Care staff and social workers are to be asked for their views on new proposals for dealing with professional misconduct.

The Care Council for Wales is consulting with registered practitioners and others on new proposals to streamline and refine the ways in which the regulatory body deals with cases of alleged professional misconduct.

It is asking for the views of social workers and registered social care workers on plans which will include adding to the possible sanctions imposed on practitioners found guilty of misconduct and simplifying how cases are dealt with.

As part of the 12-week public consultation which began on September 6, the Care Council is also seeking the opinions of those people who use the services provided by the workers it regulates.

The proposals aim to provide improved protection for members of the public and fairness for workers. The emphasis is on improving practice, raising standards and helping staff to resolve work-based issues and prevent future occurrences.

Rhian Huws Williams, Care Council for Wales' chief executive, said: "The review of our conduct processes provides the opportunity to ensure that they are effective and fit for purpose.

 "The proposals reflect the experience of running the current procedures over the past six years and are designed to benefit all parties concerned, to streamline current procedures while ensuring we continue to have in place a robust and fair process."

Conference aims to boost status of 'care at home' workforce

The Care Council for Wales is hosting a conference aimed at providing recognition and support for the 'care at home' workforce.

The event, called Care At Home - Moving The Workforce Towards The Vision - is  being held in Cardiff's Marriot hotel on September 28. It follows the recent publication of its study into those who care for the elderly at home.

It will provide an opportunity for all stakeholders to focus on the actions needed to address the five key recommendations of the Care Council study which are to:

• Recognise the value of the 'care at home' workforce
• Enhance the role of this workforce
• Address the workforce implications of developing integrated services
• Support the workforce in delivering people-focused services
• Explore the consequences for the workforce of new service options around self-directed support

The programme will include personal responses to the study from those who have been provided with care at home as well as carers, providers and commissioners. There will also be contributions from the Welsh Assembly Government and health service partners and an opportunity to debate the recommendations and to hear from the care at home research team and other guest speakers.

Whether you are a commissioner, service provider, workforce leader, service user and carer group, senior manager, elected member, planner in health and social care, or education provider - this is an event which will be of interest to you. The event is free of charge.

Places will be limited, so you must register for the event by contacting meilir.thomas@ccwales.org.uk.

Registration will start at 10.00am, with the conference opening at 10.30am and closing at 3.45pm. The event will be held in the Marriot Hotel in Cardiff, near Cardiff Central Station.

The research will study the implications of care home closures, and closely examine the effects of relocation on the health and wellbeing of the older people involved.

The money for the 18-month project has come from the National Institute for Social Care and Health Research.

Vanessa Burholt, director of the Centre for Innovative Ageing at Swansea University, said: "The closure of care homes is an emotional topic for those affected, and therefore the research will also identify the impact of closure on the wellbeing of older people, their relatives and carers.

Is employee ill-health affecting your organisation?

Small organisation employers and their employees can access free professional advice on any occupational, physical or mental health issue. GPs can also access the service for advice and support on issues affecting individual patients including those raised by the new Statement of Fitness for Work. The Health at Work Advice Line Wales is open 24 hours a day with qualified professionals available between 9 and 5 on weekdays. Outside of these hours, a call back service operates. If our advisors aren’t able to help directly, they will put you in touch with someone who can.

You can find the bulletin on the Commission’s website: www.olderpeoplewales.com , along with regular updates on major topics affecting older people in Wales as well as any events or debates the Commission has been involved in.

Following a very successful staff disability training day with Disability Wales, Mencap Cymru, Mind Cymru, RNIB Cymru and RNID Cymru, click here to download the top ten tips from each of these organisations. These tips have been developed with these organisations to identify the most important things that people with disabilities, mental health issues, or sensory loss want us to know, to do and to remember.

For further information please contact:

Denise Puckett, Equality & Diversity Champion, Welsh Assembly Government

Tel: 029 2082 6985 
email: Denise.Puckett@wales.gsi.gov.uk

A Falls Collaborative network supported by the Change Agent Team from the National Leadership and Innovation Agency for Healthcare (NLIAH), will be led by a multidisciplinary steering group chaired by Dr. Jagadish Mallya, Consultant Physician from Aneurin Bevan Health Board. This initiative relates to the NSF for Older People. A "How to Guide" on falls prevention is expected shortly. In the meantime an early flyer about the project is linked below.

http://www.wales.nhs.uk/sitesplus/documents/829/Multiagency%20Falls%20Collaborative%20for%20Wales%20flyer.pdf.

This consultation is seeking views on proposals for draft regulations to impose specific duties under the Equality Act 2010 on public bodies, including care regulators and local authorites. (Those tendering for council work and regulated by public bodies may like to note these changes in case they have a knock-on effect.)

http://equalities.gov.uk/news/specific_duties_consultation.aspx.

The Care Council in its role as the Sector Skills Council for the social care, children, early years and young people’s workforce in the Wales is inviting employers to respond the following consultations.

·         The Right to request time to Train

·         and a second one on the national minimum wage which could impact particularly on apprenticeship uptake. 

The Care Council is asking employers within the sector to contribute to both consultations thereby providing a Wales perspective on the Consultations. Please ask employers to respond to the briefings attached and return to the Care Council for Wales – information e mail addresses etc are contained in the briefing. This is so that the Care Council can provide the Wales employer perspective within the report from Skills for Care and Development. The addresses of the full consultations are on the briefings if employers also wish to respond directly. 

