Editorial
This week saw the publication of the report by
England’s Chief Nurse, Professor Christine Beasley,
into single sex accommodation in the NHS ‘Privacy
and dignity – A Report by the Chief Nursing Officer
into Mixed Sex Accommodation in Hospitals’ (see
item 58, this issue).
Previously the Secretary of State had asserted that
99% of the NHS treated patients in single sex
environments. Clearly she was misinformed!!! As, in
the notes to editors, it is revealed that there are
currently 28 NHS Trusts receiving support to secure
improvements. Each Strategic Health Authority has
been asked to publish details of the issues faced and
the work they have been leading on this.
Some may regard this as a very different approach
from a less confident Secretary of State.
To be fair to Patricia Hewitt, she should be able to
place reliance on the statistics with which she is
provided. However, perhaps there should be greater
clarity around the questions being asked when
compiling the data.
Anyhow, we will soon have a new Prime Minister; will
he or she conduct a wide Cabinet reshuffle? If so,
who will stand in the shoes of the present incumbent?
This week’s article—Nursing & Midwifery Council’s Code of Conduct
Continuing our series of items connected to matters of abuse we are grateful to
the Nursing and Midwifery Council for agreeing to allow us to reproduce it’s
code of professional conduct. Also reproduced is the latest version of the
proposed replacement of the code.
To read the introduction and the code click here.
Parliament
16 May 07 – HoC – Corporate Manslaughter and
Corporate Homicide Bill
17 May 07 – HoC – Health Select Committee
Abuse
Nothing to report
Business News
1. SOVEREIGN CAPITAL ACQUIRES LEADING
SUPPORTED LIVING BUSINESS
Sovereign Capital announced the £11 million Institutional
Buy-out of Parallel Options Limited (“Parallel”),
a leading provider of supported living care services
to adults with learning disability or mental health
needs in Gloucestershire.
Learning disability and mental health care is an area
that Sovereign knows well and this latest investment
builds on earlier investments in CHOICE, TRACSCARE,
Alkare and the Cascade Care Group. Sovereign
continues to carry out in-depth sector research
in this area and believes that there continues
to be an unmet need for providing services at the
more challenging end of the special needs spectrum.
Further, the relatively new (since 2003) Supported
Living model of independent, flexible care is
gaining popularity as a complementary service.
Parallel will be led by Eric Millard, CEO who has experience
of delivering high quality specialist care services
and who is well known to Sovereign. Steve
Huggett, previously commercial finance director at
The Sanctuary Spa Group, has joined as Finance
Director. Sharon Gillson, who has been with Parallel
for a number of years, has been promoted to Operations
Manager. Sovereign’s investment was made
alongside Allied Irish Bank, who provided senior facilities.
Commenting on the transaction, Dominic Dalli, Director,
Sovereign Capital said:
“We are delighted to welcome Parallel Options into
Sovereign’s stable of healthcare assets. Parallel’s
flexible offering is of a very high quality and provides
a range of additional independent services which
complement well our residential care businesses.”
Eric Millard, CEO of Parallel Options, commented
“Parallel Options is an outstanding specialist care
group and I am delighted to be leading the management
team into the new phase of the business’s development.
It has an excellent reputation and I believe
that we will be able to build upon the success
the group has achieved to date.”
2. iSoft Group
9 May 2007 – The Times
IBA Health is the first to indicate its interest in acquiring
iSoft the business at the centre of an accounting
storm which has also failed to deliver on the NHS
national IT project. The offer is pitched at 56.9 p per
share. Other suitors remain interested.
3. Nuffield blames NHS for revenue slump
May 2007—Vol 4, No. 4, page 8
Private hospital provider, Nuffield Hospitals has reported
an 8.2% fall in its revenues and blames the
NHS for its lack of opportunities.
However, Nuffield is confident that it will profit from
the government’s market-led reforms that are expected
to kick in within 12 months.
Care Homes
4. Council plans to close care homes
11 May 2007 – BBC News
Continuing the closure of homes in Stoke-on-Trent;
the council is planning to close two residential care
homes, Mill Hill in Tunstall with 16 residents and the
Edith Beddow home in Hanford with 24 residents.
