Chief social worker for children and families, Isabelle Trowler provides a preview of what 2015 will bring to social work. Overall her vision is a bright one: "2014 has seen social work move from a hidden profession to one which ministers prioritise ... for key speeches ... 2015 will be a very busy, exciting time ..." The highlights include:

- the development of the new national assessment and accreditation system for approved child and family practitioners, practice supervisors and leadership

- the building of evidence-based practice frameworks by 26 local authorities

- a stronger focus on checks and balances in the system

- a re-examination of "rules which tie up resource and practitioner time"

http://www.theguardian.com/social-care-network/2014/dec/29/isabelle-trowler-2015-big-year-social-work

Embrace-learning: http://goo.gl/Di7ciT

Embrace-learning offers an e-learning course pack for carers. We designed and produced the materials with Carers UK, and it includes:

About Me: building resilience for caring

Carer Awareness: supporting frontline practice

Supporting Carers at Work: a line managers' guide, and

The Care Act Unpacked: frontline support for carers.

To find out more, please click here:

http://www.embrace-learning.co.uk/Website/Pages/Guest/subscription_offer.php

Would you like to learn or develop skills, and gain nationally-recognised qualifications, to open opportunities for you to work and/or advance further in the health and social sector? If so, please follow these links. Our team of advisers look forward to hearing from you. #elearning #socialcare #careact

http://www.embrace-learning.co.uk http://www.embrace-learning.com

By employing more pharmacists in GP surgeries, the anticipated shortage of doctors should be offset. The proposal also aims to help reduce the amount of medication that is currently wasted. Embrace-learning

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/dec/18/nhs-gps-incentives-pharmacists

Would you like to learn or develop skills, and gain nationally-recognised qualifications, to open opportunities for you to work and/or advance further in the health and social sector? If so, please follow these links or give us a call on 0161 928 9987. Our team of advisors look forward to hearing from you. #elearning #socialcare #careact

http://www.embrace-learning.co.uk or http://www.embrace-learning.com

For information about our Compassion and Dignity in Care e-learning course, please visit http://goo.gl/we7coV

The institute has issued a media release on end of life and palliative care. It warns of the importance of clear communication between professionals and those near the end of life, and their carers. In particular, care professionals are advised:

-  When speaking to a person who is dying or their relatives, understand the impact of terms used

-  Where possible try to explain things in plain language

-  Always check what the person has understood from the conversation

-  Always speak in a kind and caring way

http://www.scie.org.uk/news/mediareleases/media-release?id=a1UG0000004H0cUMAS

Following their live chat on recruitment and retention, the Guardian has published a round-up of opinions. The biggest challenges facing social care are seen to be:

- negative perceptions of social care

- inadequate pay

- logistical problems

- and retention.

The low rate of retention, linked to low pay, appears to divide opinion. ComparevNina Osborne's comment, "Although it is undoubtedly not the best paid work at entry level, the range of interesting and fulfilling jobs that really enhance people's lives is large," with Laura Gardiner's, "Social care doesn't offer a very strong career pathway for those looking to earn more and develop their skills."

This retention problem seems a complex one, with more than one cause. Media portrayal may contribute, as Annette Baines comments, "Unfortunately, the sector suffers from bad press with only the negative stories being reported."

http://www.theguardian.com/social-care-network/2014/dec/16/social-care-recruitment-retention

Embrace-learning offers an e-learning course pack for carers. We designed and produced the materials with Carers UK, and it includes:

About Me: building resilience for caring

Carer Awareness: supporting frontline practice

Supporting Carers at Work: a line managers' guide, and

The Care Act Unpacked: frontline support for carers.

To find out more, please give us a call on 0161 928 9987 or click here:

http://www.embrace-learning.co.uk/Website/Pages/Guest/subscription_offer.php

Six different accounts of carers from Harrow and Norfolk. Each has a unique story to tell. These are some of the people who are thought to save the economy £119 billion each year.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-30290967

Dr. Alisha Davies discusses the lack of investment in prevention. “The Department of Health estimates that 70 per cent of the NHS budget is spent on long-term conditions, yet it is estimated that only four per cent of the total healthcare budget is spent on prevention.”

http://www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/blog/prevention-better-cure

Kiruna Stamell, an actress with dwarfism, sued the Post Office after she was made to feel humiliated when she couldn’t reach the chip and pin machines. Staff at the time tried to help her by asking her to climb makeshift steps made out of cardboard boxes! Thanks to her complaint, the PO has now fixed flexible leads to the machines so that Ms Stamell and others with disabilities, including people in wheelchairs, can reach them more easily.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-30459117

Did you know that all 6 of Embrace-learning's course packages include a FREE Learning Management System (LMS)? Once installed you can:

- Check your learners' log in history

- Access their assessments

- View their study history

- See who has completed their training.