Click here for attachment 1

Click here for attachment 2

An ICM Poll of 1,500 people of all ages, commissioned by the Older People’s Commissioner for Wales, has demonstrated there is overwhelming support for a set of rights for older people to ensure that they are treated with dignity and respect. Separately the Commissioner has met with the Secretary of State for Wales, Cheryl Gillan, to voice the importance of attendance allowance, press for the Equality Act 2010 to be implemented for older people, and call for the new Commission on Long Term Care for England, to consider the effect on devolution and older people in Wales in its deliberations.

http://www.olderpeoplewales.com/index.php?id=484&L=0.

Money Talks!          Gwerth dy Arian

Tuesday 23 and Wednesday 24 November 2010

Holiday Inn, Newport, South Wales

Dear Colleague,

The bursaries are available to people with learning disabilities travelling from the following counties: Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd, Pembrokeshire, Powys (North of Llandrindod Wells), Wrexham, Ynys Mon.

You will need to apply for a bursary and receive confirmation before the conference.

If successful you can claim back travel costs up to a maximum of £50 per person after the event.

41 Lambourne Crescent

Cardiff Business Park

Llanishen, Cardiff CF14 5GG

Tel: 029 2068 1160      Fax: 029 2075 2149

www.learningdisabilitywales.org.uk

ü Please consider the environment before printing

Money Talks! – 23^rd and 24^th November at Newport, South Wales

Visit www.learningdisabilitywales.org.uk/moneytalks.php for full information.

 
Read the latest Public Service Wales Bulletin online here

This fourth bulletin brings together the former Public Services Bulletin and the Local Service Board (LSB) Update. It provides an update on the latest developments relating to efficiency and innovation across the Welsh Public Service including the Public Service Summits and the Efficiency and Innovation Programme and Board. It also includes examples of good practice across the sectors and news on LSB developments.

We welcome your feedback and suggestions on how to improve the Bulletin. Please contact us with news, examples of good practice or facts and figures that you would like to share with colleagues across sectors and we could include them in the next Bulletin or on our website.

Please contact us by emailing meetingthechallengeofchange@wales.gsi.gov.uk. We look forward to hearing from you.

Visitors to the National Eisteddfod (31 July – 7 August) will get the opportunity to portray what social care means to them on a high-tech graffiti wall which is making only its second public appearance in Wales.

The interactive wall, which allows you to draw on it without any kind of paint, will be available at the Care Council for Wales stand. It will also be one of the featured items on the ‘Dragon’s Den’ programme on BBC2 on Monday 2 August at 9pm.

Visitors to the stand will be invited to use their artistic skills and write or draw what care means to them. All the creations will be saved and judged, with the winner being announced on the Care Council’s website (www.ccwales.org.uk) at the end of August. The winner will get an iPod and a t-shirt featuring their winning design. Two runners-up will also get t-shirts with their designs printed on them.

The graffiti wall allows you to create digital graffiti on a large screen using a modified spray paint can. Instead of paint, when the cap is pressed, the can ‘sprays’ infra red light, which is tracked by a computer vision system as it moves across the screen. The digital paint appears wherever the can is sprayed, just like spraying paint on a real wall.

Rhian Huws Williams, Chief Executive of the Care Council, said: “We felt this would be a good way to draw attention to the importance of social care and to get people to convey their impressions of care in a fresh and exciting way. We first used the digital graffiti wall at this year’s Urdd Eisteddfod, where it was extremely popular, with hundreds of different designs being created during the week.

“The wall is a way of encouraging younger people in particular to take an interest in social care and to perhaps consider it as a career. They will be able to find out more about the opportunities to work in this rewarding profession from new films and publications on our stand,” she added. 

ends

If you have any queries, please contact Malcolm Williams on 029 2078 0634 / 07811 253260 (malcolm.williams@ccwales.org.uk) or Charmine Smikle on 029 2078 0626 (charmine.smikle@ccwales.org.uk) 

The Care Council for Wales has noted yesterday's announcement by the Department of Health on the future arrangements of regulation of social workers in England.

Responding to the announcement, Arwel Ellis Owen, Chair of the Care Council said, "This announcement marks a change in the arrangements for regulation of social workers in England.  The Care Council will continue to work with colleagues in England and in Scotland and Northern Ireland  to make sure the regulation of social workers and social care workers is robust in order to maintain a safe and skilled workforce."

He added, "In Wales, the Independent Commission established last year by Gwenda Thomas AM, Deputy Minister for Social Services, is tasked with looking at the future provision of social services and social care in Wales . Its findings will feed into the recently announced White Paper on the future arrangements for social services over the next decade which will be published in the new year. That will include the future arrangements for regulation and improvement of services and  arrangements for the workforce in Wales."

Ends

If you have any queries, please contact Catrin Hughes on 01745 586 862 (catrin.hughes@ccwales.org.uk) or Charmine Smikle on 029 2078 0626 (charmine.smikle@ccwales.org.uk)

Published 27 July 2010

The UK ranks 11th out of 14 countries for dementia drug use rates according to a report published by the Department of Health today (Tuesday 27 July, 2010).

The Care Council for Wales is to consult with registered practitioners and others on new proposals to streamline and refine the ways in which the regulatory body deals with cases of alleged professional misconduct.

It will ask for the views of social workers and registered social care workers on plans which will include adding to the possible sanctions imposed on practitioners found guilty of misconduct and simplifying how cases are dealt with.

As part of the consultation, the Care Council will also seek the opinions of those people who use the services provided by the workers it regulates.

A full meeting of Care Council members agreed a detailed set of proposals for consultation which included:

·         Providing investigating officers with the power to agree an undertaking with registrants who are not being considered for removal from the Register of Social Care Workers. An undertaking would be measurable and time-bound, with the registrant being responsible for producing written evidence of compliance with the undertaking at the end of the period. This process would mean registrants not having to proceed through a prolonged investigatory process.

·         Developing a greater range of sanctions for conduct committees to use, including the new power to review, vary and revoke a sanction, where, for example, new evidence comes to light. The new sanctions would include suspension orders with conditions and being able to impose specific conditions on a registrant who can continue to practice.

