Editorial
As I prepare this week’s issue for ‘press’ I have been
attending the annual conference of National Care
Association.
At the event NCA launched its new logo and image.
I also heard the new Care Services Minister, Phil
Hope, appointed three weeks ago – replacing Ivan
Lewis speak publicly on social care matters for the
first time since appointment.
The perennial question about the level of funding of
service users was raised.
As with Mr Lewis, we were reminded just how much
cash has been made available to local authorities
and the reason providers are cash-starved is as a
result of spending decisions made by councils and
that to interfere would be ultra vires.
We all know that the Government has been
consulting on how to fund social care going forward
and the intention to launch a Green Paper next year
based upon the findings of the consultation
process. There needs to be a new bargain between
the State, the individual and the family in order to
fund the cost of future long term care.
As part of that bargain it seems the time has arrived
for Government to consider winding the clock back
15 years or so and, rather than distribute cash for
long term care by simply handing it over to local
councils, the cash should either be ‘ring-fenced’ or,
better still, distributed directly by Government
through the Department of Work and Pensions
to providers or service users as personal
budget.
Abuse
1. Safeguarding Adults – Consultation document
from DH on ‘No Secrets’
The 73 page document is available on DH website.
If you want us to send you a copy, please email
keith.lewin@brunswicks.eu Putting ‘No Secrets’ in
the ‘Subject’ box of your email.
2. ACTION ON ELDER ABUSE
e-News October
No Secrets Consultation October 2008
It is two and a half years since Liam Byrne accepted
the principle of putting adult protection onto a legislative
footing. Five months after his commitment
Stephen Hoskin was murdered by people who had
befriended him. While the death of 78 year old Margaret
Painting led to the crime of causing the unlawful
death of a vulnerable adult (Domestic Violence,
Crimes and Victims Act 2004), it is difficult to see
what changes resulted from Stephen’s death.
In child protection, we have a shameful roll call of
death, from Tyra Henry to Victoria Climbie. We must
not have the same for adults. The consultation on
No Secrets must be grasped by all of us as a chance
to speak clearly and with one voice. We need to
spell out what works, what doesn’t and what must be
done to make a difference. And we need to ensure
that the messages are heard unequivocally, without
any misunderstanding.
The consultation document is a mixed bag, ranging
from complex discussion points and questions (the
criminal justice section), through to simplistic and
banal ones, (‘what evidence is there that increased
funding would lead to better outcomes?’) And it is so
wrapped up in the jargon of personalisation that it
fails to address the safeguarding implications. The
Serious Case Review into Stephen’s death stated, ‘It
is essential that health and social care services review
the implications of acceding to people’s ‘choice’
if the latter is not to be construed as abandonment….`
Steven Hoskin had lost all control of his own
life within his home. He had no say, choice or control
over who stayed or visited the flat. He had no voice or
influence over what happened within the premises’.
We need to address these points, instead of
talking about falls strategies for older people!
The answers to many of the questions posed in the
consultation are already known to the Government.
They know protection is inadequately funded
and lacks the necessary powers and duties to make a
difference, so we need to raise the standard of this
consultation to a higher level. For example, the debate
is not about whether there is a need for powers
to gain access to an adult at risk, it is about who has
that power, how is exercised, and what are the safeguards
needed.
No Secrets Consultation document can be
downloaded from the DH website: http://www.dh.gov.uk/
e n / S o c i a l C a r e / S o c i a l c a r e r e f o r m /
Safeguardinganddealingwithabuse/index.htm
3. AEA calls upon the Government to hear
the messages in the independent report into
individual budgets
21 October 2008
AEA has welcomed the first independent evaluation
of the Government’s ‘Cash for Care’ strategy and has
urged Minister’s to hear what older people are saying
and experiencing.
The report has confirmed that ‘many older people
supported by adult services do not appear to want
what many of them described as the ‘additional burden’
of planning and managing their own support’. It
has also indicated that ‘Older people reported lower
psychological well-being with Independent Budgets,
and suggested that this was perhaps because they
felt the processes of planning and managing their
own support were burdens’.
Additionally it noted that ‘common concerns of frontline
staff were … managing potential risks – for instance
paying family members or neighbours (with no
Criminal Records Bureau checks) to provide support.
Staff were also uneasy about potential harm or risks
of financial exploitation arising from users’ choices’.
Gary FitzGerald, Chief Executive of Action on Elder
Abuse (AEA), said, “An overwhelming message from
this evaluation is that the Government needs to slow
down and recognise that people are different. What
works for one person or group of people does not
automatically work for others, and this needs to be
built into the process. The Serious case review into
the death of Stephen Hoskin clearly indicated that
acceding to choice should not result in abandonment
[1] and we need to be careful that this does not happen.
Fundamentally, the Government needs to understand
that most adults facing the sharp end of
abuse are in no position to be empowered without
major frameworks and structures of support.
They have been actively conditioned and disempowered
by the perpetrator or by the circumstances of the
abuse but nevertheless have a legitimate voice that
needs to be listened to, heard, and acted upon. The
Government’s responses on the safeguarding implications
of this report are therefore insufficient, simplistic
and bear little reality to the circumstances of
abusive situations. They really need to address this
urgently!”