All in real time with just one click. Due diligence has never been so easy to demonstrate!

http://www.embrace-learning.co.uk/Website/Pages/Guest/subscription_offer.php

Are you prepared for the new requirements of the Care Act? Are your staff? Carers UK, together with Embrace-learning, have developed 3 easy-to-follow e-learning study units which provide all that is required to comply with the new legislation. April 2015 is just around the corner!

http://www.embrace-learning.com/the_care_act_2014_e-learning.php

Our e-learning courses can be issued by GPs to patients by e-learning prescription. To find out more, please call 0161 928 9987 or visit our website at:

http://www.embrace-learning.co.uk

Richard Murray reflects on George Osborne’s Autumn Statement and focuses on three of its significant messages: about money, about reform and about social care.

http://www.kingsfund.org.uk/blog/2014/12/what-does-autumn-statement-mean-health-and-social-care

A Mind survey of nearly 450 participants has revealed that unemployed people who suffer from mental health problems should have the option of being moved from mainstream programmes to specialist schemes to help them get back to work.

Alarmingly, according to the survey, 83% of people who took part said that using the government's job centre services had made their mental health worse!

Have you, or has anyone you know, had similar experiences of the current system?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-30415243

The Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE), together with the Think Local Act Personal (TLAP) partnership, has today launched a guide to integrating personal budgets for people with mental health problems. The guide, written by professionals:

-  Gives an overview of terminology and current policy background

-  Examines the key areas that need to be tackled in order to make integration a reality

-  Makes recommendations for implementing integrated personal budgets in mental health.

http://www.scie.org.uk/news/mediareleases/media-release?id=a1UG0000004H0DuMAK

Joanna Nicolas of the Guardian presents the view that “the practice of courts identifying individuals involved in failings in the child protection system erodes rather than improves it”.

http://www.theguardian.com/social-care-network/2014/dec/09/naming-shaming-social-workers-child-protection

With the need for a further 1 million jobs in social care by 2025, together with an average staff turnover rate of 19%, the industry faces a challenge. The Guardian has convened a panel of people in social care to host a live debate between 12 and 2pm on Thursday 11th December. Do you have something you'd like aired?

http://www.theguardian.com/social-care-network/2014/dec/08/social-care-recruitment-retention-livechat

Another article about Complaints Matter, a review led by Prof Sir Mike Richards, chief inspector of hospitals at the CQC, which found that people could be put off making complaints about care because providers were not always willing to listen to their concerns.

http://www.cqc.org.uk/content/health-and-adult-social-care-must-embrace-complaints-improve-services

Are you or is someone you know looking to learn or develop skills which will open opportunities to work, or advance further in the health and social sector? To browse our wide range of accredited e-learning courses, including those relating to disability and dementia awareness, and guidance about the new #CareAct, please visit: http://www.embrace-learning.co.uk/Website/Pages/Guest/courselist.php or give us a call on 0161 928 9987.

Ruth Hardy reports for the Guardian about the impact that the new Care Certificate, due to be introduced in March 2015, will have on perceptions of care work. http://goo.gl/134EpX

For information about our wide range of e-learning courses for health and social care workers, please visit http://goo.gl/df5t6v

#CareCertificate #SocialCare #eLearning

BBC Health Correspondent, Nick Triggle, reports on the care sector’s understandable envy of the NHS in England; George Osborne has announced that he will direct another £2bn its way, whereas the social care sector was left empty handed by the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement. Caroline Abrahams, of Age UK, called it "morally indefensible".

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-30330246

Complaints Matter, a review led by Prof Sir Mike Richards, chief inspector of hospitals at the CQC, found that people could be put off making complaints about care because providers were not always willing to listen to their concerns. The report stated that although most providers had complaints procedures in place, they were in need of improvement. As a result, opportunities to provide a better standard of care were being missed.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-30348508

Are you looking to learn or develop skills, and gain nationally-recognised qualifications, which will open opportunities for you to work and/or advance further in the health and social sector? Please visit: http://www.embrace-learning.co.uk to find out how we can help you.

http://www.embrace-learning.co.uk

Shadow Care and Older People minister Liz Kendall used her keynote speech at the Learning Disability Today conference to outline her vision of the future for social care. Speaking at Olympia on November 27, she called for

- Person-centred problem solving, involving the use of One Page Profiles. These would describe what is important to the user, and what they enjoy doing

- Greater integration of health and social care services

- One point of contact for users

- Small scale services

- The extension of personal health budgets

http://www.learningdisabilitytoday.co.uk/shadow-health-care-minister-liz-kendall-calls-for-social-care-change-at-learning-disability-today-london-2014.aspx

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Consultant surgeon and innovator David Morgan on the inability of the NHS to adapt to change for the benefit of patients. He is very vocal on the health service's inefficiencies, saying, despairingly, "Why have one meeting when you can have 20?"

"There is no doubt that the NHS executive and frontline clinical staff are aligned regarding the need and direction of change. Unfortunately the execution of this becomes bogged down by indifference, ignorance or arrogance at the operational level as no one appears to be empowered to make a decision in case it is the wrong call."

http://www.theguardian.com/healthcare-network/2014/dec/05/nhs-indecision-interview-david-morgan

The Care Quality Commission has had to apologise to hundreds of GPs for rating risks to patient safety incorrectly and unfairly. A BBC investigation found errors in the calculations used by the CQC and GPs have stated that their reputations have been "tarnished by incompetence".