The council said that residents and relatives will be
consulted and have 12 weeks to voice their concerns.
For full report click here
For previous stories on ‘Stoke’ closures see BHCR V2 Issues
11—item 14, 13—item 11, 14 –item 10 & 15—item 13.
5. Disabled resident choked on onion
10 May 2007 – BBC News
An inquest has brought to light a catalogue of failings
at a Nottinghamshire care home in February of this
year. Mr Hardy died at the Leonard Cheshire Home
after being fed an onion when his care list said that
he should only be fed liquid.
The worker who fed Mr Hardy was apparently only
meant to help out with social activities.
For full report click here
Case Reports
Law Reports
Nothing to report
Disciplinary cases
Nothing to report
Cases in the news
6. Ex-home manager's theft charges
12 May 2007 – BBC News
Gary Michael Otton, a former manager of a seaside
care home for the mentally ill has appeared before a
court accused of stealing from residents. He was
charged with four counts of theft totalling £4,000
spanning over a two year period.
For full report click here
7. Date set for National Institute for Health
and Clinical Excellence dementia drugs judicial
review
9 May 2007 – Community Care
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence
is due to face a judicial review into its decision
to restrict access on the NHS to three dementia
drugs at the High Court on 25 June, scheduled to
last for four days.
The healthcare advisory body had originally ruled
that three drugs, Aricept, Exelon and Reminyl,
should not be available for people with mild or severe
dementia, but drugs companies Eisai and Pfizer successfully
persuaded the court to grant a review,
which is a first.
For full report click here
For Previous reports see BHCR V1 Issues 35 & 37, V2 Issues
2, 5, 6 & 14.
8. Mercy killing husband faces life in prison
10 May 2007 – The Times
Frank Lund, 58, a retired accountant faces life in
prison after Liverpool Crown Court convicted him of
murdering his wife. Mrs Patricia Lund had suffered
with manic depression and had made five suicide
bids; she became more determined when she developed
a bowel complaint. On the day of her death
Lund handed her six packs of paracetamol, but, they
failed to work quickly enough and Lund smothered
his wife with a pillow.
Sentencing has been adjourned to 24 May 2007.
Children
9. The children who care
11 May 2007 – The Times
A full page item about child carers, the official number
of which is 175,000 and promoting the work of The
Princess Royal Trust for Carers: www.carers.org
This follows the recent inquest into the death of a
young carer who overdosed on the morphine prescribed
for her mother – see BHCR Vol 2, Issue 17—item
55.
Conferences & Courses
To follow next week
Consultations
10. Commissioning framework for health and
well-being: a consultation
Closing date: 28 May 2007
The Commissioning framework for health and wellbeing
has been published for consultation and is
aimed at commissioners and providers of services in
health, social care and local authorities.
For full consultation click here
11. The Bournewood Safeguards: Draft illustrative
code of practice
Closing Date: 31 May 2007
The Bournewood Safeguards draft illustrative guidance
is intended to be used by people exercising
functions under the Bournewood provisions with the
intention that the guidance will eventually form part of
the Mental Capacity Act 2005 Code of Practice. The
covering note invites comments on the draft guidance
before June 2007.
For full report click here
12. Global health strategy
Closing Date: 31 May 2007
A report providing a framework for developing the
strategy and marks the start of a period of discussion
on what are the current global health priorities, what
the UK should focus on and what the global health
strategy should look like. For the next 12 weeks the
DoH would like to hear your thoughts on whether their
proposals are heading in the right direction.
For consultation click here
13. GSCC launches debate on role of profession
in England
Closing Date: 12 June 2007
A consultation into the function of social work in England
has been launched and poses key questions
about the roles, tasks and value of the profession.
The report is part of the General Social Care Council’s
government-commissioned review into the function
and purpose of social work in England today,
launched last October.
For consultation click here
To view consultation paper direct go to http://
www.gscc.org.uk/NR/rdonlyres/30BC32F2-20B2-4D90-ABAB-
3666D5BB44EB/0/Rolesandtasksconsultationpaper.pdf
To respond to consultation go to http://
www.tribalinformation.co.uk/gscc/
14. The future of Payment by Results
Closing Date: 22 June 2007
Proposals for the future development of Payment by
Results are the focus of this consultation document.
