CQC publishes its review of how local health and social care systems work together in Northamptonshire
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has published its findings following a review of health and social care services in Northamptonshire. This report is one of 20 targeted local system reviews looking specifically at how older people move through the health and social care system, with a focus on how services work together. The reviews look at how hospitals, community health services, GP practices, care homes and homecare agencies work together to provide seamless care for people aged 65 and over living in a local area. During the review carried out in April 2018, CQC sought feedback from a range of people involved in shaping and leading the system, those responsible for directly delivering care as well as people who use services, their families and carers. The review found there was a system-wide commitment to serving the people of Northamptonshire but that services had not always worked effectively together. It highlighted a number of areas where improvements are needed to ensure those responsible for providing health and social care services work better together. Professor Steve Field, CQC’s Chief Inspector of General Practice, said: “Our review of health and social care services in Northamptonshire found that while there is an intent from the system’s new leadership to improve how people move through health and social care services, the reality for people has been variable with fragmented services leading to disjointed care and unsatisfactory experiences for older people. There were some significant barriers to progressing the transformation agenda in Northamptonshire including poor relationships, financial constraints and issues of capacity in both the acute trusts and within the adult social care market. We found that there were limited services to help maintain older people’s health and well-being in the community and services to help them avoid hospital admission. If an older person was admitted to hospital, they were more likely to have longer hospital stays and people’s experience of being discharged from hospital was not always timely or person-centred.” “The government had appointed commissioners to oversee financial management activity in Northamptonshire County Council and made a recommendation for the local authority to be replaced with two unitary authorities. System leaders acknowledged that effective partnership working and a strong vision was integral to improving health and wellbeing outcomes for the people of Northamptonshire. We found that there was a renewed commitment from system partners to deliver improved and integrated health and social care services, and this was supported by a clear strategy emerging from the recently reset Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (STP) plan. We found that the STP plans had a strong focus on collaborative working. There were key work streams in place such as operations, finance and the development of a frailty model but they were all in early planning stages. There is a need for partners to take this important work forward at pace so that older people are seen and cared for at the right place at the right time by the right people. We have presented our findings to the new health and social care system leaders in Northamptonshire so that they can prioritise and continue to improve and work together in bringing joined up care to people living in the county.” Overall CQC reviewers found: • People in Northamptonshire had a varied and sometimes unsatisfactory experience of health and social care services. • Hospital occupancy rates were high and both acute hospitals were failing to meet the national A&E target for time taken to be seen, assessed and treated. Some recent service design changes at Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust had led to improvements in performance, but it was too early to determine if these could be sustained. • There was no systematic or joined up approach across the county to use feedback from people, their families and carers, and public involvement in the development of strategy and services. • Older people continued to stay longer in hospital and bed capacity issues meant some people were not cared for in the most appropriate place by the most appropriate staff. • While there was a strategy for integrated, community, place-based care, arising from the Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (STP), this had not been developed into a single, coherent vision for Northamptonshire which could be clearly articulated by all staff. • Aside from the Better Care Fund (BCF), there were limited examples of pooled budgets in place for the delivery of services across health and social care for older people. • There were significant workforce pressures in a number of health and social care disciplines across services. This was having an impact on areas such as the number of unallocated social care cases and referrals. This review makes a number of suggestions of areas where the local system should focus on to secure improvement including: • Relationships between system leaders across organisations must improve, in particular between providers and commissioners, which was hampering progress towards integration. • Integrated working between secondary and primary healthcare and social care services needs to be strengthened. • The system needs to work together to develop and drive forward a shared strategic vision for the future. • Improving information sharing across health and social care should be prioritised, as this has proved a barrier to integrated working. • There needs to be a greater commissioning focus on developing preventative services. • More evaluation and sharing of lessons learned across the whole health and social care system was needed. We did not see system-wide ownership of performance The full report from the CQC will be available on our website from 09:00 Thursday 12 July 2018 here.
