Health Management and Policy Alert

Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) and other adaptations: external review

University of the West of England - 

Commissioned by the Department of Health and Social Care and written by the University of the West of England, Foundations, the Building Research Establishment (BRE) and Ferret Information Systems, this review looks at how the Disabled Facilities Grant currently operates and makes evidenced based recommendations for the future. The aim is to support more people of all ages to live in suitable housing so they can stay independent for longer, and make the case for more joined up action across housing, health and social care.

• Report
• More detail

Post-qualifying standards for social work practice supervisors in adult social care: government response

Department of Health and Social Care

The Department of Health and Social Care sought views on the knowledge and skills statement for adult social work supervisors, to make sure it covered the key skills and knowledge needed to support high quality, reflective social work practice. This consultation response provides: a summary of overarching messages and key themes identified from the consultation and an overview of the general issues and trends identified in each of the consultation questions. The final post-qualifying standards have also been published.

• Response
• More detail

Home care in England: views from commissioners and providers

The King's Fund - 

Our new report, produced in association with the University of York, finds that the market for home care providers is extremely fragile, with squeezed margins and low fees forcing providers to leave. In 2017 providers handed back home care contracts in more than one in three local authorities, and some of the largest providers have withdrawn from the publicly funded home care market altogether. Staff shortages are also a ‘relentless challenge’ for home care providers in many places.

• Report
• Press release

A better future for adult social care

Hymans and Robertson - 

In this report the pensions and risk consultancy, Hymands and Robertson, calls for cross party political bravery to address the crisis in adult social care so that older adults and their carers can be treated with the dignity and respect they deserve. Lack of public understanding of the scale of the crisis is one of the biggest barriers to the implementation of a sustainable and fair funding system.

• Report
• Press release

The carers’ covenant

Demos -
This report calls for a new settlement between the state and informal carers. It is estimated there are now almost eight million informal carers in the UK making the informal care economy equivalent to £139 billion – more than seven times the UK’s total annual spend on adult social care. The report sets out an overhaul of current policy, including the introduction of a new Universal Carer’s Income for all carers providing more than 35 hours a week.

• Report
• Demos - publications

Review of adult social care complaints 2017-2018

Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman -
This report, which looks at the data behind every adult social care complaint the Ombudsman has received over the twelve month period, shows there has been a nine per cent increase in complaints about charging. It also examines the impact the Ombudsman has on improving services through complaints. Over the past year, it has made 274 recommendations to authorities and providers to improve procedures or undertake staff training – a 19 per cent increase on the previous year.

• Report
• Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman - news

Health visitor service delivery metrics and outcomes: metric and outcome definitions

Public Health England -
These documents present metadata including the definitions of health visitor service delivery metrics and associated outcomes as calculated from the Community Services Dataset. They also include responses to an online survey about working definitions for these metrics. These initial definitions will form the basis for ongoing refinement, allowing for improvement over time.

• Report
• Public Health England - publications

The lives we want to lead: findings, implications and recommendations on the LGA green paper for adult social care and wellbeing

Local Government Association (LGA) -
In July 2018, the Local Government Association published The lives we want to lead, a green paper for adult social care and wellbeing. This report outlines the findings of this consultation and their implications for social care. It also sets out fourteen recommendations to the Government from the consultation for achieving two key objectives: stabilising and sustaining the here and now; and moving towards a system that could be better.

• Report
• Local Government Association - news

Seven principles for the engagement of individual providers on behalf of the wider independent and voluntary adult social care sector

Care Provider Alliance - 

This new guidance aims to help overcome any concerns that local authorities or the NHS might have about engaging with individual adult social care providers on behalf of the wider sector. Based closely on the widely recognised “Seven Principles of Public Life”, the guidance suggests how adult social care providers should approach any situation in which they are acting as a representative of the wider sector.

• Guidance
• More detail

 

UK care home providers for older people: advice on consumer law

Competition and Markets Authority - 

The advice is being published as part of the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) ongoing consumer protection work into residential care homes and nursing homes for older people (over 65s). It follows the CMA’s examination of the sector last year, which found that some residents are at risk of being treated unfairly and recommended urgent action to reform the sector.

• Advice
• Press release