For consultation click here
15. Child Sex Abuse: consultation
Closing Date: 22 June 2007
A consultation paper from the Home Office outlining
the concerns about non-photographic visual depictions
of child sexual abuse, such as computer generated
images (CGIs), drawings, animation, etc, and
seeks views on proposals to make the possession of
such material an offence.
www.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/cons-2007-depiction-sexabuse
16. Consultation on Proposed Changes to
the National Care Standards for Care Homes
for Older People
16 April 2007 – Scottish Care Commission
The Scottish Executive has launched a consultation
on 'Proposed Changes to the National Care Standards
for Care Homes for Older People in respect of
Price Transparency and Complaints Information'.
Changes are being proposed in response to the recommendations
contained in the Office of Fair Trading
Report on Care Homes for Older People with further
background and details of the proposed changes
being provided in the consultation document availa
b l e a t : h t t p : / / w w w . s c o t l a n d . g o v . u k /
Publications/2007/03/28105901/0
17. Draft Standards for Integrated Care Pathways
for Mental Health
3 April 2007 – NHS QIS
You are invited to comment on the above draft paper
between April and June 2007.
For full consultation go to http://www.nhsqis.org.uk/nhsqis/
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18. The Protection of Vulnerable Groups
(Scotland) Bill: Pre-Consultation Discussion
Paper on Secondary Legislation
This is not a formal consultation.
This is a Scottish Executive discussion paper on the
Secondary Legislation for the Protection of Vulnerable
Groups (Scotland) Bill. The issues contained will
inform developments of the policy options to be consulted
on in the summer. This is not a formal consultation
exercise but the Scottish Executive would welcome
comments on the issues being discussed: retrospective
checking, determination criteria and fees.
For full report click here
CSCI, CSIW, Healthcare
Commission &
Scottish Care Commission
19. Healthcare Commission completes independent
review of performance ratings
10 May 2007 – Healthcare Commission
The Healthcare Commission has published its independent
review process of the 2006 performance
ratings for NHS trusts in England.
For full report go to http://www.healthcarecommission.org.uk/
newsandevents/pressreleases.cfm/cit_id/5433/FAArea1/
customWidgets.content_view_1/usecache/false
20. Corporate plan 2007-2010
10 May 2007 – Scottish Care Commission
The Scottish Care Commission has published its new
Corporate Plan, highlighting its aims and objectives
for 2007-2010.
For Corporate Plan click here
21. Services improve at managing people's
money
8 May 2007 – CSCI
CSCI has published a new report about how those in
the care sector handle people’s money. The report
suggests that home care agencies are lagging behind
residential care homes. The link also contains a
checklist on how to manage people’s money better.
For full report click here
For BBC report click here
22. Care at Home and Housing Support National
Inspection Schedule 2007-08
7 May 2007 – Scottish Care Commission
The Scottish Care Commission has published its new
updated 2007/08 inspection schedule for national
housing support and care at home organisations.
For full report click here
23. Commission for Social Care Inspection
e-News extra May 2007
Switch to the new CSCI professional newsletter
If you are a provider, council worker or other care professional,
CSCI asks that you make the switch to its
new, dedicated newsletter.
If you don’t switch you may miss out on the latest
guidance and checklists that are relevant for providers
and councils.
How do I switch?
1. Click on the link below that takes you to your personal
settings page: switch to the CSCI Professional
newsletter (this opens in a new window)
23. Commission for Social Care Inspection
e-News extra May 2007 (continued…)
2. Select CSCI Professional from the drop down
menu for the newsletter - this can be found halfway
down the screen
3. Select update at the bottom of the screen
Need some help?
Contact the Web Team if you need some help to
make the switch.
