Search the hub
Showing results for tags 'Social Care'.
Found 97 results
-
Content Article
PRSB: Social Prescribing Standard V0.2
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Social prescribing
For many people, improving their health and wellbeing requires a holistic approach and support by professionals who can help them focus on what matters to them to live well. Social prescribing supports people to understand their needs and connects them to local community (non-clinical) often voluntary services which can provide the help they need. -
Content ArticleThis statement from Hugh Alderwick, Director of Policy, outlines the Health Foundation's response to the House of Commons votes on the Health and Care Bill on 30 March 2022. He highlights the potential for the policies voted through to increase health inequalities, and to stall attempts to improve health and care workforce planning.
-
Content ArticlePlans to establish integrated care systems (ICSs) as statutory bodies in the health and care bill foreshadow further changes to the organisation of the NHS. Unlike previous reorganisations, the changes expected to occur in 2022 have developed from within the NHS rather than being imposed by the government. Not only this, but leaders in the NHS have also played a major part in shaping the nature of these changes in partnership with the centre. This paper from the NHS Confederation focuses on the changes needed to create the conditions in which ICSs can improve outcomes for patients and the public and outlines a series of simple rules to guide those leading the reform programme. The ideas put forward are intended to provide a basis for debate with healthcare leaders and others in England about next steps. The paper starts from the premise that a key role of leaders is to harness the intrinsic motivation of health and care staff and public health teams to perform to the best of their abilities. The distinctive contribution of ICSs is to work with partners in making use of all available assets and leading improvements in patient care and outcomes that require actions across the organisations and services that make up the health and care system. Staff must be fully engaged in this work as it is through their actions that patients and the public will experience improvements
-
Content ArticleThis Joint Committee on Human Rights inquiry will look at human rights concerns in care settings in England, highlighting areas in which the human rights of patients, older people and others living with long-term disabilities, including learning disabilities and autism, are currently undermined or at risk.
-
Content ArticleThis document sets out the Northern Ireland Department of Health's ambitions to improve medication safety in Northern Ireland, in line with the World Health Organization's Third Global Patient Safety Challenge 'Medication without Harm'. It outlines the need for safer use of medicines in Northern Ireland and highlights four ways in which the Department for Health will address these challenges: Engagement with patients and the public Introducing new systems and practice Engagement and training of health and social care staff Reducing the burden of avoidable harm from high-risk medicines by building good practice in to the supply of all medications
-
Content ArticleThis article in The Journal of Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine looks at the issue of systemic racism in long-term services and supports (LTSS) including nursing homes and home- and community-based care in the USA. The authors highlight segregation and disparities, with Black, Indigenous, and persons of colour (BIPOC) users having less access to quality care and reporting poorer quality of life. The authors make a number of policy recommendations to address these health inequalities in LTSS: Targeted increases to Medicaid reimbursement tied to direct care, and targeted enhanced Medicare and/or Medicaid reimbursement to LTSS providers that serve a disproportionate share of Medicaid or underserved older adults. Pay for performance incentives should focus on improving care among LTSS providers who serve individuals with disadvantaged status because of systemic racism and that operate above and beyond a person's clinical severity and comorbidity. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) should develop an overall health equity measure which would help capture how well providers meet the needs of diverse populations. Care Compare quality scores by race and ethnicity should be used internally and shared with states to develop culturally appropriate policies. Race and ethnicity-specific quality measures should be included on state-level report cards to incentivise action among states and tailor solutions to the local context. Promote culture change in nursing homes, with an ultimate goal of creating a person-centred, homelike model of care. Expand access to Medicaid-waivered home- and community-based services. Ensure that home- and community-based services are culturally appropriate. Promote integrated home- and community-based programs that can be targeted to BIPOC users to address existing disparities in outcomes.
-
Content ArticleThis article in the journal JAMA Network Open aimed to determine if the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Safety Program for Improving Antibiotic Use, an educational initiative to establish antibiotic stewardship programs focusing on patient safety, is associated with reductions in antibiotic use in long term care settings. The authors looked at 439 long term care settings and found that participation in training on antibiotic stewardship from AHRQ was associated with a reduction in antibiotic use and urine culture collection. Fluoroquinolones, an antibiotic class targeted by the AHRQ safety program, had the greatest decrease.
-
Content ArticleThis interactive timeline from The King's Fund sets out reviews and other significant developments concerning NHS and social care leadership in England between 2008 and 2022.
-
Content ArticleThe announcement of the Messenger Review triggered some immediate concerns. The service has been subjected to a string of leadership reviews over the last decade. The initial media briefing, attributed to ministers, came across as unfairly critical of current NHS leadership. And there were worries about the potential for unhelpful distraction at a time of huge operational pressure. But the review brings a vital opportunity we must not miss. In light of the proposed Messenger Review, Chris Hopson delineates four areas of improvement where the NHS can improve its leadership capability and capacity
-
Content ArticleThe COVID-19 pandemic placed unprecedented pressure on councils and care providers. A new report from the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman analyses just how those organisations coped.
-
Content Article
Open Letter to the Chief Executive, Health and Safety Executive
SafeDavid3 posted an article in Regulatory issues
Letter outlining potential legal non-compliance by persons involved in issuing Infection Prevention and Control Guidance. -
Content ArticleA report looking at how the government can lock in the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic to build a more robust, sustainable and joined-up system of social care.
-
Content ArticleThis report by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) outlines 10 indicators that NHS is under unsustainable pressure. It refutes claims by Government ministers that pressures on health and care services are sustainable, stating that disaster for the NHS can only be prevented by addressing workforce shortages.