Busy Bees first to launch NHS-approved menu
As part of celebrations to mark 70 years of the NHS, Busy Bees, the leading childcare provider in the UK, has launched a new summer menu which achieves NHS Startwell accreditation. The voluntary accreditation provides guidelines for nursery settings to ensure the meals they prepare have the right nutritional balance pre-school children need for healthy and happy early years. Busy Bees is the first nursery group to achieve the NHS Startwell menu accreditation, which also meets Public Health England Early Years guidance. The official launch of the new menus took place on the NHS’s 70th birthday (Thursday 5 July) in Busy Bees at Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital nursery, which is one of Busy Bees’ 351 settings that care for more than 35,000 children in the UK. Nursery staff were joined by children, parents – the majority of whom work within the hospital and Gemma Gill, Consultant and Nutritionist at NHS Startwell, to try out recipes from the new menu including lentil curry, tuna crunch wrap and a fruit platter. Marg Randles, Chief Academic Officer and Co-Founder at Busy Bees said: “With the NHS turning 70 this week, we thought there was no better time to launch our new summer menu. We have worked closely with NHS Startwell to ensure that the recipes on our menus provide the nutrition to support our childrens growth as well as cognitive development. Healthy food is so important for young children and can have a big impact on their long-term wellbeing. It’s all part of ensuring that we provide a healthy environment for our children to grow in and that every element of our care gives our children the best start in life.” Gemma Gill, Consultant and Nutritionist at NHS Startwell said: “For nursery settings, child carers and parents, it’s important to provide children with the right types and portions of food. Helping them eat healthily and be active in their early years can make a big difference to future food choices and health. The Startwell menu accreditation sets out guidelines to help settings plan and prepare meals that create a healthy environment for young children. It was great to work with Busy Bees, its new summer menu will provide the children in its care with the nutrients and minerals needed to fuel their energy, help stimulate their curiosity and give them a healthy beginning to their development.” The new menus will be launched nationwide in Busy Bees’ 351 settings on Monday 9 July. For more information about Busy Bees, please click here. For all media enquiries please contact Chloe Hardy on 01543 898 195 or at chloe@papillonpr.co.uk
The Apprenticeship Levy – one year on
Following a year of the Apprenticeship Levy, the Government initiative to fund three million places for apprentices by 2020, Lindsey Appleby-Flynn, National Lead for Adult Health and Social Care at apprenticeship provider Connect2Care, reflects on what the future holds for apprenticeships in the care sector. For some care businesses, the perceived admin involved with the Government’s Apprenticeship Levy may have seemed to outweigh the benefits. However, in the care sector particularly, there have been positive steps to show that apprenticeships are working well to effectively attract new learners. Before 2016/17, the most common subject area for apprenticeship starts was in Business, Administration and Law, but for the first time there have been more starts in Health, Public Services and Care. At Connect2Care, we see the reality is that, as with anything new, there have been teething problems and some confusion around the Levy. As such, it’s hardly surprising that, according to a report by the Open University, £1.3bn of the cash paid into the fund is yet to be claimed. But this figure is much less dramatic than it appears; businesses actually have 24 months to use Levy payments so understandably they are taking time to get to grips with the scheme first. Far from writing a scheme off, we need time to allow a new piece of complicated legislation to bed down. Reflecting on 12 months of the Levy As a reminder, the Levy itself requires all companies with a pay bill of more than £3m to contribute 0.5% of their pay bill costs to the scheme, which they then claim back for training. This amount is then topped up by 10% from the Government. Businesses with pay bills below £3m don’t have to pay into the fund but they still have access to Government subsidies of 90% of the cost of the apprenticeship, with the employers co-paying the additional 10%. According to the Apprenticeships Statistics from the House of Commons Library, the sector of Health, Public Services and Care saw the highest number of new starts in the last year. There were 138,000 new starts in 2017/18, 7,000 up from the previous year. This makes it an excellent time for employers in the care industry to maximise the advantages of the Apprenticeship Levy, as they too can experience benefits including better staff retention rates, improved skills and higher industry training standards. Our care clients continue to praise apprenticeships and consider them to be an excellent way to upskill staff whilst also recruiting and retaining top talent. As expected, we are seeing apprentices lead on to successful, long term careers in care. What the legislation looks like now In May we also saw a new evolution to the Levy as, for the first time; large employers can now transfer up to 10% of their annual Levy fund to another organisation. This means that Levy-paying employers can work with another employer to help them take on apprentices, increasing the skills base in their supply chain. The future of care apprenticeships The future is certainly bright for apprenticeships and we encourage all employers to take advantage of the Levy. Setting up a programme with a trusted provider like Connect2Care will encourage staff to stay in the industry by enabling workers to train for valuable career pathways. Apprenticeships should not just be considered for new staff, they can be useful for updating the skill set of existing employees too – from junior right up to senior level. The benefits speak for themselves; 70% of apprentices stay with their employer after completing their qualification. Then there is the boost to morale; 92% of businesses find that having an apprenticeship programme has led to a more motivated team. So as the Levy starts its second year we encourage more care businesses to utilise and maximise their funds. There is no doubt apprenticeships are the go-to solution for employers looking to develop talent, from new starters right through to senior level employees.” For more information on Connect2Care, please click here or call 0800 954 2803.