Gerry Evans, Care Council Director of Standards and Regulation, said: “The changes we are proposing are born out of six years’ experience of dealing with cases of alleged misconduct by workers registered with the Care Council. They are designed to streamline the processes of the Care Council and minimise distress to registrants who are accused of misconduct and those who have made complaints, while also ensuring our system remains as robust and fair as ever. The changes will help us resolve cases at an earlier stage and make the whole process more effective and efficient.

Ends

On 23 March, the Minister for Health and Social Services introduced the proposed Mental Health (Wales) Measure into the National Assembly for Wales.  The Measure then entered a formal scrutiny process during which it will be considered in detail by Assembly Members.

Stage 1 of this process involved the National Assembly's Legislation Committee No.3 considering and reporting on the general principles of the proposed Measure.  The Stage 1 Committee has today issued it's report on the proposed Measure, which can be accessed via the following hyperlink:

http://www.assemblywales.org/bus-home/bus-guide-docs-pub/bus-business-documents/bus-business-documents-doc-laid.htm?act=dis&id=189518&ds=7/2010

The Legislation Committee took evidence from a range of witnesses during it's consideration of the proposed Measure.  A link to the homepage of the Committee, where you can access written evidence and transcripts from the oral evidence-gathering sessions is attached here:

http://www.assemblywales.org/bus-home/bus-legislation/bus-leg-measures/business-legislation-measures-mhs-2.htm

The National Assembly's Constitutional Affairs Committee have also considered the proposed Measure and issued a report, which can be accessed here:

http://www.assemblywales.org/bus-home/bus-guide-docs-pub/bus-business-documents/bus-business-documents-doc-laid.htm?act=dis&id=189096&ds=7/2010

The National Assembly's Finance Committee have also considered the Measure:

http://www.assemblywales.org/bus-home/bus-guide-docs-pub/bus-business-documents/bus-business-documents-doc-laid.htm?act=dis&id=190023&ds=7/2010

The National Assembly for Wales will next consider the general principles and the reports of the Legislation Committee, Constitutional Affairs Committee and Finance Committee in a 60 minute Plenary debate to be held in the Senedd.  The National Assembly has scheduled this debate for Tuesday 13 July, and you will be able to watch it via Senedd TV:

http://www.senedd.tv/

Stage 2 of the scrutiny process will begin after the Assembly's summer recess.  You will receive a further email alert in advance of this, but in the meantime, if there are any issues in relation to the proposed Mental Health (Wales) Measure that you would wish to discuss, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Below is a press announcement from the Welsh Assembly:

In his opening address to leaders of public services across Wales at the second Public Services Summit today, the First Minister said:

“The emerging figures from the Budget and messages about the forthcoming Comprehensive Spending Review are stark and potentially could be devastating in their impact, particularly on the most vulnerable.

“We all recognise that we will not deliver for our communities by working in the same old ways but just doing a bit less by salami-slicing our budgets.  We have to take a radical look at how we work, redesigning the front line services and streamlining corporate functions.

“The best place for us as leaders to learn what can be done with least damage is from those who provide our services and those who use them.  I will be on the road through the summer, in all parts of Wales, meeting staff and users of services.  I want to explain our approach and seek their expertise in protecting services and outcomes.  I will use the authority I have to ensure that this expertise is translated into action.”

The First Minister began his series of events yesterday with a visit to the Gwent Frailty project in Torfaen which works with dependent or vulnerable people with chronic conditions to help them retain their independence.

Convened by the First Minister, the public services summits build on the Team Wales approach adopted by the economic summits which helped Wales through the economic recession.  The summits are held every four to six months and bring together by local authorities, trades unions, NHS boards, police representatives, Assembly Government Sponsored Bodies, other government departments and the third sector.  

Today’s summit was addressed by the First Minister, Health and Social Services Minister Edwina Hart, Budget and Business Minister Jane Hutt and Local Government Minister Carl Sargeant.

The theme for this summit was integrated health and social care and the Health Minister Edwina Hart said that one of her main priorities is  the creation of intregrated services and strong partnerships. She said this could only be achieved if NHS Wales and Local Government in Wales work together to share the challenges and solutions......END

click here to download copy of speech by Edwina Hart

TV presenter and actor Tony Robinson Blackadder and Channel 4’s Time Team will head up an exclusive care sector event in Cardiff on July 12.

Shaping Up for Change, being held at Cardiff City Stadium, will bring together care sector professionals to discuss the future of the sector and how to continue to improve care standards and provision.

Mr Robinson has become one of the leading campaigners for the health and wellbeing of our aging population following his critically-acclaimed documentary,  Me And My Mum, which helped to highlight problems facing elderly people with Alzheimer's and their families.

All care practitioners are invited to attend this free event along with a panel of experts from across the industry. On the agenda will be a range of issues challenging the care sector in 2010. 

Discussion topics will include how we can better meet the needs of those requiring dementia and specialist care as the market grows. We'll also be discussing how investment, resources and regulatory challenges will impact on the quality of care provided in the future.

Our panellists will also share their views on how to create proactive strategies to develop your care business for the future.

For further details, please contact enquiries@careforumwales.co.uk

Results of the ‘Care at Home’ workforce study is now available on the Care Council for Wales’ website:

http://www.ccwales.org.uk/development-and-innovation/adult-workforce/care-at-home

The study, which was commissioned by the Care Council for Wales and conducted by the Welsh Institute for Health and Social Care, the University of Glamorgan, Insight Social Research and the Management Standards Consultancy, looked at: 

• what the workforce currently looked like;
• the vision for the future workforce; and
• what was needed to make the current workforce fit for the future.