AEA has argued that citizens should not be automatically
disempowered from choice and control over
their lives simply as a consequence of age, disability
or assumed inability, but that it instead should be
based upon principles similar to those expressed
within the Mental Capacity Act 2005, an assessment
of ability and risk, and an appropriate infrastructure
that encompasses a safeguarding approach.
Concluded FitzGerald, “We are concerned that the
Government has already sought to weaken the messages
of this independent report by implying that the
situation has changed and improved. If they are
genuine about personalisation then we urge them to
throw equal weight behind developing choice and
control within regulated services instead of exclusively
championing the ‘cash for care’ model. This
model represents only one way of empowering people,
and for some it can be a reckless option imposed
with little regard for choice or control.”
Business News
4. Care home providers struggle to agree
deals
25 October 2008 - The Times
Southern Cross and Four Seasons under pressure to
sell up (even at a loss for its backers) to release cash
to pay the banking syndicates which are owed billions
of pounds.
Four Seasons is owned by Qatar's sovereign wealth
fund a disposal it is thought would release just
£800million for creditors. RBS is said to be reluctant
to agree.
5. 100th hospital scheme opens doors to patients
22 October 2008
The 100th hospital scheme to be built under the biggest
hospital building programme in the history of the
NHS - St Helens Hospital in Merseyside - has admitted
its first patients.
The NHS Plan in 2000 announced that 100 new hospital
schemes would be built by the end of 2010 under
the building programme to replace aging and unsuitable
infrastructure, through a mixture of Private
Finance Initiatives (PFI) and public capital funded
schemes.
To date 131 hospitals have been built or are under
construction as part of the scheme at a cost of £12
billon. The programme is not just about replacing old
buildings but is also helping to improve the patient
experience, modernise services and improve access
and choice.
Ed. Overall annual capital expenditure (i.e. PFI
and public capital) on hospital building has increased
from around £1.1 billion in 1997/98 to
around £5.5 billion in 2007/08, four times more in
real terms than in 1997 and an average real terms
increase per year of over 10%.
Effectively this is borrowing ‘off balance sheet’
for the Government and is of great concern not
only in times of economic crisis such as now, but,
generally – who will pick up the bill if it all goes
pear-shaped?
6. Birmingham to consult on care home quality
October 2008 - Community Care Market News
Birmingham City Council is consulting on how best to
invest £1m to shape the market in improving independent
care home nursing places.
Care Homes
7. HSE blitz on Somerset care homes highlights
room for improvement
14 October 2008
'Room for improvement across the board' is the general
consensus of inspectors from the Health Safety
Executive (HSE), following a recently completed series
of unannounced targeted inspections of care
homes across Somerset.
The inspection initiative took place over a two-week
period (15-26 September) and turned the spotlight on
a range of health and safety issues relating to such
areas as hot water, hot surfaces, window restrictors,
Legionella, manual handling, latex and bed rails.
A total of 20 homes were visited and 12 of these
were served with Improvement Notices - please see
Notes to Editors for breakdown of Improvement Notices
by type and by Local Authority area.
HSE inspector Trudi Smyth, who coordinated the
initiative, summarised the key findings:
"Most of the homes we inspected had good controls
in place where hot water and hot surface risks were
concerned, however, not all of them were aware
what the maximum temperatures should be or how
quickly burning could occur.
"Bed rail management was another area where most
homes visited were aware of the risks relating to this
issue but many were not aware of the British Standard
and were not carrying out sufficient checks or
maintenance.
"As far as windows were concerned, most of the
homes did have some sort of restrictor in place but
there were problems with old windows which were
not adequately restricted or robust and with new windows
which had restrictors which could be easily
overcome.
"Finally, on the issue of Legionella, many of the
homes we visited lacked a specific risk assessment,
management system or knowledge of the controls
required and it was this area which notched up the
largest number of Improvement Notices.
"This inspection 'blitz' has given us a good overview
of the general standards of health and safety in care
homes across Somerset and we will use these findings
to inform our proactive work in the future. One of
the first things we will be doing is holding a series of
Health and Safety Awareness Days, together with
Local Authorities, across the South West in the new
year."
8. Time for a bit of self-reflection, CSCI
October 2008 - Healthcare Business
Stuart Marchant reflects on the wrongful distress
caused to service users and providers by the inappropriate
activity of CSCI in the cancellation of a care
home registration, pressuring providers by destabilising
the business and other inappropriate conduct.
Case Reports
Law Reports
9. Commissionaires Management v Hughes
The Employment Appeal Tribunal in this case dealing
with several aspects of rest breaks under the Working
Time Regulations 1998, held:-
• that an employee is only entitled to one rest
break once he has worked more than six hours; he is
not entitled to a subsequent rest break if he works for
twelve hours (paras. 15-16)
• where a rest break cannot be taken at the correct
time, a proper compensatory rest break must be offered.
