Welfare Reform on the Web (July 2002): Social Care - UK
BUDGET BLUES
R. Downey
Community Care, May 16th-22nd 2002, p. 28-30
The 2002 budget promised a 6% increase in funding of social care every year for three years. Article argues that the increased funding for social services will not meet the spending requirements of overstretched services. The money will all have to be used to fund care for older people to solve the NHS bed blocking crisis, and none of it will improve pay and conditions for the social care workforce.
CAN POOLED BUDGETS HELP ERODE DIVISIONS IN CARE?
S. Brown
Primary Care Report, vol. 4, issue 7, Apr. 2002, p. 10-11
The Health Act 1999 gave health bodies and local authorities the power to pool budgets. Article discusses how such pooled budgets could be used to address the problem of bed blocking in acute hospitals.
A DEGREE OF FLEXIBILITY?
N. Valios
Community Care, May 9th-15th 2002, p. 24-25
Discusses some of the implications of the replacement of the Diploma in Social Work with a three-year social work degree. The new degree will require students to spend more time on practice learning in the field. Given a shortage of available placements and practice teachers, institutions are developing innovative solutions.
DISCHARGE OF THE LATE BRIGADE
J. Robinson
Health Service Journal, May 9th 2002, p. 22-24
Delayed discharges are seen as a litmus test for how the whole health and social care system is working. The problem has been exacerbated by delays in developing intermediate care schemes. There has been less use of private nursing homes for intermediate care than originally envisaged, possibly because of NHS concerns about standards. More support needs to be given to people with chronic conditions to keep them out of hospital.
FROM PARTNERSHIP IN ACTION TO CARE TRUSTS
J. Dow
MCC: Building Knowledge for Integrated Care, vol. 10, no. 2, Apr. 2002, p. 28-31
Examining the legal basis for joint working between health and social services, this article highlights some of the problem areas in the implementation of partnership arrangements.
INTEGRATING PRIMARY AND SOCIAL CARE IN BARKING AND DAGENHAM
C. Williams
MCC: Building Knowledge for Integrated Care, vol. 10, no. 2, Apr. 2002, p. 19-22
Article outlines the achievements and the difficult issues that remain after a local social services department and a new primary care trust were bought together to form an alternative to the 'care trust'.
INTEGRATION: THE OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY EXPERIENCE
G. Mountain
MCC: Building Knowledge for Integrated Care, vol. 10, no. 2, Apr. 2002, p. 44-48
This article discusses the integration of services, using the experiences of the occupational therapy profession to illustrate its points. It goes on to review the roles and responsibilities of staff within an integrated agenda.
NEW CARE STANDARDS BODY TO BE AXED IN FAVOUR OF MERGED INSPECTORATE
D. Brown
Community Care, Apr. 25th-May 1st 2002, p. 16
A proposed new Commission for Social Care Inspection will merge the Social Services Inspectorate with the care home regulation functions of the National Care Standards Commission (NCSC). A parallel Commission for Health Care Audit and Inspection will merge the private and voluntary healthcare regulatory functions of the NCSC with the Commission for Health Improvement and the Audit Commission's work on value for money in the NHS.
PARTNERSHIP PRESSURES
P. Banks
Community Care, May 2nd - 8th 2002, p. 38-39
The government's emphasis on improving acute hospital services is endangering developing partnerships between health and social care. These are threatened by organisational turbulence, financial pressures and difficulties in getting professionals form different backgrounds to work together.
RESPONSIBILITY DISCHARGED?
R. Winchester
Community Care, Apr. 25th - May 1st 2002, p. 30-32
Significant new investment in social services was announced in the budget. However, local authorities will be forced to use his money to reimburse hospitals for the costs of delayed discharges of elderly people. The rest of the increased grant is liable to be swallowed up by increased national insurance contributions and paying off existing debts.
(See also Community Care, Apr. 25th - May 1st 2002, p. 18-19)
THE ROAD TO INTEGRATION IN HERTFORDSHIRE
S. Pickop and P. Clark
MCC: Building Knowledge for Integrated Care, Vol. 10, no. 2, Apr. 2002, p. 12-18
Article looks at how services can be provided in a different way. It looks at them from point of view of those receiving them rather than from the organisational standpoint of the council.
SHY EMBRACE
D. Brinale
Guardian Society, April 10th 2002, p. 119-120
Article comments on the unheralded launch of four pioneer care trusts designed to integrate health and social care. The Northumberland Trust has been formed from four primary care groups and will provide services for adults with learning disabilities, physical disabilities or illnesses and older people. It will have an annual budget of £330m and employ 1,100 staff including 350 who will transfer from social services. Other trusts are Manchester, Bradford and Camden and Islington. Not everybody is convinced that this is a bright new dawn and both NHS and social services sector leaders have been extremely cautious in endorsement of the new approach
SOCIAL CARE PROFESSIONALS LOOK FOR THE DETAIL IN MILBURN'S NEW COMMISSION
D. Brown
Community Care, May 2nd - 8th 2002, p. 18-19
Discusses the likely remit of the proposed Commission for Social Care Inspection. Speculates that the new body will take over the social care regulation functions of the National Care Standards Commission and the inspection functions of the Social Services Inspectorate.
SOME LESS EQUAL THAN OTHERS
S. Wellard
Community Care, Apr. 11th - 17th 2002, p. 34-35
Staff transferring to multiagency and multidisciplinary teams may find that people are being paid at different rates for the same job, depending on their previous professional identities.
TRANSFER SPECULATION
A. Murray
Housing, Apr. 2002, p.30-32
Many local authority residential care homes do not meet the new minimum standards for space and amenities introduced under the Care Standards Act 2000. This is triggering moves by local authorities to transfer their homes to the voluntary sector, including housing associations.
WE'RE LISTENING
F. Rickford
Community Care, Apr. 25th - May 1st 2002, p. 34-35
Discusses progress made by the Social Care Institute for Excellence in developing its "knowledge base" of research evidence of what constitutes good practice in social care.