The study was supported and directed by a Steering Group with wide representation from our partners. In addition, numerous service users and carers; social care workers; providers; managers; commissioners and other stakeholders gave their time to take part in the research. I take this opportunity to thank all of these contributors for their immensely valuable input.

The agenda for change set out in the final report is challenging and will require a coordinated approach from a range of partners. National and local initiatives will be needed to respond to the recommendations and to develop and implement action plans.

 therefore invite you to consider and to debate the results of the study and to let them have your views. There will be a number of presentations on the study over the summer months, including at the Social Services Conference in July. There will be a major action planning event on 28 September 2010 which will allow the audience to discuss the findings with the researchers and other specialists in the field, and to contribute to determining the next steps.

In the autumn, the study and the response we have received from our partners will be reported to the Welsh Assembly led Social Care & Social Work Workforce Task group whose terms of reference include care at home.

For more information, for a hard copy of the Care at Home Summary Report and to feed in your comments on the study, please contact Sheila Lyons, Manager, Development and Innovation (Adult Services) by email – sheila.lyons@ccwales.org.uk.

 Care Council for Wales

Gwenda Thomas, AM, Deputy Minister for Health and Social Services, attended the ADSS Cymru conference in Venue Cymru, Llandudno on Friday 2nd July.

Click here to view her speech.

A pioneer of social care from North Wales has been honoured by the Queen.

Mario Kreft, the chief executive of the award-winning Pendine Park care organisation and the honorary chief executive of Care Forum Wales, has been awarded an MBE for services to social care.

According to Mr Kreft, the news came like “a delightful bolt out of the blue” especially as the timing of the accolade in the Queen’s Birthday Honours coincides with the 25^th anniversary of Pendine Park.

The organisation employs 500 people in six care homes, in a domiciliary care company, Pendine Park Independent Living, and its in-house teaching care centre.

It is about to open a new centre of excellence, called Bodlondeb (place of contentment) to look after people with dementia at its main site in Wrexham.

There are plans in the pipeline for a similar centre in Caernarfon and between them the two centres are expected to create 200 new jobs.

Mr Kreft said: “I think the MBE is in recognition of the huge contribution made by social care in communities right across Wales, including the teams at Care Forum Wales and Pendine Park.

“We have a great team approach and this is a reward for all the work we’ve been doing together over the years to raise standards in social care and to promote the profession of social care.”

Mr Kreft and his wife, Gill, were inspired by their own personal experience to establish Pendine Park 1985.

They both had elderly grandparents who needed care and the places they went to see didn’t match their requirements - so they set up their own “family care home”.

Mr Kreft is now one of the leading figures in the care sector in Wales and is the founder and honorary chief executive of the private care sector body, Care Forum Wales.

For eight years, he was a Government-appointed member of the Care Council for Wales and previously served for seven years on the Central Council for Training and Education in social work.

Mr Kreft also played a key role in developing the Care Standards Act and in helping to draw up the Welsh Assembly Government’s 10-year care strategy, Fulfilled Lives, Supportive Communities, to safeguard vulnerable adults and children.

In addition, he was one of the main architects of a historic agreement between care providers and local authorities in Wales.

The aim of the Memorandum of Understanding, the first agreement of its kind in the UK, is to come up with a better way of planning and commissioning services while providing added protection for people being looked after in the social care sector.

Among Mr Kreft’s proudest achievements are the creation of the Wales Care Awards to recognise the contribution of staff and setting up a successful pilot project with the aim of developing a professional body for social care workers, the Academy of Care Practitioners Cymru.

It’s believed Pendine Park was one of the first independent care organisation in the UK to employ an artist in residence 14 years ago. A ground-breaking collaboration with the renowned Hallé orchestra led to an award from Arts and Business Cymru last year.

According to Mr Kreft, the values he learned from his grandparents are still his “guiding light”.

The new centre of excellence for people with dementia is dedicated to his grandmother who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease in later life and Bodlondeb is named after his grandparents’ home in St Asaph Street, Rhyl.

Mr Kreft said: “We started out by trying to work out how we would want our grandparents looked after. We are passionate about giving people the best possible care in a home-style environment.”

“Everybody is an individual and should be treated as one. Our guiding principles are dignity, independence, choice and fulfillment. These are the core values that guide us," he added.

VETTING AND BARRING SCHEME REGISTRATION HALTED

Registration of volunteers with the Government's Vetting and Barring Scheme (VBS) has been halted to allow the government to remodel the scheme back to proportionate, commonsense levels, it was announced today.

Voluntary registration with the VBS for new employees and job-movers working or volunteering with children and vulnerable adults was due to start on 26 July.

This registration has now been stopped.

“The safety of children and vulnerable adults is of paramount importance to the new government.

“However it is also vital that we take a measured approach in these matters. We’ve listened to the criticisms and will respond with a scheme that has been fundamentally remodelled.

“Vulnerable groups must be properly protected in a way that is proportionate and sensible. This redrawing of the VBS will ensure this happens.”

Children’s Minister Tim Loughton said:

“Any vetting system should not be a substitute for proper vigilance by individuals and society. At the moment we think the pendulum has swung too far.

Care Services Minister Paul Burstow said:

"Protecting the most vulnerable people in society is a basic duty of any government. While we must be confident that the systems we have in place are up to the job, we must also be sure that they are proportionate.

The VBS is designed to protect children and vulnerable adults by preventing those who pose a known risk from gaining access to them through their work.

Existing arrangements under the Scheme which will continue include the following:

· Since January 2009, the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) has been making independent barring decisions. It will continue to maintain two constantly updated lists, one for those barred from working with children, the other for those barred from working with vulnerable adults;

· Existing requirements concerning Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and Access Northern Ireland checks will remain in place, and those entitled to such checks can continue to apply for them; and

· Employers are still legally obliged to refer information to the ISA if they have moved or removed an individual because they have harmed or there is a risk of harm to a member of a vulnerable group.