M.E. sufferer’s story – A Girl Behind Dark Glasses
Win this bitterly painful, moving but ultimately inspiring story about one girl’s battle against severe Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (M.E) in Care & Nursing Essential’s competition. Jessica Taylor-Bearman shares her inner-most thoughts and real-time emotions – adapted from her diary growing up as a teenager in South-East England – as she experiences the terrifying discovery that, aged 15, instead of partying, studying and socialising, she would rapidly become bed-ridden, ultimately unable to move, speak, eat… Despite the odds, Jessica never gave up. Her dream was to become an author, to be able to marry, leave the hospital, enjoy life. In July her first book, A Girl Behind Dark Glasses, was published by Hashtag Press. Supported by a hugely successful crowdfunding project, Jessica’s story also features in a film called Unrest by Jennifer Brea, a journalist and filmmaker from New York, which aims to raise awareness about severe M.E. After winning a prize at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, the now Oscar-shortlisted film is now on general release in the UK, coinciding with a review of the controversial National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines into the diagnosis and management of the illness. From beneath her dark glasses, Jessica glimpses a world far different from the one she remembers as a teenage schoolgirl. This true story follows her path as she ends up living in hospital for years with tubes keeping her alive. Becoming an author, being able to raise awareness about the condition – also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome – is the only thing that kept Jessica going through her teenage years. Using voice recognition software, which she calls ‘Bug’, Jessica was able to record her time in hospital, providing a raw, real-time honesty to the story that would be impossible to capture in hindsight. M.E. is a systemic neuroimmune condition characterised by post-exertional malaise (a severe worsening of symptoms after even minimal exertion). It causes dysregulation of both the immune system and the nervous system. The effects of M.E. are devastating enough to leave 25% of patients housebound or bedbound. For moderate to severe patients, living with M.E. is like living with late-stage cancer, advanced stage AIDS, or congestive heart failure for decades. In many parts of the world, it is commonly called Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Please be aware this competition is now closed.
Family farm raises hundreds for Teesside care home residents
PIZZA, pints and prosecco have helped raise hundreds of pounds for Teesside care home residents. A fundraising event was held at Lowfields Farm, near Stainton, for residents at Ingleby Care Home, Ingleby Barwick. Pints of cider and lager, prosecco and soft drinks, a cake sale, pizzas, blow-up gladiator and sumo activities and a bouncy castle generated £621 in donations. The farm is owned by the granddaughter of one of the home’s residents, Joyce Marsay. Jayne Kendall threw the event after being impressed with the improvements in her grandmother’s mobility and sociability since moving into the care home. She said: “The family has seen amazing change in granny since going to live at Ingleby Care Home. Before she wouldn’t take part in anything but she now goes on all the outings, takes part in exercise and craft classes. It’s like she has a new lease on life.” A cheque presentation was held at Ingleby Care Home, on Lamb Lane, when staff gave a bouquet of flowers to the family as a thank you. Kirsty Walsh, activities coordinator at Ingleby Care Home, was one of those at the presentation. She said: “The event was amazing and I honestly can’t thank the family enough for organising it. We would like to give the residents the experience of a silent disco and a trip to the seaside, so the funds will help towards both activities.” For more information about Ingleby Care Home please visit www.hillcare.net/our-homes
Compton Care appoints BAM to build £2.5m Care Coordination Centre
Wolverhampton-based charity Compton Care has today named BAM Construction as the company that will build its much-anticipated Care Coordination Centre. The Centre, which is being funded in majority by a donation from former members of the Unite Union Goodyear Wolverhampton branch, will allow the charity to effectively coordinate its services from one central point in order to create a more responsive service for people living with complex and incurable conditions. BAM was selected as the successful company from a series of applications submitted through the ProCure22 (P22) –a Construction Procurement Framework for the Public Sector. Claire Marshall, Chief Executive at Compton Care, commented: “The team at Compton Care have been overwhelmed with the quality of the applications to construct our beloved Care Coordination Centre and are so grateful to all those who showed an interest in the project. Following a rigorous process, we are delighted to