It is not enough to say that an employee can
rest between shifts (paras. 25-29)
• a claim can only be brought in respect of rest
breaks for the three month period before presentation
of a claim (six months if the statutory grievance applies).
The concept of 'continuing breaches' to enable
further backdating does not apply here (para. 42)
We are grateful to specialist employment law barrister
Daniel Barnett for the above summary.
Disciplinary cases
10. Case against IVF doctor collapses
23 October 2008 – BBC News
The disciplinary case against Mohamed Taranissi, a
leading IVF doctor, has collapsed.
Dr Taranissi runs London's Assisted Reproduction
and Gynaecology Centre (ARGC), had faced charges
relating to his treatment of two women. He denied
the accusations of failing to keep proper medical records,
carrying out inappropriate tests and acting in
an insensitive manner.
The General Medical Council ruled that there was
insufficient evidence to continue.
For full report click here
Cases in the news
11. Woman choked to death on sandwich
21 October 2008 – BBC News
Dr Peter Dean has expressed his concern by the
death of Florence Smith at a care home in Suffolk
after she died by choking on a sandwich.
Dr Dean, the coroner, recorded a verdict of accidental
death but ordered that the Commission for Social
Care Inspection be alerted to the death as only one of
the four staff on duty had basic first aid training.
For full report click here
Children
12. Reforms threaten family courts
23 October 2008 - The Times
Article about the apparent collapse of access to justice
following the Government’s increase of court
fees by several hundred percent. Sir Mark Potter,
President of the Family Division, says that the intention
of full cost recovery is illusory.
13. More open justice for families in the
courts
20 October 2008 - The Times
The only way to dispel these myths is to let
the media in, says top judge
20 October 2008 - The Times
Sir Mark Potter opines that there is now the strongest
case for the media to be given access to children
care cases for greater transparency. Of course,
identities will need to be protected.
Ed. It looks like some long overdue reforms are
on their way. It is likely to be some time off and
wont come quickly enough for most families who
find themselves in what to many is a Kafkaesque
experience.
Conferences & Courses
14. WITH JUST ONE WEEK TO GO UNTIL
THE CARE SHOW - you still have time to register
for fast track entry
With just one week left until The Care Show, Birmingham
opens you still have time to register. This
means that you get sent your badge in advance and
can walk straight into the show. REGISTER TODAY
The Care Show is the premier show for care professionals
in the UK and the new look show offers not
only the only chance to see over 150 exhibitors but
also the opportunity to gain free education and training
in the packed programme of educational features
- all under one roof!
Here's a reminder why it's worth spending a day
there.........
Seminars - Hear the latest updates on strategies,
initiatives and announcements; find out how the Care
Quality Commission will affect you and discover how
to get the star rating you deserve and more...
Nutritional Kitchen – practical cooking and nutrition
tips hosted by the NACC Care Cooks of the
Year. Come along and taste the food!
Training – Free certificated training for care workers
covering subjects such as health and safety, risk
assessing your home and transforming your team's
morale.
Dementia Care Advice & Seminars - hear from
experts on good practice in dementia care; what people
living with dementia might want plus other important
issues.
plus...........
YOUR ONLY CHANCE THIS YEAR TO SEE AND
COMPARE OVER 150 EXHIBITORS - all in the same
place at the same time....
Many will have special offers and here is a taster of
what some of them have to offer:...
Newly launched Transcare bath offering a number
of innovative features
Fabrix laundry liquid - a breakthrough in the battle
against super bugs
A care bed that converts to a chair as an aid to
standing
Simplaphone™ which makes dialling and receiving
calls easier
Care Monitor; a revolutionary and uniquely holistic
resident monitoring system
The UK’s first radio network exclusively for care
homes
....plus much more. Check out all the exhibitors
REGISTER TODAY
15. Leading the way in social care
Social Care Leadership Development Programme—
by SCIE
November 2008 and January 2009
SCIE is running a third year of the highly successful
Social Care Leadership Development Programme,
which will be run by the King’s Fund, Birmingham
University and the Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust.
The programme welcomes applications from:
• Potential directors of adult social services and potential
directors or chief executives in provider organisations
• Black and minority ethnic applications
• Private sector provider applicants
The programme is designed to provide a developmental
and outcomes-focused framework that draws
on participants’ experiences and relates to their current
work environment. Core content themes are:
• Leadership for social care outcomes
• Personal and organisational leadership
• Community leadership
The programme is funded by the Department of
Health with a maximum of 24 participants in each
group.
For more information and an application form please
contact Elizabeth Scott, Programme Administrator,
SCIE, Goldings House, 2 Hay’s Lane, LONDON,
SE1 2HB on 020 7089 6920 or elizabeth.
scott@scie.og.uk
16. 'Choosing protection' conference
6 November 2008 – Llandrindod Wells
A key concept of modernising health and social care
systems is the right for people receiving services to
be able to exercise choice. Should this right to
choose, mean giving up the right to protection? Is
there really any contradiction between these two
rights? How can we learn from the lessons of Domestic
Violence and take a positive attitude towards
tackling abuse whilst allowing adults the right to
choice and control over their lives?