The scope of the remodelling process – to be co-ordinated by the Home Office in partnership with Department of Health and Department for Education – is currently being finalised and will be announced shortly.

More than 66,000 employers, charities and voluntary groups are now being informed directly of the change. Up to date information is also available to businesses, other organisations and individuals on www.direct.gov.uk/vetting or www.businesslink.gov.uk/vbs.

Social Care Essential Update Seminars 2010

'MEETING THE CHALLENGE - SEIZING THE OPPORTUNITY INTERACTIVE SEMINARS'

In partnership with the Care and Social Services Inspectorate for Wales, the Care Council for Wales and the Health and Safety Executive.

These important seminars offer Registered Providers, Registered Managers and senior staff the very latest information relevant to the sector.  The events also offer the opportunity to stay ahead of the game for those organisations wishing to participate in the largest quality network in Wales.

The one day seminars commence in June with the second part taking place in November.  CFW member organisations are strongly advised to ensure that at least one senior staff member attend these events.

Draft programme includes workshops / presentations:

• All you need to know about how national changes will affect you and your organisation - CFW Social Care Senior Policy Advisors – Gordon Cole / Barry Latham
• Important changes to the Care Standards Act - CSSIW Regional Director
• Promoting quality and protecting vulnerable people - Care Council for Wales Head of Workforce and Innovation
•  Health & Safety is Good for your Business - Health and Safety Executive Senior Inspector
• How to manage the employment law changes - Peninsular Employment Law Specialist

The ‘Essential Updates’ provide incredible value for money as both an awareness raising and a CPD learning opportunity.  Seminar handouts, refreshments and buffet lunchuded in the cost. 

To book please complete the booking form and return, places are limited so early booking is essential.

New Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) qualifications are in the final stages of their development.

Replacement qualifications for NVQs in Children’s Care Learning and Development, Health and Social Care and Leadership and Management for Care Services will be ready and accredited over the next couple of months. Qualification contents and structures will be placed on our website as soon as the final versions are available.

A decision has been made in partnership with the Department for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills (DCELL’s), that the operational or ‘go live’ date for the new QCF qualifications will be January 2011 when learners will no longer be able to register for vocational NQF qualifications. We believe that this will provide all those involved in the delivery and assessment of the new qualifications with the optimum amount of time to become familiar with their contents.

A statement on the roll out of QCF qualifications has been made by Skills for Care and Development and the Children’s Workforce Development Council (CWDC). Skills for Care (SfC) or the Northern Ireland Social Care Council (NISCC) should be contacted for further details of roll out plans for England and Northern Ireland.

A report issued today (April 15, 2010) has found that people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s can still achieve a good quality of life.

The report, My Name Is Not Dementia, published by the Alzheimer’s Society, draws on the views of dementia sufferers, including the author Sir Terry Pratchett who suffers from a rare form of the disease.

The aim of the report, which was complied by the Mental Health Foundation, is to break down misconceptions about the impact of a dementia diagnosis by listing simple ways to make life better for sufferers.

The report lists 10 criteria that people with dementia said were important in improving their lives, such as having someone to talk to, or being able to practise a faith.

It found misconceptions about the impact of a dementia diagnosis include:

54% of people think a diagnosis would have a greater impact on them in later life than having cancer or a physical disability;

Only 13% of people think it’s possible to have a good quality of life at all stages of the condition;

and more than half of people (52%) also believe having dementia has a stigma attached to it.

Sir Terry Pratchett said: “Dementia is undoubtedly a cruel and debilitating condition. However a diagnosis does not strip a person of their identity. That person still has a voice and they deserve to be heard. Dementia requires not just care but also understanding. There is an opportunity here to give the lie to some of the clichés of care. We have to learn to be good at it.”

alzheimers.org.uk/mynameisnotdementia

After the White Paper was published by the Department of Health this week (see www.careandsupport.direct.gov.uk), Gwenda Thomas, the Assembly Government’s Deputy Minister for Social Services, said: “Given that much of the social care legislation is on an England and Wales basis, it will be essential that we continue working with the UK Government to establish a new system of paying for care that is fair, affordable, and sustainable in the long term." She indicated that the Assembly's response to its own consultation on paying for care would be published shortly and said "it will be particularly important that the results of that consultation, and further reactions from Welsh stakeholders, are considered during the consultation on the White Paper."

www.wales.nhs.uk/newsitem.cfm?contentid=16035

CSSIW has issued an overview of adult protection in social care in Wales, which alongside a separate report on the NHS has found that local authorities are making good progress on adult protection but need to do more to provide a more consistent response, as thresholds for referrals are not often well understood. A thematic study was also made of care home responses to adult protection. Recommending authorities undertake a review of their arrangements to include partners such as the independent sector in training it also recommends a number of actions for the Assembly. In response Gwenda Thomas, the minister promised action by the end of 2010 on reviewing adult protection arrangements (see www.wales.nhs.uk/newsitem.cfm?contentid=16032)

http://wales.gov.uk/cssiwsubsite/newcssiw/publications/ourfindings/allwales/2010/?lang=en

A strategic and independent review of the UK response to swine flu was announced today by the Government. Dame Deirdre Hine, a former Welsh Chief Medical Officer, will chair the independent review to examine the pandemic response across all four UK nations. Dame Deirdre will report to Ministers with recommendations before the summer parliamentary recess in any of the four nations of the UK. It comes as the access via GP's to the national stockpile of antiviral drugs was officially "stood down". Those with swine 'flu will still be able to access the antivirals but by paying for (if applicable) prescription by their GP.