Education
Nothing to report
Ireland, Scotland & Wales
Ireland
Nothing to report
Scotland
24. Fire in Douglas View Care Home, Lanarkshire
3 May 2007 – BBC News
4 May 2007 – Evening Times
For full report see Older People—item 64
Wales
25. Dentist 'blocked from NHS funds'
11 May 2007 – BBC News
Gaurav Vij, a dentist in Powys claims that he has
been rebuffed with his attempts to register for NHS
work. The surgery is capable of treating up to 2,500
NHS patients but the local health board says that the
town already has the “appropriate level of NHS dentistry
provision”.
Whenever a new dental surgery opens in the area,
there are queues of people wanting to register.
For full report click here
Learning Disabilities
Nothing to report
Legislation Update
26. No. 1351 The Safeguarding Vulnerable
Groups (Northern Ireland) Order 2007
11 May 2007 – OPSI
For full report click here
27. No. 221 The Adult Placement Agencies
Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2007
10 May 2007 – OPSI
For full report click here
28. No. 269 The Health and Social Services
Trusts (Establishment) (Amendment) Order
(Northern Ireland) 2007
10 May 2007 – OPSI
For full report click here
29. No. 1352 The Inspectors of Education,
Children's Services and Skills (No.2) Order
2007
9 May 2007 – OPSI
For full report click here
30. No. 1365 The Education (School Information)
(England) (Amendment) Regulations
2007
9 May 2007 – OPSI
For full report click here
31. No. 1375 (C. 57) The Health Act 2006
(Commencement No. 3) Order 2007
9 May 2007 – OPSI
For full report click here
32. No. 1386 The Medical Act 1983 (Qualifying
Examinations) Order 2007
9 May 2007 – OPSI
For full report click here
Mental Health
33. Elderly care funding in question
11 May 2007 – BBC News
Norfolk’s Primary Care Trust (PCT) wants to withdraw
£2m worth of funding from the Norfolk and Waveney
Mental Health Trust. A public consultation will take
place before any cuts are made.
For full report click here
34. Call for mental heath care push
11 May 2007 – BBC News
Mental health tsar publishes report
11 May 2007 – DoH
Mental health Tsar maps out way ahead for
mental health reform
10 May 2007 – GNN
Professor Louis Appleby, the National Clinical Director
for Mental Health, explains why improvements in
community care must continue and sets out a new
phase of reform in mental health services.
Breaking down barriers - the clinical case for change,
is the latest in a series of reports from National Clinical
Directors or 'Tsars' and National Advisers focused
on the clinical reasons for making changes to the
ways that services are delivered.
34. Call for mental heath care push
11 May 2007 – BBC News
Mental health tsar publishes report
11 May 2007 – DoH
Mental health Tsar maps out way ahead for
mental health reform (continued…)
10 May 2007 – GNN
Professor Louis Appleby said:
"We no longer rely on beds to help people with serious
difficulties - and patients are given care that they
prefer by specialist teams. Eight years on from the
publication of the National Service Framework, it is
no exaggeration to say that this has been a period of
unprecedented transformation. Large increases in
funding and in numbers of staff have created the essential
foundation for changing the way that care is
delivered.
"There has been a major reshaping of front-line services
around the needs of patients in the community.
However, changes will not end there. "The next
stage in the reconfiguration of mental health services
will further strengthen care in the community - breaking
down barriers in the way services are delivered.
At the heart of these changes will be workforce reform,
with the skills of staff more closely aligned to
the needs of patients - modern treatments, a better
quality of life, social opportunities and improved
physical health."
For BBC report click here
For DoH report click here
35. Mental health secondments 'leaving care
staff in limbo'
10 May 2007 – Community Care
Erville Millar, interim chair of the NHS Confederation’s
new trust umbrella body, the Mental Health
Network, has said that the secondment of social care
staff from councils to mental health trusts has been
“abused” leaving some practitioners in limbo for as
long as five years.
For full report click here
36. Winterton to consider MPs' amendment
to bill
10 May 2007 – Community Care
Health Minister, Rosie Winterton, has said that the
Government may compromise over its plans in the
Mental Health Bill to abolish the requirement that
compulsory care must have therapeutic benefit.
For full report click here
37. Government overturns Mental Health Bill
proposal to prevent under-18s being placed
in adult psychiatric wards
9 May 2007 – Community Care
For full report click here
38. Mental Health: New ways of working for
everyone - Developing and sustaining a capable
and flexible workforce
8 May 2007 – DoH
A progress report completing a trilogy of publications
on 'New Ways of Working' showing how it is being
applied across the whole of the mental health workforce
and affects everyone, including carers and service
users.