At a time when In Safe Hands is being reviewed this
question is crucial for all those involved in protection
and safeguarding work.
This unique conference hosted by Action on Elder
Abuse will hear from a multitude of speakers on this
important topic and many other important safeguarding
issues.
Other topic areas to be addressed include:
Developing a survivors network
Criminal justice
Abuse of people with learning disabilities
Natalie Fernandez
Senior Events Co-ordinator
Action on Elder Abuse
020 8765 7000
www.elderabuse.org.uk
17. Action on Elder Abuse - FORTHCOMING
events
Alliance for Adult Protection Legislation Meeting, London
Nov 2008
> Parliamentary Reception, London Dec 2008
> Legislation Conference, London, Jan 2009
> AEA’s National Conference, Nottingham, 23/24
March 2009
For details please contact Natalie Fernandez on natalie@
elderabuse.org.uk, or call us on 0208 765 7000
18. ‘Mind the Gap! The future of
care.’
The English Community Care Association
2008 Conference & Exhibition
Wednesday, 12 November, 2008. Holiday Inn,
Bloomsbury, London
Buy 2 tickets get a 3rd ticket free! A Special offer
for ECCA members!
Funding, regulation and personalised services are
key concerns for the whole sector and there is a real
need for knowledge about how they will affect providers’
ability to deliver a quality service. This conference
will give delegates the opportunity to hear
the views of those at the very top in government,
regulation and commissioning and to challenge the
mismatch between the rhetoric and the practice.
The speaker programme includes:
• Phil Hope, Minister for Care Services. Ministerial
address
• Baroness Young, Chair, Care Quality Commission.
Vision for regulation of the social care
sector
• John Dixon, President, ADASS. Partnerships,
personalisation & funding
To book your place at the conference, sponsored by
Boots Care Services, call ECCA on 08450 577 677,
email conference@ecca.org.uk or visit
www.ecca.org.uk
© Brunswicks LLP 2008 http://www.brunswickslaw.eu Page 8
19. Westminster Health Forum keynote seminar
Adult Social Care Workforce Strategy
Morning, 19th November 2008, Westminster SW1
With Glen Mason
Director of Social Care Leadership & Performance,
Department of Health
Our Website | Book Online
Planned sessions will look at:
The central themes of the Adult Social Care Workforce
Strategy;
Implementing the personalisation of adult social care
services;
Remodelling the adult social care workforce; and
Regulating and measuring the performance of the
adult social care workforce.
We are delighted that Glen Mason, Director of Social
Care Leadership & Performance, Department of
Health will be delivering a keynote address at this
seminar.
Other speakers are expected to be confirmed shortly.
Typically, attendees at our seminars are a senior and
informed group numbering around 120, including
Members of both Houses of Parliament, senior government
officials involved in this area of public policy,
health professionals, trade unions, representatives of
health consumer organisations, academia, interested
and affected charities and other related industries,
together with representatives of the trade and national
press.
Booking arrangements
To book places, please use our online booking form.
Once submitted, this will be taken as a confirmed
booking and will be subject to our terms and conditions
below.
Please pay in advance by credit card on 01276
489144. If advance credit card payment is not possible
please let me know and we may be able make
other arrangements.
Options and charges are as follows:
Places at Adult Social Care Workforce Strategy
(including refreshments and PDF copy of the transcripts)
are £190 plus VAT (£223.25);
Concessionary rate places for small charities, unfunded
individuals and those in similar circumstances
are £80 plus VAT (£94). Please be sure to apply for
this at the time of booking.
20. The King's Fund Annual Conference 2008
Reshaping the NHS: Creating locally-driven
evidence-based service change
Tuesday 25 November 2008, 9.30am–5.30pm
Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists,
Regent's Park, London
What is the conference about?
Lord Darzi's NHS Next Stage Review makes it clear
that all future NHS reconfigurations should be clinically
driven, evidence based and locally led – with
inputs from patients and the public. The King's Fund
Annual Conference 2008 will look at what this means
in practice. We will explore different types and applications
of evidence, consider the roles that service
commissioners and providers need to adopt, and
showcase successful national and international service
reconfigurations that reflect these principals.
Keynote speakers
International keynote speaker: David Levine, President
and Director General of the Health and Social
Services Agency in Montreal, Quebec, Canada
UK Keynote speaker: Geoff Mulgan, Director, The
Young Foundation
Exhibition and sponsorship
Following the success of last year's exhibition we are
delighted to be offering a limited number of extra conference
stands in 2008. We have a wide variety of
sponsorship packages available.
Places at this event are limited so we recommend
that you reserve a place as soon as possible by
downloading a booking form from our website or
booking online. For further information please visit our
website or email us and we will be happy to provide
you with more details.
21. DIGNITY MATTERS CONFERENCE -
ONLY 200 PLACES
25 November 2008
New Connaught Rooms, 61- 65 Great Queen Street,
Covent Garden, London WC2B 5DA
Invitation to National Dignity Champions Conference
Key Speakers: Phil Hope, Minister for Care Services
Cynthia Bowers, Shadow Chief Executive Care Quality
Commission
Sir Michael Parkinson
A national conference to enable dignity champions to
take ideas into reality.
