More NHS care workers essential for a brighter future
Advances in healthcare and higher living standards means the UK’s over-65 population is set to increase by almost half by the mid-2030s and the number of people living with complex care needs continues to grow. New roles and skills are needed therefore to meet this increase in complex care with an extra focus on person centred care. This will have a direct effect on the number of NHS Health and Social Care workers needed on a scale never seen before and this cannot be ignored. In England there are more than 80,000 vacancies in Health and Social Care at any one time. The industry is already at tipping point but with the increased number of people needing complex care and a significant lack of highly-skilled carers, action must be taken now to attract and retain more talent. The issues with recruitment are only made more prevalent by low retention rates and considerable upheaval within the sector. The Health Foundation found in a report in 2017 that 900 social care workers were estimated to leave the sector every day. It also found that 27 per cent of workers left the industry citing better pay and less pressures in industries such as hospitality. Incentives like training, which offers opportunities for progression, a clear career path and the skills to deliver outstanding care, can be part of the solution to retain care workers. BB Training is an award-winning education provider in the care sector, and part of the Busy Bees Group. Gary Pluck, BB Training Director of Communications and Business Development, said: “The state of the Adult Social Care Sector and Workforce in England report, published by Skills for Care last year, revealed around 390,000 people have left the sector over the last 12 months. Upskilling an existing workforce is as important as hiring new recruits as it has been proven to improve productivity and increase staff retention. Apprenticeships are integral to the future of the sector providing a continuous pipeline of qualified-talent. We facilitate an ongoing personal development programme that extends beyond the completion of an apprenticeship through short courses, additional qualifications and higher-level apprenticeships to ensure an upskilled, happy and motivated workforce.” BB Training currently works with NHS Trusts and Health and Social Care Services to provide qualifications that enable the services to entice new staff and upskill current staff, keeping them within the Care Sector. Bolstering retention and creating new opportunities within the sector. Gary Pluck continued: “Apprenticeships are appealing to people as they represent an opportunity to ‘earn while you learn’, gaining recognised industry qualifications as well as the skills and knowledge employers require. Utilising the popularity of the apprenticeship model and providing an entry point and clear progression pathways in the Care Sector will help facilitate long term growth within the sector and secure a brighter future for the NHS.” By promoting both Clinical Care and Health and Social Care apprenticeships to school leavers and providing them with the best training and qualifications available, BB Training is securing raw talent for the Care Sector; moulding apprentices into the next generation of committed specialist staff. Each individual is assigned a dedicated assessor, who has industry recognised experience and qualifications. Monthly assessment visits take place at the learner’s workplace with bespoke action plans set each month, this includes individualised support for learning styles and the leaner’s individual needs. Every learner has access to a bank of resources to support their learning and development; plus the opportunity to take part in online delivery sessions. BB Training offers a variety of Care Sector Apprenticeships from Levels 2 to 5, covering areas such as Clinical Care and Adult Social Care. The courses support a number of roles within the Care Sector and have been designed by sector specialists to be innovative and flexible, preparing learners for their role and for future career progression. Entry requirements do apply to apprenticeships for the Care Sector due to the nature of the work undertaken. However, for those that have a mathematics and English qualification within them, BB Training has dedicated, trained and experienced staff to support individuals to achieve functional skills qualifications. These qualifications will, in turn, support Continuing Professional Development and progression within the sector. All elements of the programme require current employment within the Care Sector, mainly working with adults.
Blood Clot Survivor Launches Product To Help Save Lives – And NHS Cash
A man who almost died from a blood clot is to launch a product which could save the NHS millions of pounds a year. Paul Westerman suffered a massive pulmonary embolism – the result of a deep vein thrombosis – in 2011 and has spent the last eight years researching the condition and working with experts within respiratory and thrombotic medicine. Now the 51-year-old, in conjunction with leading clinicians and a world- renowned product designer, has created the RBR legflow – which helps improve the venous blood flow in the lower limbs of individuals when seated. Paul said: “DVT and PE costs the NHS over £200 million every single year. But clinical research reveals that many blood clots are entirely preventable. “With this in mind, we would like to see the RBR leg flow available in every hospital, care home, work place, air plane, gaming environment, and environment where an individual is likely to be sedentary for over an hour.” are approved by the FDA and EPA. The RBR leg flow was created with Mr Westerman added: “Using an the input of Professor Richard Beasley, active antimicrobial ingredient in director of the Medical Research the RBR legflow has enabled us to Institute of New Zealand and a world differentiate our product from those authority on respiratory medicine who has undertaken ground-breaking research of ‘e-thrombosis’. He said: “Research from the MRINZ has shown that this device markedlyincreases lower limb venous blood flow,thereby potentially reducing the risk of blood clots, in people who sit for long periods at work or with long-distance air travel.” As part of its design, the RBR legflow is manufactured with an antimicrobial ingredient which offers excellent protection against bacteria, biofilm, fungi and mould, and has no adverse effect on the RBR legflo properties. This antimicrobial element remains effective for the lifetime of the product and all the active components used of our competitors and dramatically reduce the risk of cross-infection. “This means the RBR legflow is theperfect solution for the prevention, care and treatment of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism within the NHS and other health care providers globally.”