-
Content ArticleState of Care is the Care Quality Commission's annual assessment of health care and social care in England. The report looks at the trends, shares examples of good and outstanding care, and highlights where care needs to improve. It highlights people's experiences of care, including the impact of the pandemic, health inequalities, the challenges for people with a learning disability, the rising demand for mental health care, workforce stress and burnout, access to services, and the challenges for systems.
-
Content Article
The House of Commons Science and Technology Committee and Health and Social Care Committee have published their Report following a joint inquiry, which began in October 2020, examining six key areas of the UK's response to COVID-19: the country's preparedness for a pandemic; the use of non-pharmaceutical interventions such as border controls, social distancing and lockdowns to control the pandemic; the use of test, trace and isolate strategies; the impact of the pandemic on social care; the impact of the pandemic on specific communities; and the procurement and roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines. The 150-page Report contains 38 recommendations to the Government and public bodies, and draws on evidence from over 50 witnesses as well as over 400 written submissions. The inquiry concluded that some initiatives were examples of global best practice but others represented mistakes. Both must be reflected on to ensure that lessons are applied to better inform future responses to emergencies. -
Content ArticleThis guide, from the Social Care Institute for Excellence, aims to support day care managers, social workers, commissioners and providers, to restart or continue activities following the COVID-19 social distancing restrictions. It is focused on community-based day services, day centres (with and without personal care), including specialised day centre environments, and those with outdoor spaces.
-
Content ArticleStudents learn about medication and non-medication strategies for reducing symptoms of depression and other neuropsychiatric symptoms (e.g. agitation, anxiety) in people with dementia. While non-medication strategies are often emphasised as being preferable, often we lack the time and resources to facilitate their implementation. There is also a sense that people believe that medications worked better—even though we don’t really know if this is true since studies comparing medication to non-medication strategies are rare. The problem with prescribing medications in this patient population is that medications are associated with potentially catastrophic side effects (e.g. falls and fractures). Jennifer Watt and Zahra Goodarzi undertook a research project looking at the comparative efficacy of interventions for reducing symptoms of depression in people with dementia. Based on their clinical experience as geriatricians, they hypothesised that non-medication strategies could effectively reduce symptoms of depression because they are addressing its underlying causes.
-
Content ArticleAntipsychotic drugs are most commonly prescribed for behavioural and psychological symptoms, such as aggression or hallucinations, in people with dementia. This webpage from the Alzheimer's Society provides information on the prescription of these medications for people living with dementia, their potential side effects, and tips for carers when discussing these treatments with healthcare professionals.
-
Content ArticleThis article describes the importance of an advocate that provide independent support in health and care. An advocate can provide practical advice whilst also ensuring all the rules are being followed and help navigate a patient through the healthcare system. The article also explains how to find an advocate and the different types of support available.
-
Content ArticleThe Care Quality Commission's (CQC) new strategy strengthens its commitment to deliver their purpose: to ensure health and care services provide people with safe, effective, compassionate, high-quality care and to encourage those services to improve.
-
Content Article
The Integrator: The discharge debacle (HSJ, 13 January 2022)
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Discharge
HSJ’s inboxes are currently heaving with frustration and fury on a rare consistency of theme; the build up of medically fit patients who can’t be discharged from hospitals. Here’s one example from an exasperated, experienced manager, who spoke of “real failure in social care – long stays growing and no capacity to discharge to, a. Homes closed due to infection, b. Homes going out of business c. Homes unable to come and assess patients as no spare staff, d. No care packages as staff sick or none available due to lack of capacity e. social workers and others needed to make assessments in very short supply”. “We keep getting told we’ll cope and get through but we’re really not… The will to continue is beginning to break down with refusals to redeploy and high sickness absence on top of enforced absence due to covid. A seemingly mad commitment to grind through elective stuff… -
Content ArticleThe National Care Forum (NCF) represents not-for-profit organisations providing care and support services to adults in the UK. The NCF conducted a survey of its members over a five day period from 5-10 January 2022, considering the impact of the Covid-19 Omicron variant. Its results highlighted increased pressure faced by the care sector in this period, with staff absence being compounded by existing high vacancy rates and difficulties and delays with testing.
-
Content Article
.png.7aba4266cc2aeb39d7257a927a797f1d.png)
In this blog, Lotty Tizzard, Patient Safety Learning's Content and Engagement Manager, looks at some of the patient and staff safety issues surrounding insulin delivery. These issues have been identified by a new working group set up by the Safer Healthcare and Biosafety Network (SHBN), and she also highlights potential solutions the group will explore. The SHBN is an independent forum focused on improving healthcare worker and patient safety. It has established a working group on improving injection technique and delivering dual safety in diabetes care. The working group consists of clinicians, policy-makers, charities, manufacturers and patients who are concerned about high numbers of preventable safety incidents related to diabetes treatment. -
Content ArticleThis integration white paper sets out a vision for an integrated NHS and adult social care sector which will better serve patients and staff.
-
Community Post
Which are the best Interdisciplinary Open Access Journals
Steve Turner posted a topic in Research, data and insight
- (and 7 more)
Some years ago I stopped writing for journals, in favour of blogging & volgging. My reasons were: I specialise in patient involvement and inclusion, so I want the work of me and my colleagues to be easily found by everyone We didn't want our work to end up behind a paywall We work across disciplines and try to bypass hierarchies, especially in promoting action learning and patient led care I can see there are some really good Open Access Journals around. So my question for us all is: Which are the best Open Access Journals? Here a link to my digital profile: https://linktr.ee/stevemedgov This is our developing model of working, a away of working in healthcare that all use and participate in:
.png.7aba4266cc2aeb39d7257a927a797f1d.png)