This event will include the launch of 'Beyond Slogans-
A New Framework for Assessing Progress with
Dignity In Care' The conference is for dignity champions
and those interested in the dignity campaign
from health, local authorities, clinicians, commissioners,
the independent sector, managers and practitioners.
22. Capita’s National Conference
Improving the Lives of People with Dementia
Capita’s National Conference
Improving the Lives of People with Dementia
Tuesday 25th November 2008 – Central London
Please note that we are now taking bookings on this
popular event, which is CPD Certified and supported
by UCL, the Alzheimer’s Society, and Age Concern.
We are also taking bookings on the related
Half Day Briefing on Wednesday 26th November,
Developing the Skills of the Dementia Care Workforce.
RECEIVE A 20% DISCOUNT FOR BOOKING ON
BOTH EVENTS.
Please click here for further details of this conference.
If you have any problems with the hyperlink,
please e-mail me at dave.eastman@capita.co.uk and
I will send the brochure as an attachment.
Chaired by Maria Parsons, Executive Director, London
Centre for Dementia Care, our expert speakers
include:
• Ruth Eley, CSIP National Programme Lead,
Older and Disabled People, Department of
Health
• Alison Murray, Provider Relationship Manager,
Inspection, Regulation and Review Directorate,
Commission for Social Care Inspection
• James Buckley, Chief Executive Officer, Tunstall
• Andrew Chidgey, Head of Policy and Public Affairs,
National Dementia Strategy Implementation,
Alzheimer’s Society
• Tony Tench, Extra Care and Services Director,
Hanover Housing Association
• Philip Hurst, Policy Manager, Age Concern
• Rachael Dutton, Specialist Dementia Research
Manager, Housing 21 Dementia Voice
• Lee Sims, Operational Manager, Housing 21
Dementia Voice
Launching in October, the Government’s first National
Dementia Strategy for the UK will have profound
implications for all stakeholders involved in dementia
care and support services.
Organised to address the key challenges ahead,
Capita’s National Improving the Lives of People
with Dementia Conference brings together expert
speakers from forward thinking organisations involved
in dementia care. They will provide local authorities,
housing providers and care support services
with advice and practical guidance on improving wellbeing,
inclusion and quality of life for people with dementia.
This timely event will cover a range of pertinent issues,
including:
• Providing workforce wide support for implementing
the National Dementia Strategy
• Ensuring flexible care services to meet different
support needs
• Methods for enabling early diagnosis and intervention
for people with dementia
• Ways to improve dementia support in care
homes through design and integrated specialist
services
Places can be booked on this event either by filling
out and returning the booking form on the final page
of the conference brochure, or by e-mailing the delegate
details directly to dave.eastman@capita.co.uk.
Alternatively you can book online by clicking here
and using Booking Reference Code TSDE.
23. “A Place of Safety or the New Asylums?
Implementing Measures to Improve Mental
Health Provision in Community Safety Services”
The briefing will be hosted by The House Magazine
on Wednesday, 3 December 2008 in Westminster
The event will be chaired by Professor Jan Keene
(Director of Research and Lecturer in Social Work, University
of Reading) with speakers including:
Ian Bynoe (Commissioner for Mental Health, Independent
Police Complaints Commission)
Dr Michele Hampson (Chair, Multi-agency Working
Group, Royal College of Psychiatrists)
Inspector Michael Partridge (Mental Health Project
Team, Metropolitan Police Service)
Laura Thorne (Criminal Justice Programme, Sainsbury
Centre for Mental Health)
23. “A Place of Safety or the New Asylums?
Implementing Measures to Improve Mental
Health Provision in Community Safety Services”
(continued…)
Participants at this Westminster Briefing will discuss the
latest government measures to improve mental health
services in community safety provision. Delegates will
consider the recently released RCP standards on section
136 and best practice solutions in improving cooperative
working. Particular focus will be placed on the
importance of forming strong partnerships between
primary care trusts police forces and other service partners.
24. Westminster Health Forum keynote seminar
Palliative and End of Life Care
Morning, 9th December 2008
Westminster, SW1
With Professor Mike Richards - Chair, End of Life
Care Strategy Advisory Board and National Cancer
Director, Department of Health
and
Thomas Hughes-Hallett - Chief Executive, Marie
Curie Cancer Care
and
Professor the Baroness Finlay of Llandaff
Live Agenda| Our Website | Book Online
This seminar will examine issues around the provision
and quality of palliative and end of life care, and
what more can be done to provide a better service to
patients and their families. It follows the publication
of the Government’s End of Life Care Strategy and
the recently released Darzi review of the NHS, which
looked in part at end of life care.
Sessions will look at:
Palliative and end of life care in the UK and the end
of life care programme;
The impact of the strategy so far and the next steps
for implementing the reforms;
Delivering frontline palliative and end of life care and
preferred place of care;
Innovative approaches and ethical issues in end of
life care; and
The end of life care strategy and the way forward for
palliative and end of life care.
