Welfare Reform on the Web (October 2001): Social Care - UK

CAN THINGS ONLY GET BETTER?

F. Rickford

Community Care, no.1383, 2001, p.18-20

Discusses on-going problems with setting up intermediate care services. Difficulties include service fragmentation, staff shortages, and problems with identifying, pooling, and ring-fencing budgets.

DESIGN FOR LIFE

C. Harris

Health Service Journal, vol.111, Aug. 16th 2001, p.16-17

Describes the development of a network of healthy living centres funded by three year grants from the National Lottery. The projects are developed through partnerships involving the local authority, the health authority and the voluntary sector. They offer integrated health and education services and training opportunities.

FREQUENCIES OF INSPECTION AND REGULATORY FEES: A CONSULTATION PAPER

Department of Health

London: 2001

Under the proposed new system, local authorities will have to pay the National Care Standards Commission (NCSC) the same registration and annual fees for their own residential homes as those to be paid by the independent sector. They will also have to pay fees for their adoption and fostering services. Costs for registration and inspection will be on average: £3,500 a year for residential care homes; £4,200 a year for nursing homes; £3,000 a year for adoption and fostering services; and £4,000 a year for children's homes.

THE HUB OF ALL THAT'S BEST

L. Revans

Community Care, no.1384, 2001, p.12

Introduces Jane Campbell, the newly appointed Chair of the Social Care Institute for Excellence. Her appointment could mark a fundamental shift towards best practice in social care being determined by users, rather than researchers and civil servants.

INSPECTORS 1, RESIDENTS 0

G. Hopkins

Community Care, no.1381, 2001, p.26-27

Argues that the process of inspection of care homes is currently too reliant on fixed interviews with senior managers and examination of records and buildings. Inspectors should also interview residents, their relatives and visitors, all staff, and social workers to gain a true picture of the quality of life in a home.

A KNOWING SILENCE

F. Rickford

Community Care, no.1381, 2001, p.22-23

Discusses initiatives to encourage front-line social workers and users to undertake research projects that will contribute to the evidence base for good practice in social care.

READY FOR TAKE OFF?

R. Winchester and A. Williams

Community Care, no.1384, 2001, p.18-20

Discusses the implications of the launch of the National Care Standards Commission for service providers and users, with a case study of children's homes. There are concerns that many residential homes will fail to meet minimum standards and will close, leading to disruption in the lives of vulnerable residents.

ROUTE PLANNER

P. Stephenson

Health Service Journal, vol.111, Aug. 2nd 2001, p.14-15

Announces the launch of nine pilot care trusts across the NHS and describes their main priorities. Points out that care trusts are only one of a number of mechanisms to promote the integration of health and social care.

SAFE ENOUGH? INSPECTION OF HEALTH AUTHORITY REGISTRATION AND INSPECTION UNITS 2000

Social Services Inspectorate

London: D H Publications, 2001

A report on six health authorities (Dorset, Liverpool, West Kent, West Sussex, Avon and Enfield and Haringey) has claimed that arrangements for registration, inspection and compliance with nursing home regulations failed to meet proper standards. Concludes that there is an urgent need for health authority managers to ensure that services are safe before transferring responsibility for regulation to the National Care Standards Commission in 2002.

SHAPING A STRATEGY FOR THE INDEPENDENT SECTOR

A. Mackay

Registered Homes and Services, vol.6, 2001, p.41-43

Explores the place of independent sector involvement in social care and the progress made toward a second Concordat with the Government.

STORIES IN THE MAKING

S. Bigwood and J. Lucy

Health Service Journal, vol.111, Aug. 2nd 2001, p.28-29

Joint working between the NHS and other agencies is likely to increase, but does not necessarily improve efficiency. The essential change required to place joint working at the core of health and social care is cultural and not structural.