In this article, we’ll give you a bit of background to the LeicestershireLive Care Professional of the Year Awards and how we’ve been involved.
As a Leicestershire based social care provider we’re always super excited when the LeicestershireLive Care Professional of the Year Awards launch their upcoming awards. It’s such an amazing opportunity for care professionals and those who use care services in the local area to name who they think deserves special recognition for their dedication.
In a nutshell…
Since 2019 we’ve been delighted to sponsor the Lifetime Achievement Award and will be doing the same in 2022.
It’s amazing to be associated with a local event that recognises the great work the staff in our sector do. With such a varied range of categories, it also brings everyone in the care profession together; from those who have just started their careers to those who have a wealth of experience.
We love supporting an event that gives social care in Leicestershire the chance to be in the spotlight. With so many people involved it’s amazing to think of the true impact each individual nominee has made.
Whether face to face or virtual the awards are a fantastic way to celebrate the professionalism, dedication and skill it takes to work in the care sector.
Tracy
Our own staff have been nominated by families in previous years and we were thrilled to see two of our employees recognised as runners up in their categories back in 2019. As you can imagine they were thrilled to be shortlisted and it gave them a terrific boost.
You can hear what it means to last year’s winner Ayanthi Gamage, of Langdale View Residential and Nursing Care Home who won the Dementia Care Professional of the Year category by reading this article.
In my first week back at CQC, as the new Director of Policy and Strategy, I wanted to update you on where we are with the work to develop our new regulatory model.
The last 18 months have been one of the most challenging periods for health and social care. I have been consistently impressed by all the hard work across the care system to deal with the pressures of the pandemic, continue delivering essential care, coordinate a successful vaccination programme, and now start to lead the system’s recovery.
The pandemic has accelerated existing changes in health and social care and we know we need to change how we work as well.
Building on engagement so far
Our new strategy sets out an ambition to focus on people and communities, improve safety through learning and accelerate improvement. We also set out our aim to be a smarter regulator, one that is more dynamic and flexible in how it regulates and provides up-to-date and high-quality information and ratings. The work on our new regulatory model is all about making that a reality.
This will take a while to develop, with different iterations to get it right. I therefore wanted to take this opportunity to share our latest thinking for how we will regulate in the future.
In developing our strategy, we engaged with a huge number of people who use services, as well as providers, our partners and own colleagues. We have built on that strong base to continue having conversations about some of the underpinning principles and concepts that will provide the framework for our new regulatory model.
Some of our model will feel familiar, some of it will feel very new, but all of it will be the product of engagement with our stakeholders.
Developing a new assessment framework
Our ratings and our five key questions will stay central to our approach. But we are introducing an updated framework for making our judgements about the quality of care. This will be based on a set of ‘quality statements’, pitched at the level of ‘good’ and clearly linked to the regulations. They will replace our current Key Lines of Enquiry (KLOEs) and prompts, helping to make things clearer for providers and reduce the duplication that currently exists across our KLOEs.
Importantly, we will use these statements to set out what good and outstanding person-centred care looks like and what people should expect from providers, commissioners and system leaders. The need to be clear about this is something we have consistently heard during our engagement with people who use services, as well as providers.
We will use this set of statements in our assessments of all sectors and service types and at all levels, from registration through to our new work looking at local authorities and integrated care systems. This will be the basis for our single assessment framework.
Providing an up-to-date view of quality
In order to give the more up-to-date view of quality, we intend for the information we receive, collect and analyse to assess providers to be reviewed more frequently, without being tied to a date in the calendar or the requirement to carry out an on-site inspection. At the forefront of our minds when designing this new approach is how to better obtain people’s experiences of care and develop better relationships with providers, reducing any unnecessary workload.
We know from conversations with providers that they would benefit from knowing how often our assessments take place. This work, along with developing the ‘trigger points’ for an assessment, will be a priority for further engagement with all our stakeholders.
Providers often challenge us about consistency and transparency in our judgements. To address this, we are developing a method to categorise evidence and introduce a method to score the assessments. We are proposing to have six evidence categories, covering everything from people’s experiences of care right through to processes (e.g. policies in place at a service). In many ways this will all be data already familiar to providers and to our inspectors, but by bringing in the six categories alongside a way of scoring we are able to bring a more structured and consistent framework for assessing quality.