England and Wales: www.dh.gov.uk/en/MediaCentre/Pressreleasesarchive/DH_114588

Skills for Care and Development has been relicensed as the Sector Skills Council covering social care, children, early years and young people’s workforces in the UK. The decision was announced Business Secretary, Lord Mandelson. The relicensing process included a performance assessment carried out by the National Audit Office. This means the four UK partners, Skills for Care, Northern Ireland Social Care Council, Care Council Wales, Scottish Social Services Council and Skills for Care are all relicensed until further reviews in the future.

http://nds.coi.gov.uk/content/Detail.aspx?ReleaseID=412716&NewsAreaID=2&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+bis-news+%28BIS+News%29

NEW funding worth £3.4m was announced at the end of last week (March 26) to help champion Wales’ oldest citizens.
The Welsh Assembly Government announced that a total of £1.8m will go towards the running of the Commissioner for Older People’s office.
And all local authorities in Wales and partners in the voluntary sector will share £1.65m to take forward the Assembly Government’s Older People’s  Strategy.
Labour Deputy Minister for Social Services, Gwenda Thomas, said: “The funding is directed at addressing the recommendations made in The Strategy for Older People in Wales to encourage local authorities and the voluntary sector in Wales to take a strategic approach to older people’s issues, tackle age discrimination and plan for an ageing society in our communities."

She added: "Although there are many challenges ahead I am confident that with our hallmark partnership approach further progress will be made this year.”

The Care Council for Wales is beginning a new initiative to encourage more under-25s to take up jobs in social care with a series of events across colleges and schools and new films to be used on websites, including social networking sites, and a DVD that will be shown at jobs fairs. They will be supported by leaflets and there will also be a separate publication aimed at older potential recruits who may be looking to change career or return to work.

www.ccwales.org.uk/news-and-events/12927

The national minimum wage is set to increase by 13p an hour to £5.93/hour, up from £5.80 per hour, the Government has announced (March 25, 2010).

Read more: http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/news/article.html?in_article_id=501794&in_page_id=2#ixzz0jkfgGqaw

The new adult rate for workers aged 21 and over will come into effect from October 2010.

The rate for 18 to 21-year-olds will rise from £4.83 to £4.92 per hour, while for 16 and 17-year-olds, the statutory hourly rate will be £3.64 an hour, up from £3.57 per hour.

The Law Commission is undertaking a consultation on Major changes in Social Care Law which is complex because of the large number of statutes which currently exist.  The consultation runs until the 1st July 2010. The full consultation paper can be viewed at:

http://www.lawcom.gov.uk/docs/cp192.pdf

To secure your place click here to download booking form.

Please click here to view current events being organised by Care Forum Wales on your behalf.

To find out more please contact enquiries@careforumwales.co.uk

Social Care Essential Update Seminars

 The JCVI have advised that vaccinations should continue through the summer for:

• those over 6 months old in at risk groups;
• pregnant women; and
• frontline health and social care workers

because they are at particular risk from infection or could expose patients to infection.

The JCVI considered that there is no justification to extend the programme to other healthy age groups of the population including main carers of the elderly and disabled.

For further information please click here

As part of the Framework of Services for Older People, the Welsh Assembly Government has asked Care Forum Wales to arrange a series of events across Wales to inform members of the changes to the Services for Older People.

The Framework of Services for Older People will promote the development of the appropriate range of local services working together to respond to the needs and the preferences of older people and their carers. These services should help them to continue or return to live at home or in a homely environment as independently as possible. Independence means either caring for oneself as much as possible or when practical assistance is required, it is based on the older person’s own choices and aspirations.  This applies equally to those people who fund their own care as well as those whose care is funded by the local authority or NHS.

 The idea behind the Framework is to encourage Local Authorities and their partners to develop a comprehensive range of effective local services designed to support older people at home or in a homely environment.

Older people want local services which are sufficiently robust to help them and their families cope with crises and emergencies with the minimum of disruption avoiding inappropriate admissions to hospital or residential care and facilitating a smooth transition between services.

 Your participation in these events is greatly needed to help shape the services of the future.

 To secure your place at these events click here to download booking form and return as soon as possilbe. We strongly recommend that you attend these very important FREE events.

 Click here to download  information leaflet relating to the Framework and Care Forum Wales response to this consultation.  If you require any further information please do not hesitate to call.

 To download Care Forum Wales reponse to this initiative click here

 To view the full details of the initiative click here

Care Forum Wales has been notified that Conwy Council has recommended a fee increase of 2% across the board and that Flintshire Council has recommended a fee increase of 1% for care homes and domiciliary care providers.  Please note that these increases are only recommended and are yet to be approved by the councils.

If any member has any news of fee level settings in their area please contact enquiries@careforumwales.co.uk

Diary marker: Adult Social Care Consultation

29 March 2010, Cardiff

The Law Commission is reviewing Adult Social Care law and is seeking opinions on its proposals, which are due to be published in February.

The Older People’s Commissioner for Wales is working with the Law Commission and Age Concern Cymru and Help the Aged in Wales to hold an event to discuss the impact of the current law on older people and generate ideas to overcome these challenges. 

This is your chance to influence the future shape of adult social care law.

The event is aimed at anyone with an interest in this area including older people, carers and frontline workers.  We have a range of speakers who will explain the current law, whatever your current knowledge level.

There will be a series of discussion groups so you will have the opportunity to discuss ideas in more depth.

To register an interest in attending, please email Ceri at ceri.gilg@olderpeoplewales.com or telephone 08442 640670.

If you know anyone who may be interested in attending this conference, please forward this invitation to them.