For full report click here
39. Mental health: Creating capable teams
approach (CCTA)
8 May 2007 – DoH
This is an ‘off the shelf’, 5 step approach to support
teams to implement New Ways of Working and New
Roles, based on the skills and capabilities required to
meet the needs of service users and carers. The
CCTA could be used in all areas of mental health,
across health and social care, for all ages, in statutory,
voluntary and private sectors.
For full report click here
40. Mental Capacity Act 2005: Core Training
Set
8 May 2007 – DoH
This is one of five sets of training materials to support
the implementation of the Mental Capacity Act 2005.
It is designed to be used as the basis for training sessions
for staff who are working with people whose
capacity to make particular decisions may be uncertain
or questionable.
For full report click here
Miscellaneous
41. Lambhill Court’s Arti Poddar Wins 2007
Asian Business Award
A 23-year-old care home operations director of Lambhill
Court Ltd. in Glasgow, Arti Poddar, won the
Young Achiever of the Year Award at Eastern Eye’s
2007 Asian Business Awards held at the at Hilton,
Mayfair in London.
42. Hospital rebuked for stunting disabled
girl’s growth
10 May 2007 – The Times
Ashley X, a severely disabled six-year old, who had
her breast-buds, uterus and appendix removed and
whose growth was chemically restricted – to improve
her quality of life - by doctors in the USA were told
that they had broken the law. The decision was arrived
at because the doctors had failed to obtain a
court order sanctioning the procedures, a specific
requirement of Washington State law.
43. Prescription pricing division must not be
privatised
May 2007—Vol 4, No. 4, page 5
Article about Health Minister, Andy Burnham’s decision
not to go ahead with offshoring or privatisation
of the Prescription Pricing Division and Unison’s reaction
to it.
44. Time for a change
May 2007—Vol 4, No. 4, page 12
Why healthcare workers can no longer expect a job
for life. An article on the current job crisis for NHS
staff and looking at how the jobs have evolved over
the years.
45. Prophet or pariah?
May 2007—Vol 4, No. 4, page 14
Interview with CEO Mark Adams of Netcare UK. The
healthcare company has received a lot of flak from
the press for compromising the founding principles of
Nye Bevan, the chief architect of the NHS since it
started treating NHS patients in 2005.
46. Another fine mess
May 2007—Vol 4, No. 4, page 16
Article looking at the government’s track record on IT
projects and how the Department of Health’s latest
programme is slowly turning into a disaster.
47. Which way now?
May 2007—Vol 4, No. 4, page 24
Looks at the issues and changes to employment
regulations in 2006, and how it created potential
threats to mergers and acquisitions in the care
homes sector, one year on.
48. An evolving market
May 2007—The healthcare property market
(HealthInvestor sponsored supplement), page vi
Article by Jonathan Peasgood of GVA Grimley about
the current property investment market, most particularly
the care home sector.
NHS
49. Critics of junior doctor fiasco sent
‘gagging order’
12 May 2007 – The Daily Telegraph
Medical tutors who protested publicly against the now
discredited computer based post allocation system
for doctors, leaving 10,000 without a job have been
directed by the National Association of Clinical Tutors
to refrain from passing on anecdotal information.
Ed. It sounds like the National Association may
have been ‘got at’ – who might be behind such a
move? Perhaps one should ask Patricia Hewitt,
Health Secretary.
50. Patients face £1 charge for headphones
12 May 2007 – Daily Mail
Patientline, the business much criticised for the cost
of telephone calls to patient’s bedsides now wants to
charge £1 for the issue of headphones to patients to
listen to radio or TV.
The company is £80m in debt.
51. Poor radiotherapy service hits survival
chances of patients
12 May 2007 – The Times
One million cancer patients that the NHS isn’t
treating
12 May 2007 – Daily Mail
Developing a world class Radiotherapy service
for England
11 May 2007 – GNN
Cancer sufferers are dying for want of radiotherapy
treatments. 1.5m are being paid for by the NHS but
experts believe that it should be 2.5m. The information
is revealed in a report commissioned by the NHS.
