, Mencap and the Alzheimer's Society, the coalition consists of 53 associated member organisations and 621 individuals. A number of statutory organisations have also lent their support.

The alliance which was formally established following a conference held on 12 January and is part of a campaign to urge the government to put adult protection in England, Wales and Northern Ireland on a statutory basis.

David Congdon, Head of Campaigns and Policy at Mencap, said,

"The death of Steven Hoskin, the abuses faced by the family with Learning Disabilities in Hounslow, and the concerns we have raised in the 'Death by Indifference' report, are all evidence that the current systems are failing to adequately consider and respond to the needs of adults at risk of abuse. We are supporting the Alliance because we believe that a statutory basis for safeguarding adults is the only way forward".

Campaigners have long warned that the lack of the legislative base has led to a lack of engagement with adult protection by key agencies and inadequate funding, while hampering investigations of abuse and neglect.

Gary FitzGerald, chief executive of Action on Elder Abuse, said that there was a “fair degree of intensity” in the debate leading up to the creation of the alliance. This was particularly over its demand to grant professionals powers to enter people's homes if they suspected a vulnerable adult was being abused. So far mental health charity Mind has declined to join the campaign over the issue.”

“Other key organisations are currently consulting their membership and trustees and I anticipate that they will become full members in due course, leading the Alliance towards its goals. We collectively acknowledge that the current systems are failing to provide the necessary framework to ensure adequate protection for adults at risk of abuse, and we are committed to achieving a system that both protects the rights of adults to live their lives in the manner of their choosing while simultaneously having access to systems that genuinely provide protection.”

Friday, December 19, 2008

Changes in the funding regulations for care training will be introduced in 2009. These changes, which will affect many different sectors of care, include funding from Train to Gain to improve carer’s access to training when and where carers need it, regardless of their previous training and qualifications. The changes include:

• Stand-alone accredited training modules and part-qualifications in essential areas like business systems, communications, sales and marketing, information technology, customer service, new product design, finance and credit, cash flow and profit management, and risk management;
• Fully funded Level 2 qualifications and subsidised level 3 qualifications, regardless of whether the employee already has a qualification at this level.

                                                                                                                    

The government are making £157m available to local authorities in England for 2009-10 through the Disabled Facilities Grant Programme, Housing Minister Baroness Andrews announced this week.

The Disabled Facilities Grant Programme helps around 37,000 disabled and older people each year to live as comfortably and independently as possible in their own homes, and has seen successive increases in funding in recent years increasing from £57million in 1997 to £146million in 2008-09.

Housing Minister Baroness Andrews said:

"This funding provides a lifeline to thousands of disabled and older people across the country, which is why we have increased the grant again this year."

"Providing something as simple as a ramp can really make the difference between being able to stay in your home and having to leave and this is exactly how the Disabled Facilities Grant helps - it gives people the opportunity to stay in their homes and communities, near friends and family."

The allocations to each local authority can be found in detail on the CLG website.

For the first time carers have been included in the NHS Operating Framework. This change follows the National Carers' Strategy which gave the NHS £150m to provide emergency and planned respite breaks for carers.

The Framework hopes to increase the quality of life for carers of people with dementia, along with improving information for carers as well as patients. These changes are expected to ensure carers are not excluded and ignored, and are better prepared to care for their loved ones.

Carole Cochrane, Chief Executive at The Princess Royal Trust for Carers, welcomes the changes:

"We are delighted that after much campaigning from ourselves and other carers' groups, services for carers has been included in the NHS Operating Framework's list of priorities.

"We hope this inclusion will signal a shift in NHS culture so that carers are treated as real partners in care, and not just people who have to pick up the mantle after a discharge."

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Training, which will be available from Train to Gain, the government's flagship skills service, will offer an extended leadership and management programme ensuring all staff are performing at their best during challenging economic times.

Funding rules which will be relaxed in January 2009, will also able Third Sector organisations to access more flexible training support, delivered when and where they need it, including:

• Stand-alone accredited training modules and part-qualifications
• Fully funded Level 2 qualifications and subsidised level 3 qualifications, regardless of whether the employee already has a qualification at this level.

These changes offer learners much more flexibility and builds on the current Train to Gain learning structure, which currently offers all third sector organisations support for training to GCSE and A level equivalent.

Lord Young said:

"Third sector organisations play a vital role at the heart of communities. It is right that those who work for them have the opportunity to gain the skills they need to develop successful and rewarding careers.

"These further improvements to Train to Gain mean that those in most need of support can develop the skills they need to get on, ensuring that the sector is well placed to weather tough times and to continue their valuable work for the community."

Kevin Brennan, Minister for the Third Sector, said:

"This is another important step in creating the environment for a thriving third sector. To do the best for their beneficiaries, charities and other third sector organisations need the same high skill levels as businesses. I have no doubt that the sector will take full advantage of this new opportunity to access leadership and management training. It is vital that the third sector."