How to make private healthcare more accessible
Rob Cottingham, credit director at consumer finance specialist, Duologi, discusses the pressure on the NHS and how this can be alleviated via accessible private healthcare. Despite efforts to alleviate the issue of NHS staff shortages and rising patient admissions which put the health services under increasing strain, it appears impossible to meet the growing demand for treatment in the UK. In particular, this is hindering the handling of non-urgent care. From hip and knee replacements to IVF, many patients looking to undergo ‘non-essential’ surgeries are waiting up to two years for treatment and – in some cases – procedures are cancelled altogether. Despite not being critical, these operations are often vital for quality of life. Many patients are therefore left with no other option but to turn to private healthcare practices to handle these costly procedures. Flexible finance solutions, however, which enable healthcare providers to split the cost of their treatments into instalments, could help address this issue by making these procedures far more affordable and accessible to those who need them. Not only could this alleviate the pressure on an already overburdened NHS, but private healthcare providers that effectively establish such offerings can expect to attract more patients and simultaneously boost revenue figures. With this in mind, here are a few ways the sector can make private healthcare more financially accessible. Putting it into practice 0% interest – Offer patients flexible finance without any added interest. Our recent research found that 38% of people would be more likely to utilise finance options if there was no mounting costs to consider. By making this type of service more commonplace, private practices can expect to increase their client base. Buy now, pay later – Allow people to make no initial payment for treatment for a fixed period of time. After the agreed timeframe, if the original cost of care has not been paid, then monthly payments will begin to accrue interest. However, as this payment option requires no initial funding it will undoubtedly encourage more consumers to consider private treatment. Effective promotion – Ensure patients are aware of the financial offerings available. Given that 94% of people wouldn’t even think to ask if a merchant offered POS credit, simple tools such as pop-up banners near till points, posters in the waiting room or a clearly visible website header can alert potential customers to the benefits of finance solutions. This provides a clear reason to purchase from that provider in particular. Going forward It goes without saying that our growing and ageing population will only continue to place increased levels of strain on the NHS. The sector must therefore look to capitalise on rising demand for private healthcare. By reducing the financial strain of non-public healthcare and making it more readily available through flexible finance, organisations can expect to increase treatment accessibility, improve patient satisfaction, as well as boosting their bottom line. For more information on private healthcare, see duologi.com
Autumn Budget 2018 – what it means for healthcare
Chancellor Phillip Hammond has announced the government’s Autumn Budget. He promised: “A budget for hard working families who live their lives far from this place and care little for the twists and turns of Westminster politics.” Over the past year, Brexit has affected the workforce as many European staff feel their future is uncertain, and the number of EU nationals registering as nurses in England dropped by 92% following the 2016 referendum (see https://www.theguardian.com). As NHS leaders called for more funding to end the healthcare crisis, and the Prime Minster recently told the country that “austerity is over”, we decided to take a look at how the budget will affect healthcare in 2019//20. ’NHS is our No.1 priority’ Mr Hammond announced that public sector net borrowing is set to fall to its lowest in a generation by 2024, which is set to hit the NHS where it hurts in terms of funding. He said that in June the “single largest cash commitment to our public services ever made by a peacetime Government” in the form of an £84bn five-year deal for the NHS had already been announced. Such boosts in funding have been facilitated by moves including a change in the Personal Allowance and Higher Rate Threshold taxes, and the scrapping of Entrepreneur’s Relief. My Hammond said this was “half as much again as the increase Labour offered the NHS at the last election”. He added: “Let me be clear: We are delivering this historic £20.5bn real terms increase for the NHS in full over the next five years. So, in a very important sense, we made our big choice for this budget, four months before it was delivered. And this was the right decision: our NHS is the number one priority of the British people; and as we approached the 70th anniversary of its foundation, they had a right to know the scale of our commitment to it.” But Anita Charlesworth, Health Foundation Director of Research and Economics, tweeted in June after the funding announcement was made: “Most important take home about NHS spending announcement – it’s enough for standstill service quality, it’s NOT enough for a shopping list of improvements. It excludes capital, training, public health and social care – all must get extra funding in the Autumn Budget.” Mental health funding Regarding mental health, Mr Hammond said: “There are many pressing demands on additional NHS funding, but few more pressing than the needs of those who suffer from mental illness. And today I can announce that the NHS 