Booking arrangements
To book places, please use our online booking form.
Once submitted, this will be taken as a confirmed
booking and will be subject to our terms and conditions
below.
Please pay in advance by credit card on 01276
489144. If advance credit card payment is not possible,
please let me know and we may be able make
other arrangements.
Options and charges are as follows:
Places at Palliative and End of Life Care (including
refreshments and PDF copy of the transcripts) are
£190 plus VAT (£223.25);
Concessionary rate places for small charities, unfunded
individuals and those in similar circumstances
are £80 plus VAT (£94). Please be sure to apply for
this at the time of booking.
For those who cannot attend:
Copies of the briefing document, including full transcripts
of all speeches and the question and comment
sessions and further articles from interested
parties, will be available approximately 7 days after
the event for £95 plus VAT (£111.63);
Concessionary rate: £50 plus VAT (£58.75).
If you find the charge for tickets a barrier to attending,
please let me know and we will do our best to see
you are not excluded. Please note terms and conditions
below (including cancellation charges) will still
apply.
25. Commissioning for change: Healthinvestor
primary series
IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE NHS ALLIANCE
21st January 2009 – Central London
The introduction of world class commissioning is designed
to raise procurement standards across the
UK. This event explores the efficacy of these commissioning
mechanisms and the outcome these changes
have in terms of enabling patient choice and individualised
healthcare. The programme also examines the
successes and the lessons which can be learned for
both commissioners and providers.
The agenda will address the following issues:
How will commissioning meet the healthcare challenges
posed by future demand?
Towards a level playing field for the independent sector
Presenting a good business case: The view of an independent
provider
Why are some organisations successful why others
fail?
25. Commissioning for change: Healthinvestor
primary series
IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE NHS ALLIANCE
(CONTINUED…)
Improving patient and public involvement in commissioning
Understanding the information requirements for improved
commissioning
Lessons from overseas commissioning
Revisited: Will NHS commissioning be the envy of
the world?
Contributors will include:
Mike Sobanja – Chief Officer, NHS Alliance
Ken Anderson – Managing Director, UBS
Gary Belfield – Director of Commissioning, Department
of Health
Hilary Heywood – Assistant Director, Ashton, Leigh
& W i g a n P r i m a r y C a r e T r u s t
Derek Felton – Director of Commissioning Services,
Tribal
Conal Timoney, Head of Communications Development,
NHS London
Paul Mainwaring, Chair, Patients Council
Nick Gordon, Commercial Director, Harmoni
If you would like further details or to book a place at
these events, please visit www.healthinvestor.co.uk
or contact our Events Team on 020 7104 2000, or
email kate.atkins@healthinvestor.co.uk
26. Westminster Health Forum keynote seminar
Dementia and Elderly Care
Morning, 27th January 2009
Westminster, London SW1
with
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Care Services,
Department of Health
and
Professor Sube Banerjee
Senior Professional Advisor, Older People's Mental
Health, Department of Health
and
Neil Hunt
Chief Executive, Alzheimer's Society
Live Agenda| Our Website | Book Online
This seminar will examine issues around the reform
of dementia services, and what more can be done to
provide a better service to patients and families. It is
timed to reflect issues raised in the National Dementia
Strategy which is due to be published later this
year.
Speakers and Delegates
To book places, please use our online booking form.
Please pay in advance by credit card on 01276
489144. If advance credit card payment is not possible,
please let me know and we may be able make
other arrangements.
Options and charges are as follows:
Places at Dementia and Elderly Care (including refreshments
and PDF copy of the transcripts) are £190
plus VAT (£223.25);
Concessionary rate places for small charities, unfunded
individuals and those in similar circumstances
are £80 plus VAT (£94). Please be sure to apply for
this at the time of booking.
27. Action on Elder Abuse is pleased to announce
its National Conference for 2009 will
be on Monday 23 March 2009 and Tuesday 24
March 2009
Next year it will be held at East Midlands Conference
Centre
Nottingham Conferences
University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RJ
T: 0115 951 5000
F: 0115 951 5009
nottinghamconferences.co.uk
28. World Elder Abuse Awareness Day 15
June 2009, this is in its 4th Year now and
we want to make it an important date in
everyone’s diaries , please join with us in
doing an event on the day and helping
raise awareness on Elder Abuse.
For more information email
worldelderabuseday@elderabuse.org.uk
or call 0208 765 7000.
Action on Elder Abuse has launched a
series of exciting challenge events, including
skydiving, trekking and running.
If you've ever wanted to trek the Inca
Trail, freefall from 10,000 feet or sledge
across Lapland with huskies (to name but
a few), visit www.elderabuse.org.uk for
more information.
29. INVESTING IN THE FUTURE OF URGENT
AND EMERGENCY CARE
17th February 2009 – Central London
Primary care commissioners are now tasked with
ensuring a successful strategy to enable the new
vision for a single point of access for 24/7 urgent
care. Opportunities for independent providers to
provide services are booming with an estimated 40
new contracts emerging in this financial year.
