We have previously written on this blog about the growing use of technology in the social care sphere, and how existing tech can be adapted and developed in particular for use in the care of the elderly. Now, an open letter has been written to the Prime Minister urging him to prioritize funding for the development of technology in the social care sector (see here for a copy of the letter ). The letter is written by PainChek, a medical technology company and is supported by various social care bodies such as Care England, the National Care Forum and the National Care Association. The letter emphasises that dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are the country’s biggest “silent killer” and seriously affect the lives of many people.
Continue reading “Further calls for tech developments for the Social Care Sector”Memorandum of understanding agreed between Equality and Human Rights Commission and the CQC
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and social care in England. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is an independent statutory body responsible for the encouragement of equality and diversity and the protection and promotion of human rights in Britain.
Applying to England only, these bodies have agreed a memorandum of understanding detailing improved co-operation and exchange of information between them on equality and human rights issues.
Continue reading “Memorandum of understanding agreed between Equality and Human Rights Commission and the CQC”Updated Guidance on the Statutory Duty of Candour: Greater Clarity for Registered Providers
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) have published updated guidance on meeting the duty of candour.
The updated guidance, which can be viewed here, applies to all health and social care providers registered with the CQC.
The update provides a more detailed explanation of what a notifiable safety incident is and now makes clear that the apology which is required as part of fulfilling the duty does not equate to an admission of liability. As such, an apology will not affect a provider’s indemnity cover.
Continue reading “Updated Guidance on the Statutory Duty of Candour: Greater Clarity for Registered Providers”The Government’s new approach on visiting care home residents
The guidance for friends and family visiting loved ones in care homes was updated on 4 March 2021 to reflect the announcements in the new lockdown roadmap published on the 22 February 2021. The full guidance can be found here.
Each care home will allow its residents to name one person who can make a regular indoor visit, which as far as possible should remain the same person. The single named visitor will need to take a rapid (lateral flow) test and wear PPE every time they visit. This affords the individual a regular indoor visit, sitting in the same room as their loved one, with no screen between them. The government still strongly advises against physical contact and that close contact like hugging should be avoided.
Continue reading “The Government’s new approach on visiting care home residents”CQC Consultation: will flexible regulation lead to excessive discretion?
In January 2021, the CQC published its consultation on changes for flexible regulation.
The formal consultation follows the announcement on 24 November 2020 by the Department of Health and Social Care that we would shortly be expecting a new CQC strategy to ‘reduce bureaucracy’ through regulatory change.
The consultation proposes a move away from periodic on-site inspections of care providers and towards a regulatory process of wider data-gathering to proactively assess quality of care and determine risk. This strategy echoes the CQC’s new ‘transitional regulatory approach’ (TRA) that it announced in September 2020 in response to the pandemic. In our article responding to the new approach, we warned that the CQC would not be returning to ‘business as usual’ and it now seems to be the case that the CQC’s response to the pandemic will become a permanent way of regulating.
Continue reading “CQC Consultation: will flexible regulation lead to excessive discretion?”Falls and COVID-19
Falls are often the subject of civil litigation or statutory investigation in the social care sphere, in particular when dealing with elderly residents. We often see claims for falls arising from differing scenarios. A fall may occur in a residential home setting or at home, whether there is domiciliary care involved or not. A fall can lead to various serious consequences for the elderly such as a stay in hospital which may cause a decline in a person’s general health, increase the risk of contracting infections, decline in physical abilities and acceleration of the onset of dementia. And a person’s care requirements are likely to be increased by the fall – for example residential care may be required where it was not previously.
Continue reading “Falls and COVID-19”Can employers force frontline carers to be vaccinated?
In the last few weeks we have seen a number of well known care providers introducing new policies, whereby new staff will be required to have the COVID vaccine prior to starting work. Some care providers have gone as far as requiring current care staff to be vaccinated, unless they are unable to on medical grounds. Some care providers have seemingly made it clear that if staff members refuse, purely out of choice, then this will make them ‘unavailable to work’ within frontline care settings. It seems that this decision has been made, amid concerns over the uptake of the vaccine amongst care workers across the UK.
No doubt, these decisions have been made to ensure the protection of those being cared for, as well as for staff members. However, with more care providers deciding to take this step, the question is now whether this raises employment concerns, for discrimination and unfair dismissal, amongst other things.
Continue reading “Can employers force frontline carers to be vaccinated?”No-fault compensation – could it work in the UK?
Early this month the Health Minister Nadine Dorries told the Health and Social Care Committee that a no fault compensation system is under review and could involve all claims against the NHS. Her comments were made to the Select Committee which is looking at the safety of maternity services in England following issues arising at Shrewsbury and Telford and East Kent NHS Trusts.
Continue reading “No-fault compensation – could it work in the UK?”The health and care white paper and a vision for healthcare regulation
Today will see the publication of the white paper said to revolutionise the health and care systems in the UK. Despite the health service struggling in the midst of a pandemic, the Heath Secretary confirms that now is “absolutely the time” to reform the NHS, intending to “reduce bureaucracy, to sweep away the legal barriers to the NHS delivering and integrate the NHS with social care…”.
Continue reading “The health and care white paper and a vision for healthcare regulation”The effect of Brexit on the care sector
Since the new EU/UK trade agreement took effect on 1 January 2021, the free movement of labour between UK and the European Economic Area (EEA) has ceased. Workers arriving from the EU are now subject to the same points based system as workers arriving from non-EEA countries. The system affords exceptions for most NHS workers, however carers in adult social care are not included. This places an additional obstacle for carers wanting to work from the EU to overcome.
84% of the workforce in adult social care in England is British. 16% is non-British, of this 7% (113,000 jobs) are from EEA countries and 9 % (134,000 jobs) are from non-EEA countries [i].Prior to Brexit, charities such as Age UK and The Care Workers’ Charity wrote about their concerns for the sustainability of staffing within the care sector. There is a chronic shortage of workers, ONS figures reveal that the adult social care workforce has a (high) vacancy rate of around 8% (equating to 110,000 vacancies)[ii]. Approximately 130,000 new care workers are required each year for social care alone to cope with current levels of demand. Recruitment and retention for staff in the care sector is hard, with many staff leaving within the first year and the public perception of poor working conditions has led to low recruitment rates.
Continue reading “The effect of Brexit on the care sector”