10 Year Plan will include a new mental health crisis service, with comprehensive mental health support available in every major A&E, children and young peoples’ crisis teams in every part of the country, more mental health ambulances, more ‘safe havens’ in the community, and a 24-hour mental health crisis hotline. “These new services will ensure that people suffering from a crisis, young or old, can get the help they need, ending the stigma that has forced too many to suffer in silence and the tragedy of too many lives lost to suicide. “We are proud to have made this extraordinary commitment to funding our NHS – a precious institution that has been nurtured for most of its life by Conservative Governments.” Social care funding As the Chancellor said the Social Care Green Paper was due to be published “shortly”, he vowed to build on the £240m for Social Care winter pressures announced earlier this month, with a further £650m of grant funding for English Authorities for 2019-20 and an additional £45m for the Disabled Facilities Grant in England in 2018-19. Richard Murray, Director of Policy at The King’s Fund, said: “The social care system cannot continue to get by on last-minute, piecemeal funding announcements. Adult social care in England needs at least £1.5 billion more per year simply to cope with demand meaning that the funding announced today, which will also need to cover children’s social care, falls far short. This highlights the need for a long-term plan for how social care will be funded and structured so that it can meet increasing demand. Successive Governments have dodged tough decisions on social care and the forthcoming Green Paper must now ensure social care gets the long-term plan it so desperately needs. “Two billion pounds for mental health confirms the early signals that this would be a key priority for the forthcoming NHS long-term plan. But years of underfunding have taken their toll and this is no more than a small step on the road to parity of esteem. Mental health services need more than money to meet demand. A chronic shortage of mental health staff means that, despite the new funding, the service won’t improve until the Government and the NHS provide a plan to increase the workforce.” Jonny Bottomley, Co-Founder & CEO at Edyn.Care, a company which provides tech-enabled solutions for the care sector, said: “We watched the Budget announcement closely today and even though we were hoping to see some money set aside for an independent body tasked with modelling the amount of funding needed by social care in the future, a £650m investment for councils is still welcomed. However, it fails to close the funding gap of £2.2 billion. We think it will continue to enable the home care industry to survive but not flourish.” Read the Chancellor’s Autumn Budget speech in full here. Photo credit: Twocoms / Shutterstock.com
Who Is Going To Solve The Social Care Crisis?
With Health Secretary Matt Hancock announcing that the long-awaited social care Green Paper will be revealed “later this year”, we take a look at a possible solution to the crisis in the form of a voucher scheme to pay for care. We also find out what finance specialists think is in store for the NHS over winter… An adult social care vouchers scheme has been put forward by John Woodward OBE, president and founder of the Busy Bees Group, to help solve the social care crisis in the UK. Both Mr Woodward and the organisation were instrumental in lobbying the government to launch the Childcare Voucher scheme in 2005. Here, John explains how the voucher scheme could work for adults needing care… For disabled people living in their own homes or in residential care, how is the cost of social care currently being met? In short, the cost of social care isn’t even close to being met. The current state funding in care is £490 per week per adult, which is more than £100 per week below the actual cost of a basic level of care. To cover the difference, private self-funded patient costs are being inflated, effectively meaning privately funded adults are paying an additional tax on their own care to accommodate for the gap in state funding for others. Is the social care which disabled adults currently receive adequate? In 2017 the Care Quality Commission gave a third of care homes an “inadequate” or “requires improvement” rating. Disabled adults in our community need and deserve top quality care, but in the current funding crisis these people are being forgotten. When my own mum need care in a home it made me realise what a burden it is for the vast majority of people. Why did you put forward the proposal for social care vouchers to the Treasury? I am really passionate about adult social care and having seen the success of childcare vouchers I immediately saw vouchers as a way to help bridge the funding gap, give families more flexibility, and improve care provisions. I took it to the Treasury for maximum impact and gained the support of House of Lords and House of Commons members. What could the vouchers be spent on? The vouchers would be used to assist with funding residential and domestic care. People in need of domestic or residential care for mental health reasons would qualify as disabled and would therefore be eligible to use vouchers to fund their care. For example, my sister runs a home for people with learning disabilities. The vouchers wouldn’t cover everything, but it would certainly help a lot. Could working people buy their own vouchers? The scheme works via salary sacrifice, so working adults can set aside a capped amount each month for adult social care vouchers that could then be used for their or a family member’s present or future care.