announce that BAM has been selected to be our contractor for the project. “The finalists in the tender process met the specifications of professionalism, quality and experience of complex construction but BAM’s application stood out for their eagerness to work in partnership with the Compton Care team to achieve the best results. “We have two primary challenges with the project; our historical Compton Hall site, where the Coordination Centre will be built is precious to us and our community and we will be maintaining our services on site throughout the project. BAM demonstrated they understood both those factors and the need to work together to manage those challenges as well as build a beautiful Coordination Centre. We can’t wait to get started on this project, which will enhance the care and support we offer our patients and their families.” The Care Coordination Centre is being funded in its majority by a £1.5 million donation from ex-Goodyear workers. Speaking of his pride at seeing the donation being brought to the life through the construction of the Coordination Centre, Unite Union Goodyear branch Chairman Cyril Barrett commented: “The members of the 5/344 Transport and General Workers Union Benevolent Fund wanted, from day one, to make Compton Care our flagship charity project. The reaction we have had to-date from the members has been incredibility positive. They feel a great sense of pride in this project. It is a fitting lasting legacy to every person that has been a member of the fund since 1985. It is ex Goodyear Union members supporting Compton Care – a charity that is dear to all our hearts. The Trustees and management committee feel a great sense of pride in seeing this project becoming a reality.” Construction work is expected to begin on the Community Coordination Centre in July. David Barr, Construction Manager for BAM, said: “We’re are very much looking forward to working with our all our partners at Compton Care, to create this much-needed facility. Selecting BAM to deliver it is a vote of confidence in our experienced team, and we will bring our customary positive attitude and professionalism to it.” The Community Coordination Centre forms part of Compton’s strategy to make its services more accessible to people living with complex and incurable conditions reaching people earlier in their diagnosis and providing care for longer. The Coordination Centre will provide a facility in which the charity will coordinate referrals to its extensive range of services including care in the home, inpatient care, day care facilities and emotional, spiritual and social care. With all services being coordinated from one central point the centre will create a single point of access making it easier for patients, families, carers and healthcare professionals to access support from Compton Care. For more information about The Community Coordination Centre please visit www.comptoncare.org.uk
Anyone for tennis? Homes at Castle View Windsor include sporting bonus as new show apartments are revealed
Active retirees wanting an urban lifestyle and great transport links can now view the newly launched show apartments at Castle View retirement village in Windsor which come with the added bonus of a lifetime membership to Windsor Lawn Tennis club, right next door to the development. Residents will be able to jet of Heathrow just 20 minutes away, while London can be reached in about 35 minutes on the train. Offering additional excellent facilities, Windsor town centre is just a mile away, while the M4 can be reached in just two miles. Castle View Windsor will offer some of the most spectacular castle views in town from its own rooftop sky lounge, bar and terrace. One of the largest and most innovative urban retirement villages in the UK, the £50 million development will provide 64 apartments including five spectacular rooftop apartments, and range in size from 605 sq ft to 1,185 sq ft, along with a neighbouring 72 bed care home. Opening this October, prices start from £390,000 for a one bed to £790,000 for a three bed or two bed plus apartment with dining or study, while prices will be released for the rooftop apartments shortly. Each contemporary living apartment will have its own private entrance and most will also have a large balcony. Set in three acres of beautifully landscaped grounds, all floors will be accessible from the secure underground car park and 24-hour reception and concierge will provide security around the clock, offering peace of mind and great ‘lock and leave’ living. Regular activities and village events will also be provided. Comments Robin Hughes, Managing Director, Castle Retirement Living, the developer of the site and a Windsorian; “We’re very proud of what we’re creating at Castle View Windsor and believe it will set a new standard for urban retirement villages in the UK. For me, it has to be ‘good enough for Mum’ as my Mum will be amongst our first residents, so I want her to be very happy here along with other parents and retirees.” “Along with our stunning castle views, we’re offering some very special bonuses to residents, such as our lifetime membership to Windsor Lawn Tennis Club, a pet friendly policy in all ground floor apartments, and no smoking across the development.” For further information on Castle View Windsor please call 01753 378127 or please click here to visit their website