To enable us to be clearer with providers and the public about how we use the information we have about care in a service or local area we will set out what evidence will be required for each service type and at each level. We know this is a detailed and important piece of work that we want to be one of the main areas of focus over the next few months.
We will use scoring to gain a more granular understanding of where a provider sits within a rating assessment — we know that providers are supportive of this to help drive improvement. We want to do more work to develop the detail that sits under this ambition, including the language we use to talk about it and how it works.
Many of you will have got involved in our recent consultation on more flexible and responsive regulation, which gave us the freedom to use a range of methods to assess quality, combining work off site with visits to a service or provider. Site visits will remain a hugely important part of our work. However, the difference is that we will already have the evidence and data we need ahead of a site visit to a service so that we can have a laser-like focus on people’s experiences when we are on site.
What’s next
Currently, much of the work is about developing this framework. We will then develop the detail that sits beneath and want to start testing with providers how this might work in practice. The scope and nature of the testing will change over the next 12 months from small scale conversations directly with small groups of providers, through to live environment testing and implementation just prior to rollout.
We will keep sharing regular updates with you about how the work is developing, but in what has been the hardest 18 months for health and social care in a generation I cannot thank you enough for the work you do, and for taking the time to engage with us on our new approach. Keep looking out for more blogs and podcasts from me and other colleagues about this work, including over the next few weeks about how we will be developing our approach to using data and insight better, as well as changes we are making to regulate integrated care systems and local authorities as the amendments to the Health and Social Care Bill progress through Parliament.
Culturally appropriate care (also called ‘culturally competent care’) is sensitive to people’s cultural identity or heritage. It means being alert and responsive to beliefs or conventions that might be determined by cultural heritage.
Cultural identity or heritage can cover a range of things. For example, it might be based on ethnicity, nationality or religion. Or it might be to do with the person’s sexuality or gender identity. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people have a particular culture. So do Deaf people who use British Sign Language.
Learn more about culturally appropriate care; https://www.cqc.org.uk/guidance-providers/adult-social-care/culturally-appropriate-care
[To: Adult Social Care Providers]
28 May 2021
Dear colleagues,
Last Spring, we were in the midst of the very worst days of the pandemic.
Today, thanks to your unwavering dedication, your willingness to adapt to the highest standards of infection prevention control, and the success of the biggest mass vaccination programme in our history, we are in a much better place.
Adaptability has been one of your greatest strengths. Throughout the pandemic, you have embraced many changes to daily practice, always keeping in mind the needs of the people you support. Recently and most importantly, you have supported the vaccination roll-out as part of your work to protect those in your care.
All of this against the backdrop of an increased workload: covering shifts for absent colleagues, working while children are off school, and coping with your own grief, anxieties and personal caring responsibilities. We take none of this for granted and remain deeply grateful for your continued commitment.
We’ve seen the challenges you’ve overcome, how you’ve adapted and supported each other as well as those you care for. Now we can be much more optimistic about managing this pandemic, further easing restrictions and eventually restoring our lives to something closely resembling normality.
You have been there when your residents, clients and colleagues needed you most. With free PPE guaranteed until March 2022 and free access to mental health and wellbeing support specifically for health and care workers, we intend to be there for you too.
We hope you know how much we appreciate your professional and personal efforts.
Thank you.
Minister for Care, Secretary of State, Chief Nurse and Chief Social Worker.
We have an fantastic opportunity for a Team Leader to support the management team in the day to day oversight of a single occupancy Community Supported Living Service in Market Harborough, Leicestershire.
As a Team Leader you will be responsible for a team providing 1:1 support to an individual with additional needs (intellectual and physical disability) to the highest standard.
We recognise that to work in a care and support setting the individual is most important in ensuring that a good service is provided. Therefore, we would like to hear from people who have the following values:
· Provide support with dignity and respect
· Be able to work collaboratively
· Be committed to delivering quality care and support
· Are happy to continue to learn and reflect in an effort to always improving the support being provided.
You will have experience of leading teams in a social care or similar environment, the key components of the role;
· To devise and complete rotas in advance ensuring staff and service users hours are met.
· To be a role model within your team by working to the highest standards. To coach and mentor your team to achieve the daily, weekly, monthly and annual objectives for the individuals you support.
· To proactively address any potential conflict within the team and to remain professional at all times.