The NHS at 70
By editor Victoria Galligan As the NHS turns 70, we take a look at a round-up of news, views and events which are taking place across the country to celebrate the world’s greatest health service. Our nation became the envy of the world when, on 5 July 1948, the NHS was launched by Health Secretary Aneurin “Nye” Bevan, at Park Hospital in Manchester (now Trafford General Hospital). This was the first time that hospitals, doctors, nurses, pharmacists, opticians and dentists had been brought together under one umbrella to provide services for free at the point of delivery. NHS70 and The Big7Tea NHS England has a calendar of events here: https://www.england.nhs.uk/nhs70/ and its NHS70 team have worked with a raft of organisations from the British Medical Association to Unison to plan events. From May to July, local NHS bodies have been encouraged to host local events including open days and exhibitions. And on the Big Day itself, 5th July, The Big 7Tea will take place. This is a huge tea party where venues can invite guests for refreshments, and to raise funds for NHS charities. Downloadable packs are available to decorate your party. Also on July 5th, there will be church services for NHS staff at Westminster Abbey and York Minster. ‘Are we expecting too much from the NHS?’ To mark the BBC’s coverage of the NHS’s 70th birthday, researchers from the Health Foundation, Institute for Fiscal Studies, The King’s Fund and the Nuffield Trust have joined forces for the first time, using combined expertise to shed light on some of the big questions on the NHS. The report, ‘Are we expecting too much from the NHS?’ was authored by Helen McKenna (The King’s Fund), with contributions from Emma Spencelayh and Peter Stilwell (the Health Foundation), Mark Dayan (The Nuffield Trust), Elaine Kelly (Institute for Fiscal Studies), and David Buck, Dan Wellings and Leo Ewbank (The King’s Fund). The report questioned the public and found that 62% of UK adults (15+) support the soft drinks levy, while 70% support limiting fast food outlets in areas near schools. Helen Mckenna, Senior Policy Adviser at The King’s Fund, said: “It is essential that national and local government use all the means at their disposal to improve the public’s health. This should include being bolder in using tax and regulation where this can be effective. Although politicians may balk at the idea of the ‘nanny state’, our research suggests these types of intervention may enjoy stronger public support than they often assume. “As it approaches its 70th birthday, the NHS still enjoys overwhelming public support but funding pressures are beginning to take a toll and there are signs that people are becoming less satisfied with NHS services.” The Story of Our Lives The University of Manchester’s Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, is creating the first shared social history of the National Health Service, ‘From Cradle to Grave: The NHS at 70’. A major component of the project is the creation of an innovative new website which allows the public to submit their stories of the NHS by uploading recordings, photos and documents. The website acts as a hub for existing and previous histories of the NHS. A University spokesperson said, “We urgently need to capture the stories of the first generations who worked and were cared for by this unique institution as they are now in their eighties and nineties. We also need to capture the experiences of many communities of patients and workers that have barely featured in NHS histories to date. This includes disabled people, people with mental health illnesses, workers from black and minority ethnic (BME) groups, support staff, trade unions, campaigners and the thousands of volunteers who work in the NHS.” The digital archive can be accessed here: https://www.nhs70.org.uk/story/nhs-70-launch-digital-archive Tune in to catch the action on TV There are a plethora of TV specials planned in upcoming weeks, or which have recently aired and can be seen on catch-up TV, including: Life on the Ward – BBC1 Matron, Medicine and Me – BBC1 Songs of Praise NHS Special – BBC1 How the NHS Changed Our World – BBC1 NHS Live Event programme – BBC2 Hospitals that Changed the World – BBC2 The British Buyers Club – BBC2 Hospital – BBC2 Britain’s Best Junior Doctors – BBC2 The People Vs The NHS: Who Gets the Drugs? – BBC2 NHS At 70: Live – BBC2 A&E Live – ITV Love Your Garden: NHS Special – ITV The Big NHS Singalong Live – ITV The People’s History of the NH – BBC Four To Provide All People – BBC Wales Healing Minds – Channel 5 Tag us in on your celebrations on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram! @carenursingmag Video: https://www.itv.com/presscentre/ep1week27/big-nhs-singalong-live Photo Credits: Helen Mckenna, credit King’s Fund Jo Brand, credit BBC How the NHS Changed Our World, credit BBC (slider image)