Nodyn dyddiadur: Ymgynghoriad ynghylch Gofal Cymdeithasol i Oedolion

29 Mawrth 2010, Caerdydd

Mae Comisiwn y Gyfraith wrthi’n adolygu’r gyfraith ynghylch Gofal Cymdeithasol i Oedolion ac mae’n chwilio am sylwadau ar ei gynigion, sydd i’w cyhoeddi ym mis Chwefror.

Mae Comisiynydd Pobl Hŷn Cymru yn cydweithio â Chomisiwn y Gyfraith ac Age Concern Cymru a Help the Aged yng Nghymru i gynnal digwyddiad i drafod effaith y gyfraith gyfredol ar bobl hŷn a syniadau ynghylch goresgyn yr heriau hyn.  Dyma’ch cyfle chi i ddylanwadu ar siâp y gyfraith ynghylch gofal cymdeithasol i oedolion yn y dyfodol.

Mae’r digwyddiad wedi’i anelu at unrhyw un sydd â buddiannau yn y maes hwn gan gynnwys pobl hŷn, gofalwyr a gweithwyr y rheng flaen.  Mae gennyn ni amrywiaeth o siaradwyr a fydd yn esbonio’r gyfraith gyfredol, beth bynnag fo lefel eich gwybodaeth bresennol.

Bydd cyfres o grwpiau trafod er mwyn ichi gael cyfle i drafod syniadau yn fanylach.

I gofrestru diddordeb mewn dod i’r gynhadledd, anfonwch neges e-bost at Ceri yn ceri.gilg@olderpeoplewales.com neu ffoniwch 08442 640670.

Os ydych yn adnabod unrhyw un a allai fod â diddordeb yn y gynhadledd, anfonwch y gwahoddiad yma ymlaen atyn nhw.

Dignity in Care Workshops – Academy of Care Practitioners

A number of events for social care practitioners funded by the Welsh Assembly Government.

9^th March – Swansea

10^th March - Cardiff

18^th March – Wrexham

 19^th March – Conwy

To book your place please download booking form and return.

For further information about these events click here.

Wales’ estimated 350,000 unpaid carers are to get greater support and recognition under new proposals from the Welsh Assembly Government.

The Carers Measure will mean NHS and Local Authority staff are required to consult with carers who look after elderly or ill family members about changes to the care services they provide, says Deputy Minister for Social Services, Gwenda Thomas.

Staff will also have to a duty to support carers by providing accessible, relevant and up-to-date information and advice.

The minister outlined the proposals to improve the lives of unpaid carers, including young carers, in the Carers Strategies (Wales) Measure at the end of January.

The proposed Measure covers services including social services, housing and education provided by the NHS and local authorities. It also applies to directly provided services or contracted out services, such as GP services contracted to Health Boards.

Gwenda Thomas said: “I am delighted to introduce this proposed Carers Measure. I know and appreciate the enormous contribution carers make to the people they care for, and more broadly to our communities.

“This proposed Measure addresses some of the most important concerns carers and carers organisations have shared with me over the years,” she added.

Roz Williamson, director of Carers Wales, said: “Carers often have to struggle to get the help they need and have fought long and hard for greater support and recognition.

“The Measure recognises the true value of the contribution that the 350,000 unpaid carers make to society in Wales. It will be an important step in ensuring carers get the practical and emotional help they need.”

Dementia affects 820,000, costing the UK £23 billion each year – Alzheimer’s Research Trust study

A major new Alzheimer’s Research Trust commissioned University of Oxford report, Dementia 2010, reveals that the impact of dementia on the UK’s society and economy is higher than ever. It also shows that dementia research remains severely underfunded compared to other conditions like cancer and heart disease.

We now know that dementia affects 820,000 people, costing the UK economy
£23 billion per year, while dementia research funding is twelve times lower than that for cancer research.

The news comes a year after the government published its National Dementia Strategy. The Alzheimer’s Research Trust, the UK’s leading dementia research charity, warned that “dementia is the greatest medical challenge of the 21st century”.

The Alzheimer’s Research Trust’s Dementia 2010 found that each dementia patient costs the British economy more than the average salary and five times more than the average cancer patient. For every £1 million in health and social care costs for the disease, £129,269 is spent on cancer research and just £4,882 on dementia research.

Rebecca Wood, Chief Executive of the Alzheimer's Research Trust, said:
"The true impact of dementia has been ignored for too long. The UK's dementia crisis is worse than we feared. This report shows that dementia is the greatest medical challenge of the 21st century."

The Full Report can be downloaded from;

http://alzheimers-research.org.uk/news/article.php?type=News&id=544

The Wales Care Awards 2010 will take place at City Hall, Cardiff on Friday October 29.

Nominations are now invited for social care workers from across Wales, including care practitioners, nurses, managers and specialists in dementia and palliative care.

A very special award this year is the Spirit of Care Award - the winner will be selected from across all categories as a special individual recognised for excellence in their practice.

The prize for this special award, sponsored by Boots, will be £1,000.

Click here to download a nomination form.

Deadline for entries will be March 31, 2010.

HEALTH Minister Edwina Hart has launched a pilot project to help frail older people who’ve been in hospital for minor conditions to return to the comfort of their own homes to recuperate.

The scheme, which began in November, is called the Frailty Fast Track Project and will be trialled at Wrexham Maelor Hospital for six months.

It aims to prevent elderly people from being delayed in hospital after they’ve been treated for a minor ailment, which can result in their ability to care for themselves being reduced.

Instead, frail, older patients will be helped through the hospital care system to allow them to go home promptly when they are well.  When they return home, patients will have access to extra care and support, if needed, to allow them to comfortably resettle into their daily lives.

Mrs Hart said: "This pilot project will be an innovative way to try to streamline care for vulnerable older patients who need hospital treatment for relatively minor conditions but may face unnecessary delays during their stay.