· To devise, complete and review care plans and all other documents that relate to a service users care and support. To ensure that any risks associated with a service are captured within risk assessments and are regularly reviewed and updated.
· To perform an analysis on service user documentation at regular intervals ensuring that findings are fed back to the team e.g. ABC, Incident/Accident Forms..
· To ensure that your team are working in a safe environment and in line with current Health and Safety legislation
· To participate in an on-call rota
We have a variety of shift patterns available. Shift examples include;
07:00 – 14:30
14:30 – 22:30
Sleep-in duty 22:00 – 07:00
Benefits
As part of the Enable team, you will receive:
· Holiday pay
· Opportunity to subscribe to the Wider Wallet Scheme offering money off and discounts at a range of shops
· Ongoing training and development
· Support from an experienced management team
· On-going training and career development opportunities
We are a ‘Disability Confident’ Employer.
Salary: £21,450 per year. Sleep-in duty £50 per session
Job Type: Permanent
Salary: £21,450.00 per year
Apply Here https://uk.indeed.com/job/team-leader-3e9f4cd42dff0090
Priority 1:
Enable Inclusive Support Ltd will ensure that the leadership team set the standard and example for the broader staff team through effective role modelling, coaching and support to Junior managers and our team of support workers.
We will ensure that our commitment to the reduction of restraint is evident in practice with our aim to eradicate or significantly reduce the need for restraint in our services.
Measure of Success:
Our success with be measured directly through our ABC data and reports as well as Incident reports that may be documented and submitted by staff.
We will track data that will allow us to demonstrate reductions or zero returns in respect of physical intervention.
These measures will be supported by the seeking of the views of our staff and people that use our services.
We will review all ABC’s and debrief/reflect on this with staff.
Priority 2:
Enable Inclusive Support Ltd will ensure that all members of its workforce receive, regular planned training that will be refreshed inline with the appropriate accredited body responsible for delivering the training or where this may not be clearly specified we will follow guidance outlined by ‘Skills for Care’.
We will ensure that staff complete ‘Management of Actual & Potential Aggression Training’ and that any future alternatives will be ‘BUILD’ accredited, therefor ensuring that our training provider is aligned with our vision and values.
We will ensure that our training focuses on the needs of the service user.
Measure of Success:
Enable Inclusive Support will measure our success in this area through individual staffs training and development plans and our over arching training matrix, our training data is available for review from our care management app (RoundSys) and our e-learning training provider ‘Care Skills Academy’.
The matrix will highlight any omissions or lapses is training.
Priority 3:
Enable Inclusive Support Ltd will ensure that ABC data and incident reports are appropriately monitored and analysed to ensure that we can effectively use the data to improve how support is delivered and that the service user and staff are provided appropriate support following and incident, this may include a formal or informal de-brief depending on the nature of the event.
We will work collaboratively with the service users wider support team to ensure an effective and strategic approach to service user support.
Measure of Success:
We will be able to measure our success in respect of this priority through our statistical data that is available through our care management mobile app (RoundSys).
Service user reviews (both internal and external) will track broader feedback from a multi-agency or multi-disciplinary meeting minutes that track the service users progress over a period of time.
Today we are celebrating our first year anniversary with www.roundsys.com, our technology provider.
We have built a fantastic working partnership with www.roundsys.com. It has been a great journey leading to technology that improves the quality of care, reduces paperwork and improves the lives of service users. It has reduced pressure on staff, management and saved time for all those involved. And finally offering families open and transparent access leading to peace of mind.
We look forward to building further data solutions with www.roundsys.com and progressing the care industry forward.
We’re proud to announce that the following members of #team enable have been nominated in the ‘Care Professional of the Year Awards 2020’.
Community Care Professional of the Year;
Waarisha Iffat (Team Leader, Park Road)
“My son James moved into his first house at the age of 21, his Autistic Spectrum Condition made this very stressful for him. His transition from his home of 20+ years into independent living has been helped enormously by Waarisha. She has supported him from “day one” (literally – she was in his new home on the first day in August 2020)
Despite some challenging behaviour from James, Waarisha has maintained her cheerful nature even through the hard times and has persevered with trying to understand James as an individual (which is hard as he does not speak) 1 She has continued to be brave in her approach to supporting James and shows great optimism that he will one day be able to trust her and allow her to fully engage with her socially.