As the urgent and emergency care sector rapidly
develops, requirements for new services, new systems
and new providers are increasing. This conference
examines the raft of new primary initiatives and
aimed at reducing inequality, accelerating access
and promoting innovation in urgent care. The programme
addresses how providers and investors can
to achieve these new requirements and adapt quickly
in order to benefit from the expanding market.
Expert guidance will be offered on developing a
strong business case for your urgent care investment
and improving your commercial acumen within the
NHS. The programme will address the following key
concerns for investors:
The Department of Health vision for urgent care
Reasons for private sector investment in urgent care
Commissioning world class urgent and emergency
care
Driving improvements in urgent care in primary care
Building a business case for out-of-hours care provision
Towards world-class services in ambulatory care
Collaborating within urgent care and across external
care services
Working creatively with relevant agencies to improve
care outcomes
Improving public access to urgent and emergency
care
Contributors include:
Professor Sir George Alberti, National Clinical Director,
Emergency Care Access, Department of Health
Rick Stern, Primary Care Foundation and special advisor
in primary care management to the NHS Alliance
James Vallance, Urgent Care Policy Manager, Service
Design Division, Directorate of Commissioning
and System Management, Department of Health
Eric Peacock, Retired Chief Executive, Northern Doctors
Urgent Care
If you would like further details or to book a place at
these events, please visit www.healthinvestor.co.uk
or contact our Events Team on 020 7104 2000, or
email kate.atkins@healthinvestor.co.uk
30. INVESTING IN HEALTH AND MEDICAL
TOURISM: OPPORTUNITIES, RISKS AND DEVELOPMENTS
24th March 2009 – Central London
By 2010 medical travel is expected to be a £23 billion
business, with over 780 million patients seeking care
outside their principal country of residence. Many
countries tourism income increasingly depends on it
and its impact on the organisation of national and
international healthcare is increasing.
It is a huge worldwide business, but until now, information
has been aimed at patients. This groundbreaking
conference will investigate from a business
perspective what is happening now and what is likely
to happen worldwide in different types of medical and
health tourism.
This event addresses the key questions:
Why is it happening? Where is demand coming from?
Where are people going? Who is offering or planning
to offer services? What is the relationship to insurance?
& What are the risks and problems?
It could help you:
Access this market
Stay ahead of the opposition
Identify new income areas
Understand the regulations and avoid the associated
risks
Gain from this developing sector
Promote your business
It could stop you:
Missing out on a growing market
Providing the wrong type of service
Missing out on deals
Losing market share and existing customers
Making assumptions based on inaccurate information
Using unregulated intermediaries
Contributors include:
Ken Anderson, Managing Director, UBS
Keith Pollard, Managing Director, TreatmentAbroad
Dipa Jethwa, Founder, The Taj Medical Group
If you would like further details or to book a place at
these events, please visit www.healthinvestor.co.uk
or contact our Events Team on 020 7104 2000, or
email kate.atkins@healthinvestor.co.uk
Consultations
To follow next week
CSCI/Care Quality Commission
(w.e.f. 2009), CSSIW,
Healthcare Commission &
Scottish Care Commission
31. HMIE Quality Indicators and the Care
Commission Quality Themes and Statements
24 October 2008 – SCRC
HMIE & The Care Commission have jointly produced
guidance to help providers consider how to
present their evidence for the HMIE Quality Indicators
and Care Commission's Quality Themes and
Statements systems.
There is a table shown within the guidance which
shows how the two systems link together.
For full report click here
32. Consultation on final dates for social service
workers to register with the SSSC
24 October 2008 – SCRC
The Introduction of final dates for prescribed descriptions
of social service workers to achieve registration
with the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC): A
Consultation Paper has now been issued.
For full report click here
33. Care Quality Commission launches consultation
CQC will aim for transparent, consistent enforcement
24 October 2008 – Community Care
Cynthia Bower, chief executive of the Care Quality
Commission (CQC) has warned that the body will not
back away from taking enforcement action against
social care and health providers.
She made the statement as the CQC - which will begin
work in April 2009 - launched a consultation on its
approach to enforcement. The regulator said it would
aim for enforcement to be consistent, transparent and
proportionate.
For full report click here
34. Forthcoming review will highlight lack of
training and advocacy
24 October 2008 – Community Care
The quality of safeguarding adults practice varies
significantly between areas, a Commission for Social
Care Inspection report due out next month will say.
CSCI chief inspector Paul Snell has outlined some of
the findings from an inspection report of the quality of
safeguarding adults practice. The report found that
there was a significant variation between areas.
For full report click here
35. Healthcare watchdog welcomes NHS progress
in struggle against C.Difficile
23 October 2008 – Healthcare Commission
The Healthcare Commission has welcomed news of
a fall in C.Diff rates, saying the figures suggested
significant progress in the struggle against healthcare-
associated infection.