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-30344455

Worrying research shows that 44 million people worldwide now have dementia, and this figure is expected to triple by 2050.

Kevin Fong, Doctor and presenter, explains that: “Dementia is not a natural part of ageing. It is an umbrella term for the symptoms of around 100 different brain diseases.”

So, can technology help to defuse the dementia time bomb? The BBC’s iWonder, an educational and interactive guide-based channel, aims to find out more:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/z3d99j6

For information about our Compassion and Dignity in Care e-learning course, which includes guidance about ensuring that the people we care for receive the nutrition and fluids that they need, please visit http://goo.gl/we7coV

Shocking figures reveal that one in five elderly people living in residential care are not drinking enough fluids, and that those with dementia are six times more likely to become dehydrated.

Ministers are insisting that the government is making it easier, however, to prosecute homes that fail to look after their residents. Is enough being done to look after our ageing population?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-30312621

Why not join us online at http://www.embrace-learning.co.uk to find out more about our cutting edge e-learning courses, including free demos, package deals and special offers?

Embrace-learning and #CarersUK have launched a suite of e-learning courses designed to support carers and people working with carers. The package includes four titles - About Me: Building Resilience for Caring; Carer Awareness: Supporting Frontline Practice; Supporting Carers at Work; and The #CareAct Unpacked. To find out more, please visit http://goo.gl/SPczN0

Former care and support minister Paul Burstow, has published his Key to Care report. Amongst its key findings are:

- Some service users have been treated by 50 different carers in a single year

- There have been significant cuts in funding at a time when the number of people needing care has risen

- The shrinkage in council budgets has led to framework contracts that offer little predictability of work and revenue

- The system is facing a recruitment crisis. "More people need care and there is less money to pay for it and not enough people willing to do the work."

The home care system is "nearing crisis point" and "appears designed to keep caring professional relationships from forming between workers and those they care for”.

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/dec/02/home-care-system-crisis-point-paul-burstow-report

Peter Beresford takes a magnifying glass to the Care Act. Despite the explicit thread running through the Act, "the assumption that the individual is best placed to judge the individual's wellbeing", the reality is that mere lip service is being paid to a service user's empowerment. The final decisions about a person's needs will ultimately remain with the council. Furthermore, such decisions will be restricted by the extent of funding from central government.

Independent advocacy also comes under his spotlight. The definition of advocacy that councils are bound to employ is a very narrow one. The emphasis is on the need for clear communication and understanding. There is no obligation to ensure that the service users’ rights and even needs are being maintained. More lip service?

http://www.theguardian.com/social-care-network/2014/dec/02/care-act-2015-service-users-power-social

Are you looking to learn or develop skills, and gain nationally-recognised qualifications, which will open opportunities for you to work and/or advance further in the health and social sector? Please visit: http://www.embrace-learning.co.uk or give us a call on 0161 928 9987. Our team of advisors look forward to hearing from you.

An in-depth look at how the #CareAct will affect homecare providers. The 'traditional' council-defined services will be replaced by systems which assess and provide for people's needs. The Act's statutory guidance includes:-

- the involvement of service users in deciding their care and support plans

- the greater use of low level services to help people remain at home

- homecare providers to encourage family carers to gain additional council support

- councils to be responsible for 'market-shaping' the local market comprehensively

- councils now must make decisions on purchasing homecare based on value for money and not on economies alone.

http://www.theguardian.com/social-care-network/2014/dec/01/care-act-2014-uk-homecare-providers

A moving and thought-provoking account of a son who works full-time 'shifts' caring for his mother who has advanced dementia.

He now appreciates the tasks he was once dreading. It took a simple mental readjustment he describes as "[disengaging] my overactive, self-obsessed, 21st-century brain and [allowing] it to happen."

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/nov/28/caring-mother-alzheimers-love-self-obsessed

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George Osborne and Ed Balls discuss the funding proposals set out by Osborne on the Andrew Marr show – that he will put an additional £2bn into frontline health services. He described it as a “down payment” which he was able to commit to because of the economy being strong. What are your thoughts about this? Have you heard confirmation that the economy is currently strong? You can watch the video here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-30265833

The Buddy effect: improving mental health treatment, one pet at a time

Visits by an adorable dog are just one of a myriad of practical, low-cost changes that Marion Janner and her Star Wards charity are bringing to mental health facilities across the UK.

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/nov/28/-sp-buddy-mental-health-treatment-marion-janner-star-wards-dog?CMP=share_btn_fb

Monitor and NHS England are proposing cuts of 1.5 per cent to funding for mental health services over the next two years. The budget has already been reduced for the last three years in a row. What are your views on this? How can further cuts possibly be justified?

http://nhsconfed.org/news/2014/11/leading-mental-health-organisations-call-for-action-to-address-mental-health-funding-crisis