To put this into context, over the last 3 months James has barely tolerated any close interactions with his caring team but they
continue to find ways of keeping him safe and well despite this (and Waarisha takes a leading role in supporting the other members of the care team) As his parent, I can’t help but care about James’s wellbeing and it is obvious to me that Waarisha cares too.“
Care Leader of the Year;
John Flynn (Team Leader, Claydon Road)
“John is a member of Joe my sons team he is the team leader he has proved himself on any occasions Going above and beyond his role joe feels safe and John gives him the security he needs Joe is a very complex young man who requires a two to one at all times
John will always do his best to get cover or will jump in and do it himself so joe is happy.
John has shown in lots of ways his dedication to his position he also cares about his team and Joe’s family John has given up his free time to support Joe to hospital appointments day trips etc he’s everything a team leader should be not only to the service user but to all his team John is dedicated too trying to improve the service willing to try new ways but also listening too staffs views as being a carer team leader is of course a responsible role as they are taking care of the most precious person to any parent.”
Ash Omar & Tracy Males (Senior Managers)
“I’m a Team leader for the care provider Enable LTD. the people I want to
nominate is my bosses, the directors of my company and also a sponsor of carer of the year
award Ash Omar and Tracy Males.
2020 was such a hard year for everyone, working in care it has been stressful and worrying for our clients that we support. Ash and Tracy have always been such friendly and helpful managers and will help in any way they can. If you need anything they will deliver it to you or drop it off that day. One time (before Covid-19) a staff member fell down 1 step and twisted her ankle, Ash and Tracy took her to the hospital and brought her food and waited for a few hours till family arrived before they left. They even made sure she got paid for the weekend shifts she was meant to do.
During the first Covid-19 lockdown one of my staff members that I lead had to isolate because of her partner. Ash and Tracy regularly contacted her and even dropped off supplies including PPE equipment and antibacterial gel (when it was like gold dust). I personally have had health issues regarding my own health and from the minute I spoke to them about it, they helped
me so much. they found extra staff for my service that I lead and took some responsibilities away from me so I can concentrate on myself. I can’t really explain how much these people deserve to be at least nominated for an award. They are hard working, kind, helpful and just amazing leaders. I’m 6 foot 5 and I will always look up to them because they inspire me to be better.”
The Care Professional of the Year Awards 2020 will take place on Thursday 28th January 2021, Please invite your colleagues, friends and family members to register for a free ticket by visiting https://lnkd.in/gE7KFdt
This is a guide to help family members and carers living with and supporting adults and children with learning disabilities, or an autistic adult or child, through the COVID-19 crisis. Its aim is to assist carers to carry on giving good, safe support to their family members during the pandemic. The guide focuses on families who are living with an autistic person or a person with learning disabilities; if your family member lives away from the family home, you may also wish to look at our guide for care staff.
People with learning disabilities and autistic people enjoy the same human rights as the rest of the population. Families play an important role in promoting and upholding these rights, so that autistic people and people with learning disabilities can enjoy lives that are rich, fulfilling and fully included in society. While there may be some changes to the Care Act locally and to children’s legislation, local authorities are still expected to take all reasonable steps to continue to meet people’s eligible care and support needs, and the support needs of carers. Social care is underpinned by human rights, and this has not changed. During the COVID-19 pandemic, however, everyone’s lives are being limited, and everyone is having to make changes to the way we live together and in communities, to combat the virus.
This public health crisis is having an acute impact on those with care and support needs, carers and staff. The care and help available may be limited compared with usual provision, because more people are needing assistance, and staff may be ill or self-isolating. Autistic people and people with learning disabilities are likely to be worried about their own health, and that of their loved ones, while also having routines interrupted, and access to friends or colleagues halted. Those providing support to them will be concerned about their own and their family’s health too, and may be facing knock-on effects of the pandemic such as lost income or jobs. Family members may be spending more time in the immediate company of the person with learning disabilities or the autistic person than they have done for some time.
Full article; https://www.scie.org.uk/care-providers/coronavirus-covid-19/learning-disabilities-autism/carers-family
It is vitally important that people who live and work in supported living settings understand how to protect themselves and others from coronavirus
The Government issued COVID-19 supported living guidance in August this year and has now published a new easy-read guide to help people better understand what they need to do.
This guidance includes information on personal protective equipment (PPE), infection prevention and control, support bubbles and visits.