Game of Thrones star meets Balhousie dementia champion at nursing awards
A dementia nurse consultant from Perth-based care home company, Balhousie Care Group, has celebrated winning an award for leadership with the Mother of Dragons herself, Games of Thrones star Emilia Clarke. Yvonne Manson scooped a national nursing award for her innovative work in dementia practices at the prestigious RCNi Awards in London last night which celebrate excellence in nursing care throughout the UK. Emilia was there in her new role as an ambassador for the Royal College of Nursing where she met the winners and finalists and made a special speech. She spoke of her admiration for nurses and her own experiences of the care her father received in his final days. In true Game of Thrones style, Emilia said we should all “bend the knee” to these “truly remarkable” nurses. Yvonne said: “I have tweeted Emilia and invited her to come to one of our homes when she is next in Scotland. She was so lovely and very much an ambassador for nursing.” Yvonne, standing out among almost 800 entries, has worked in care homes for 23 years and is a fierce advocate for innovation in the sector. She regularly shares her ideas on dementia nursing at national events and conferences. Yvonne added: “I’ve been fortunate to have worked in this sector for more than two decades and to have learned from some of the best. I’m very proud to have been recognised for all Balhousie Care Group’s hard work with the dementia program. The staff here inspire me every day with their dedication, and to see others gaining confidence and progressing our ideas is so gratifying.” Yvonne has headed up a host of dementia initiatives throughout Balhousie Care Group’s 25 care homes in Scotland. With a focus on collaboration between staff and residents, these have included memory boxes, themed interior décor, multi-sensory therapy and virtual reality headsets, all to encourage reminiscence as well as family time and personal space. Yvonne also leads Balhousie Care’s Dementia Ambassador programme in which at least two staff members in every care home are active ambassadors for dementia practices, meeting regularly to share ideas and learn new techniques. To find out more about Balhousie Care Group please click here
Care director highlighted in CQC celebration of NHS
Tracy Johnson, Director of Operations at Chesterfield-based Heathcotes Group, has been highlighted as an outstanding individual in health and social care as part of a new publication celebrating 70 years of the NHS. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has published ‘Driving improvement – Individuals who have made a difference’ featuring a collection of 70 case studies which recognise the work that exceptional people – from volunteers and frontline staff to senior leaders – have done to deliver great services in hospitals, care homes, GP practices and elsewhere. Tracy’s story highlights her progress from a 17-year-old residential care support worker to a senior role at Heathcotes, where she has designed and implemented a group-wide internal audit system with a focus on high-quality services that has driven the entire culture of the organisation. Her work has been instrumental in Heathcotes’ current CQC ratings profile of 86% good or outstanding across 62 specialist services for adults with learning disabilities, mental health issues and associated needs. Heathcotes Group Managing Director, Brendan Kelly, said: “Heathcotes are very proud to see Tracy featured in the CQC’s celebration of 70 years of the NHS and she is thoroughly deserving of the recognition. Driving improvement is a perfect description of what Tracy has achieved at Heathcotes. I believe that her Quality Assurance toolkit, which she developed to mirror the CQC inspection methodology, has become a benchmark for internal auditing in social care. It continues to have a positive impact on our services nationwide and is overseen by Tracy’s team of auditors who visit services on a monthly basis.” “As a result of Tracy’ rigorous audit process, Heathcotes has formed a Service Improvement Team, a dedicated group of experienced managers that can offer support and guidance to service managers throughout the group. Tracy also oversees our stakeholder satisfaction surveys and produces an organisational action plan to ensure that the company is responsive to the feedback received.” Tracy joined Heathcotes eleven years ago as a registered manager before progressing through various roles to become Head of Quality & Compliance. In 2017 Heathcotes promoted Tracy to her current role – Director of Operations – in recognition of her contribution to the Group’s outstanding results. For more information about Heathcotes Group please click here.