For full report go to http://www.healthcarecommission.org.uk/
newsandevents/mediacentre/pressreleases.cfm?
cit_id=1443&FAArea1=customWidgets.content_view_1&useca
che=false
36. Eligibility revamp needed
Commission for Social Care Inspection review
of FACS calls for new adult care criteria
for eligibility
22 October 2008 – Community Care
CSCI has made a call for the current "flawed" system
of adult care eligibility criteria in England to be replaced.
The CSCI's review of the Fair Access to Care Services
(FACS) system was unveiled at the National
Children and Adult Services Conference in Liverpool
and was originally commissioned by the Department
of Health.
The probe began after CSCI's State of social care
report found poor outcomes for those excluded from
support.
For full report click here
37. 'Cutting the cake fairly': CSCI publishes
review of eligibility criteria for social
care
22 October 2008 - CSCI
Everyone, regardless of their needs or how much
money they have, should, as a minimum, have a
proper discussion about their care needs and good
information and advice about care choices, according
to a new report by the Commission for Social Care
Inspection, published today.
In the longer term the report backs the need for radical
reform to the organisation and funding of the care
and support system, as the Government has already
37. 'Cutting the cake fairly': CSCI publishes
review of eligibility criteria for social
care (continued…)
acknowledged. So as well as reviewing the impact
on people and their carers of the current means of
deciding who should receive publicly-funded care,
CSCI's report also looks at possible future funding
models and different ways they might allocate public
funds to individuals needing care and support.
Launching the report, "Cutting the cake fairly", CSCI
Chair Dame Denise Platt said:
"We were pleased to be asked by the Government to
undertake this review in the light of our report last
January which showed the impact on individuals and
their families of the increasingly tight thresholds for
help set by councils. As this report shows, people
and their families experience stress and bewilderment
trying to get the care they need and the complex
systems for determining how they might be
helped defeat many."
"Our findings demonstrate that the current system of
determining eligibility is both heavily criticised and
not aligned with present policy. The number of people
seeking care and support has been rising and will
continue to do so. Whilst most people accept that not
everything can be provided by the State, they want a
fairer and clearer system and one which both promotes
their well-being and, if they need care and
support, enables them to make informed decisions
about the options available. Our review indicates
there is some way to go before everyone can benefit
from that approach."
The review found that some people are benefiting
from council-funded schemes aimed at those falling
below local eligibility criteria. However, the overall
picture confirms that people looking for support frequently
fail to have an opportunity to have their needs
properly taken into account and advice about the
choices open to them. People who do not meet the
eligibility criteria manage as best they can but often at
great cost in financial, emotional, personal and physical
terms, both to them and their family carers.
The recommendations are:
(i) Better arrangements that offer universal support.
Eligibility criteria for access to public funding
for social care services should be seen in a
broader context that is more consistent with Putting
People First and offers some level of help and
advice to everyone seeking it. Three key elements
are identified to ensuring better arrangements that
offer universal support -
• strengthening communities so all citizens can
access local services which promote their general
health and well-being;
• assisting individual choices so everyone gets
good advice, information and an assessment of
their care and support needs as well as, where
appropriate, advocacy and brokerage;
• prioritising funding for individual needs on a
clearer basis and ensure decisions about allocating
public funds to individuals follow an assessment
of needs.
(ii) Improve the response to people needing assistance,
including the quality of response people
receive when they first contact the council. The
report also suggests ways of improving the assessment
process.
(iii) Replace the FACS criteria with a revised way
of allocating public funds to individuals and
reinforce the need to make a clear distinction between
assessing a person's needs and their financial
means. DH should consult on three 'priorities
for intervention' rated according to the urgency of
response required:
• immediate intervention - without immediate
support to remove barriers to people's dignity
and quality of life, a person's well-being would
be seriously threatened;
• early intervention - where problems may develop
and threaten a person's well-being within
6 months if support is not provided;
• longer-term intervention - where people's wellbeing
would be threatened within the year without
targeted, evidence-based interventions.
iv)A national resource allocation formula to underpin
individual/personal budgets so that, rather than
each council devising its own system, there would
be a common approach across the country.
(v) A range of measures to support the implementation
of the proposed arrangements, including
• ways of improving the initial response from
councils to people seeking support
• considering, in appropriate circumstances, a
short period of re-ablement to maximise what
people can do for themselves before any final
decisions about ongoing needs for support.
Six background papers accompany the report and are
available on the CSCI website - www.csci.org.uk.
Please also find here a link to the actual report:
http://www.csci.org.uk/default.aspx?page=2596
For BBC report click here
39. Government Response to Cutting the
Cake Fairly: CSCI review of eligibility criteria
for social care
22 October 2008 – CSCI
This is the Government's response to a review of the
fair access to care services framework by CSCI.
For full report click here
40. ECCA challenges Government to deliver
equality and fairness
22 October 2008
The English Community Care Association has challenged
the Government to deliver a more equitable
and fair care system. The CSCI report, Cutting the
cake fairly, clearly shows that there is inequality and
inconsistency in the current system.
Martin Green, Chief Executive of ECCA, said:
“The challenge for Government is to deal with this
issue as a matter of urgency. We cannot wait for the
Green Paper on Adult Social Care. We need action
now and if necessary some transitional approaches.