52. Bankrupt or sinking under debt, the new
hospitals too costly for cuts
11 May 2007—The Times
Hospitals built under the Private Finance Initiative
schemes are likely never to achieve financial balance
as they are so costly to run according to NHS analysis.
However, there is no point in closing them as the
debt still has to be paid. There is also overcapacity.
53. Dental Contracts
11 May 2007 – GNN
Dental reform monitoring statistics are available at
http://www.performance.doh.gov.uk/dental_contracts.
54. More choice for patients in Northwest
10 May 2007 – GNN
Patients in the North West, it is claimed, will benefit
from faster waiting times and more choice about
where they can be treated. The Department of
Health has signed a contract with BUPA to provide
approximately 6,000 NHS procedures a year across
the region, including general surgery, gynaecology,
neurosurgery, orthopaedics, ear, nose & throat surgery
and plastic surgery.
54. More choice for patients in Northwest
(continued…)
10 May 2007 – GNN
Health Minister Andy Burnham, said:
"The extra facilities this agreement will provide for
the Cheshire and Merseyside communities demonstrates
our commitment that, by 2008, no-one will
wait more than 18 weeks for an operation, from referral
to treatment. The facilities will provide ease of
access for NHS patients to services and minimise
patient travel time across the region. These services
will be of the high quality which all NHS patients expect
and will still be free at the point of need."
55. NHS 'failing on mixed-sex wards'
10 May 2007 – BBC News
The Government has acknowledged its failure to ensure
all non-emergency hospital patients are kept in
single-sex accommodation. Until recently, ministers
insisted that 99% of patients were seen in single-sex
wards, but the government has said that 28 NHS
trusts (15% of the total) need more help to achieve
this target.
For full report click here
56. Mixed sex accommodation in hospitals
10 May 2007 – DoH
The Chief Nursing Officer has published a report on
mixed sex accommodation in hospitals. The report
provides an overview of what patients and the public
want, and points of good practice.
For full report click here
57. NHS should be freed from the meddling
of politicians say doctors
9 May 2007 – The Times
The BMA has argued that the NHS should have its
own constitution, make clear that it can not meet all
health needs, but, focus on core services.
For previous report see BHCR Vol 1, Issue 13—item 84.
58. NHS must improve its single sex accommodation
9 May 2007 – GNN
A report by the Chief Nurse, Prof. Christine Beasley,
has said the NHS must do more to ensure the segregation
of the genders in hospitals. Previously the
Secretary of State had asserted that 99% of the NHS
treated patients in single sex environments. Clearly
she was misinformed!!! As, in the notes to editors it
is revealed that there are currently 28 trusts receiving
support to secure improvements. Each SHA has
been asked to publish details of the issues faced and
the work they have been undertaking to address the
issue.
59. Call For Debate On NHS Rationing
7 May 2007 – The Herald
Doctors want a public debate about the Scottish NHS
rationing treatment. The British Medical Association
says that the country needs an open discussion
about what the health service can afford to offer patients.
60. Doctors call for major NHS change
8 May 2007 – BBC News
The British Medical Association is calling for radical
changes in the way the NHS in England is run. The
BMA things the NHS should only provide core services
due to limited resources and that the NHS
should be managed by an independent board to take
the day-to-day running of the service away from political
control.
For full report click here
61. NHS refuses loans to 13 acute trusts in
severe financial trouble
May 2007—Vol 4, No. 4, page 7
The 18 trusts in severe financial difficulties are
named, with 5 of them only being able to repay loans
in the long term. The NHS has refused to loan
money to the other 13 because the trusts could not
afford to meet the repayments.
Nursing
62. Read this week’s article on the NMC Code
of Conduct click here
Older People
63. 500,000 mothers short changed by £1bn
on their state pensions
12 May 2007 – The Times
Flaws in the pensions system which successive governments
have failed to address has resulted in mothers
being short-changed. The Home Responsibilities
Protection introduced in 1978 meant that women who
gave up work but were in receipt of child benefit
should have an automatic boost to their state pension.
