Adult Social Care Update
Health and social care integration: A message from Sajid Javid, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
We are a complex, growing and evolving nation. It stands to reason our health and wellbeing needs are too.
The ‘one size fits all’ approach to health and care services is long gone, but it is very clear – as regional and cultural health inequalities persist - we must do much more to keep individuals, families and communities well, whoever they are, whatever they do and wherever they live. Although elements of integration have been underway for years, the last two years of the pandemic have taught us how closer collaboration, not just between health and social care services, but also between local and national government, is not just desirable, it is essential.
Much of this collaboration is dependent on vastly improving how health and care information is shared between services, so that more people can access the right care, in the right place, at the right time.
The Health and Social Care Integration White Paper represents our bold ambition to build on the foundations laid by the Health and Social Care Bill and create a seamless, integrated system with people’s needs and wishes at its heart.
A major step forward will be the use of care records, shared across health and social care, for every person, and digital tools that allow individuals to book appointments, order prescriptions and communicate more easily with those providing their care.
It’s not all about admin and data either. The introduction of a single person, accountable for delivery of shared plans at local level, will encourage and direct a more joined-up approach to health and social care service delivery.
This will give health and social care professionals access to the right data and technology to make more informed decisions, and it will also help create a more agile workforce with care staff and nurses moving more easily between roles in the NHS and the care sector.
In this respect, integration is as much about expanding career opportunities as it is improving health and care services. To this end, we will boost the number of learning experiences in social care, including health undergraduate degree programmes and for those undertaking apprenticeships.
Integration is for nothing though if it doesn’t translate into better experiences for those you care for. I know how the current system can sometimes see people attempting to navigate complex systems, where physical health, mental health, public health and social care are managed, funded and delivered separately.
You’ve already had a taster of what a more integrated health and care system could look like during the pandemic, when GPs became named clinicians attached to care homes, helping to assess and direct clinical and community support for the benefit of residents, visitors and care staff. Even greater NHS support within care homes, including medication checks, are part of our integration plans.
This is an exciting time for social care. The White Paper will help define structures, systems and processes allowing you to deliver the best care, whilst also opening up even greater opportunities for rewarding and varied careers – in all parts of the health and care system.
This is no longer one size fits all, but opportunities for all.
Revoking VCOD consultation now open and COVID-19 booster updates [Image created by freepik.com] Given changes in clinical evidence, the Government is revisiting the balance of risks and benefits that guided decisions to make COVID-19 vaccination a condition of deployment (VCOD) in health and care settings. To this end, the Government is seeking your views on revoking these provisions. The consultation closes at 11.45pm 16 February 2022.
Vaccination, including the booster jab, remains the best line of defence against COVID-19. Resources explaining the importance of vaccination are available to download here and these winter vaccine campaign materials will also help you and your colleagues, including all agency care staff, make an informed choice.
For further information on the VCOD consultation, download this helpful Q&A and click the green bar below to watch a recent webinar on the importance of booster vaccinations in social care settings, hosted by Sir David Pearson.
Social care reform: We must meet the needs of care colleagues [Image copyright Lauren Hurley/DHSC] Skills for Care's Chief Executive, Oonagh Smyth, says people working in social care should be at the heart of the government’s vision for social care reform.
In her latest blog, Oonagh welcomes the inclusion of a specific chapter setting out ambitions for the care sector's growing 1.5 million strong workforce: "As the workforce development agency for social care, we have been arguing for some time that highly-skilled, knowledgeable, and well-led workers will be absolutely key to making any reforms work."
Designated settings scheme for people discharged to care homes [Image created by freepik.com] Designated care settings guidance for local authorities, clinical commissioning groups, care providers and people who use services has been updated.
It includes advice on setting up designated settings, information on discharge arrangements, and supporting individuals to make sure their care needs and preferences are accounted for.
This guidance should only be used for individuals who need care in residential or nursing homes and have tested positive for COVID-19 within 48 hours prior to discharge from a stay in hospital. The ‘home first’ approach should continue to be followed as the preferred option.
Nominate your amazing care colleagues for a Chief Nurse for Adult Social Care Award [Image created by freepik.com] On becoming Chief Nurse for Adult Social Care, Deborah Sturdy was determined to “make sure the extraordinary efforts of social care nurses and the wider care workforce [were] recognised at a national level”.
The Chief Nurse for Adult Social Care Awards, launched in May last year, “shine a light on the contribution of staff who go above and beyond every day to give people exceptional care.”
Deborah wrote to care staff recently with news of a streamlined awards process and reaffirmed her desire to see many more nominations for colleagues from culturally diverse backgrounds, to demonstrate the richness, diversity and talent of the whole workforce.
PPE portal update [Image created by freepik.com] A replacement PPE (personal protective equipment) Portal has been introduced to better serve eligible providers in accessing COVID-19 related PPE stock. All users will be receiving an invite over the next few months to migrate to the new system. You should have received email communications confirming timings for your migration.
Until you receive your invitation to migrate you can continue using the current platform to order your COVID-19 PPE.
If you have questions regarding the migration to the new portal, please contact the customer services team on 0800 876 6802. They are available 7am to 7pm, seven days a week.
Meanwhile, a list of local contacts for providers who are not on the PPE portal has been updated. Providers can access PPE through their local authority or local resilience forum.
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