Adult social care
Occupancy rates unsustainable in 26 Bradford care homes, says care chief
Occupancy rates are unsustainable in 26 care homes in Bradford, with people ‘genuinely worried’ about the risk of further virus outbreaks, says the council’s social care chief.
People matter more than places
Until we stop obsessing about the process of place and begin to reconnect meaningfully with people where they live, we won’t change anything, says Donna Hall.
Wolverhampton imposes care home visit restrictions
The council has banned non-essential indoor care home visits following a rise in COVID-19 cases.
Hancock under pressure on anti-obesity plans following PHE closure
Health secretary Matt Hancock is under growing pressure today to say who will take responsibility for the national fight against obesity following his decision to close down Public Health England (PHE).
COVID-19: A perfect storm for technology innovation in social care?
Carers must be enabled to remain in the profession for longer, say Graham Allen and Steve Carefull, and early indications from Hampshire suggest ‘cobots’ may be one way this can be achieved.
The very big and the very small
Chief executive of Shared Lives Plus Alex Fox outlines three ways we might move from thinking big to thinking small as the crisis moves into its ‘new normal’ phase.
NHS to fund six weeks of care to support people at home
The NHS is to use part of its £3bn winter pressures cash to support people at home for a six-week recovery and rehabilitation period, it has emerged.
It takes two
A £3bn winter funding boost for the NHS has highlighted a lack of focus on an adult social care sector that's been under pressure long before the COVID pandemic. Ann McGauran looks at the growing need for a joined up approach.
Social care workers should be clapped, not slapped by visa rules
Heather Jameson says that with home secretary Priti Patel’s plan for post-Brexit immigration rules released this week, the Government is playing to its core audience – and abandoning care workers in the process.
The right time for some strategic thinking
The pandemic has presented an opportunity for the sector to re-think its recruitment strategies, particularly in the search for experienced social workers. Maggie Hennessy and Sonia Tanda explain.
Two thirds of care homes untested for COVID-19
Just 15% of workers in care homes have been tested for coronavirus during the pandemic, according to new data.
Care home on the brink of collapse
Care homes in the North East have issued a legal warning to North Tyneside council, claiming they could collapse within days without further funding.
Reinventing recruitment for a more sustainable future
Local government has shown it can move faster and better when the bureaucracy is stripped away and decision-making is made at the local level. Manny Sandhu sets out a social care and related professions recruitment plan with a powerful purpose.
Critical tool against COVID-19
Steven Pleasant explains how a new ‘local, real-time’ framework lets 10 councils share information on care home pressures in Greater Manchester, ‘allowing us to get mutual help to them’.
Planning your way effectively through COVID-19
Brighton & Hove City Council’s adult social care team has created a new interim assessment and support planning framework in response to COVID-19, in partnership with Peopletoo. Richard Cattell and Kirsty Jordan explain.
Finding the right mindset - and team
Jim McManus shares his lessons for dealing with pandemics - and presents a ‘go to guide’ on the six key elements of his COVID-19 multi-agency response.
Index reveals places most at risk during pandemic
The West Midlands is the new immediate battleground against COVID-19, according to a risk rating index highlighting the local authority areas facing the highest threat to life.
Council-led project helps free up much-needed hospital beds
An East Suffolk Council-led multi-agency partnership pilot is providing crucial support during the pandemic in getting people discharged from hospital to their homes or to ‘halfway home hubs’, as Cllr Richard Kerry explains.
Money matters to the extent that it supports life and wellbeing
Gary Fielding says we will all have to pay for the economic consequences of COVID-19, but perhaps more of us will be prepared to accept investing more in communities and social care.
COVID-19: Hertfordshire’s support for care sector provides confidence for the future
Iain MacBeath explains how Hertfordshire CC has stepped in to offer certainty and support to the care sector during COVID-19 – ‘doing the right thing by our care workers’.