“Often this delayed transfer from hospital is usually against patients’ and carers’ wishes and also means additional cost for the health and social services.  

“If this project can reduce the amount of time a patient needs to stay in hospital,  it will allow older people to comfortably return to their daily routine as soon as possible and continue to live independently in their own homes.”

Chief medical officer for Wales, Dr Tony Jewell, said: “The project will support older patients through their stay in hospital and provide extra assistance to help them resettle into their own homes so that they are able to resume their day to day lives as soon as possible.

“Enabling staff to follow the patient from hospital into the community to improve continuity of care for the frail elderly should improve effective communication between hospital and community services and help patients and families feel supported.”

THE elderly are among those who could be missing out on health alert updates, as well as better deals on goods and services, due to a lack of internet access, a new report claims.

The report, by Consumer Focus Wales, warns that the one in three households in Wales lack internet access – with groups such as the elderly and less well off particularly affected.

It says they could be missing out on food safety alerts, weather warnings and even better deals to cut utility bills, as well as news of political decisions affecting the services they use, because of a lack of web access.

Consumer Focus Wales, formerly the Welsh Consumer Council, wants regulators to ensure vulnerable groups such as the elderly and poor are not forgotten and end up “institutionally locked out”. The Welsh Assembly Government said it was preparing a response to the report.

The report, which drew on 10 years of data for its report, Logged In Or Locked Out?, found 67% of households in Wales have a home internet connection.

But it concluded that there is a risk of a growing digital divide for the 750,000 adults in Wales who either cannot, or choose not to, use the internet.

Sarah Richards, senior policy advocate for Consumer Focus Wales, said personal access to the internet was becoming ever more important.

She said: “The growing availability of information and bargains means that those who either cannot, or choose not to, use the internet are in danger of being locked out from accessing the best deals, and the most up-to-date information.”

Ms Richards added: “The benefits to consumers of the internet are many, but we must ensure we do not end up in a country where people are institutionally locked out from information which may affect them – like weather warnings, finding out information during food scares or looking at what elected politicians are saying on our behalf.”

Families in Wales forced to sell their loved ones’ homes to help pay for care home fees that should have been funded by the NHS have been warned to get their compensation claims in soon.

Liberal Democrat health spokesman Peter Black yesterday hit out at the lack of publicity about the Welsh Assembly Government's approaching December 4 deadline.

Those affected are people whose relatives were placed in a care home – whether a nursing home or residential home – because they needed continuing medical care.

Peter Black said: “Anybody who leaves hospital should receive a continuing care assessment, which establishes their nursing and personal care needs. Any nursing care needs identified by this assessment should be paid for by the NHS.

“Members of the family are entitled to be present at this assessment. The problem is that most do not know about this and are preoccupied by other matters. Often these assessments do not take place.

“The NHS is responsible for paying for nursing care, and councils often pick up the bill for social and personal care. So the outcomes of these assessments can often be significant in determining who pays.

“What is missing here is clarity. It seems to me that there is no clearly-understood definition of nursing care and personal care,” he added.

The Court of Appeal made a judgement in 1999 stating that anyone whose main need for a care home place was based on their medical needs should not have to make any contribution towards the cost of their health care. Instead, the court ruled, this should be paid for by the NHS.

It is understood there are already nearly 900 outstanding claims in Wales alone, and more are expected to come forward by the December 4 deadline.

The Welsh Assembly Government said the relevant bodies (responsible for making known the deadline) were told of the deadline in August

The deadline for restrospective claims is for the period April 1, 1996 to March 31, 2003. Claims relating to later periods are unaffected and should be directed to your Local Health Board.

A citizens’ jury is to be brought together on October 1 in Cwmbran, Torfaen, to discuss how the media affects relations between older people and younger members of society.

The event is one of a number of planned to take place across Wales to mark the UK’s Older People’s Day. October 1 is also the United Nations’ Day For Older People.

The jury, which will meet at County Hall in Cwmbran, will hear evidence about how older people are portrayed in the media and have the chance to cross-examine witnesses about whether this damages the way younger people perceive them.

The opening address at the event, which starts at 10am, will be given by the Welsh Assembly Government’s deputy minister for social services, Gwenda Thomas.

The jury will weigh up the evidence and come up with a recommendation which will be put forward to the Welsh Assembly Government on how to improve relations between young people and the older generation.

The European Campaign on Risk Assessment is hosting two Wales-based workshops in October to promote the benefits of carrying out risk assessments.

One workshop is to be held in Cwmbran, on October 5, and the other is on October 9 in Conwy. The workshops are aimed at staff and employers who need to deal with risk assessments in the workplace.

There will be practical advice on completing risk assessments, a discussion of the main issues surrounding implementing such assessments and a chance to network and find out about best practice.

Workshops:
October 5, 9.30am-1pm, County Hall, Cwmbran
October 9, 9.30am-1pm, Conwy Business Centre

Refreshments and free buffet lunch are provided. For further information, or to book a place, email j.ramsay@media-consulta.com by October 1.

Dementia charity extends helpline opening hours to mark Dementia Awareness Week

The charity, Dementia UK, which helps those suffering from dementia and their families, is marking Dementia Awareness Week next week (from July 4-10) with extended opening hours on its national helpline.

The organisation runs Admiral Nursing DIRECT, a national helpline for people with dementia, their carers, friends, family and professionals.

The service is run by Admiral Nurses, specialist dementia nurses, and is normally available Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11am to 8:45pm and Saturdays from 10am until 1pm.

In recognition of Dementia Awareness Week next week it will also open on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 11am -5:30pm.

For more information see www.dementiauk.org

For the helpline call 0845 257 9406 or email direct@dementiauk.org