Anyone who thinks they may not be receiving their full
entitlement can call 0845 302 1479.
64. Fire in Douglas View Care Home, Lanarkshire
3 May 2007 – BBC News
4 May 2007 – Evening Times
89 residents and 15 staff were evacuated from a
Southern Cross care home, nine were taken to hospital
suffering from smoke inhalation.
Social Care
65. Resistance to change in social care
blocking independent living for disabled
people, Office for Disability Issues study
finds
11 May 2007 – Community Care
A government study by the Office for Disability Issues
has found that resistance to change in the social
care is preventing independent living for disabled
people.
Service users, providers and policymakers currently
believe that services are currently shaped by a particular
requirement to keep disabled people “passive
and dependent”.
For full report click here
66. Home care yet more focused on fewer,
needier clients, figures from the Information
Centre for health and social care show
11 May 2007 – Community Care
Current trends show that councils are focusing domiciliary
care on less, but more needy people and are
outsourcing provisions to the independent sector.
For full report click here
67. Beverley Hughes presses ahead with social
care practices despite sector’s scepticism
10 May 2007 – Community Care
A working group is due to report on the proposed
pilot of contracting out of services for looked-after
children to a GP-type social care practice. The idea
has received a mixed reaction from the sector.
For full report click here
68. Social care review has failed to address
low pay, Registered Nursing Home Association
says
10 May 2007 – Community Care
The Registered Nursing Home Association has accused
Dame Denise Platt of issuing a “flawed” review
because it did not address the issue of low pay within
the sector.
The review was also criticised for failing to call for
more resources for the social care sector.
For full report click here
69. 'Changes needed' in social care
6 May 2007 – BBC News
A poll of 2,306 people has found that most people are
against the current arrangements for social care and
think that there should be more state-funded support
for the most vulnerable. The Caring Choices (a coalition
of charities) published the survey results which
also indicated that people believed that some individual
contribution may be needed.
For full report click here
Staff, employment and
disciplinary
70. Care workers 'may quit' over pay
9 May 2007 – BBC News
Staff at a Liverpool care provider are threatening that
they will be forced to quit if a new council pay deal is
brought in. They state that they could lose almost a
third of their wages after a change in the way council
and care agencies are managed.
The authority states that the service is not changing
but the new payment system will be a better deal for
council tax payers.
For full report click here
Nursing & Midwifery Council’s
Code of Conduct
The current Code of conduct issued by the Nursing
and Midwifery Council came into force in June 2002;
and the version reproduced below has been operational
from August 2004. However, the code is
shortly to be replaced by an entirely new Code which
is currently under consideration.
The current Code addresses issues of abuse and the
protection of the patient in section 8 which requires
that nurses must act to identify and minimise risk to
patients. Additionally, section 7 requires that nurses
are trustworthy. Accordingly, a registered nurse
must act quickly and decisively where there is a suspicion
that someone is being abused/harmed or at
risk of abuse/harm. Failure to do so risks offending
more than one part of the Code – hence the reason
we have reproduced it in full.
If you have not read the code of conduct for some
while we recommend that the whole of the code be
re-read. It will not take long, perhaps 15 minutes.
The new draft code is undergoing a second phase of
consultation by NMC which will, by September 2007,
have contacted a random sample of 5,500 members
seeking views on the proposed changes. In addition,
anyone wishing to contribute to the review will be
able to comment via an ‘online consultation’ from
next month.
The draft code is reproduced in full later in this issue.
When reading the draft code you will note that it is
much shorter and will take only a few minutes to
read. That may well mean that there are broader
principles and wider liability for registered
nurses. However, you can make up your own mind
by printing off and comparing the two documents.
A small but very important point and one not directly
linked to abuse is that if adopted in its present for the
draft code will require that nurses “clearly sign and
date entries made in someone’s records”. That will
apply to medicine administration records – commonly
referred to as ‘MAR sheets’. And a failure to do so,
other than the occasional oversight is likely to result
in an NMC investigation by its professional practice
committee.
Brunswicks LLP acknowledges and is grateful to
the NMC for permission to reproduce its codes.