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This week’s issue contains an item on the adult social care Peer Challenge that Devon County Council will be participating in next week. We want the provider perspective to be heard as part of that challenge, which is a dry-run for formal inspection of local authority adult social care by the Care Quality Commission at a later date, so please take this opportunity.
We do our best to keep the content and structure of our PEN website up-to-date in these fast-changing times and your suggestions on how to improve the website are always welcome.
Cancellation of July’s Care Home Forum meeting
Following last month’s ‘Innovation’ meeting and the ideas and suggestions raised by providers, we propose to use the next couple of months to progress work on a number of these ideas, notably the points outlined below:
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Hospital discharge admissions process to care homes – opportunities to streamline process Action: To establish Task & Finish group involving providers with focus on Hospital Discharge practice and processes – recognising interdependency with Transfers of Care (TOC).
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Promoting use and benefits of Technology in care settings: Action: Explore with providers how best we can share Technology videos produced by DCC with providers e.g. PEN website
We would like to invite providers to be involved in the Hospital Discharge Task and Finish group, if you are interested, please email: socialcarebusinessrelations-mailbox@devon.gov.uk
The September Care Home Forum scheduled for Tuesday 26 September 2023 will focus on providing updates on these two areas.
Therefore, we will stand down the July meeting and regroup in September. We appreciate the summer can be challenging due to school holidays and staffing, our usual business channels are open should you need to contact us.
DCC Peer Challenge next week
From 19th July a Local Government Association Peer Team of eight people from around the country will be spending three days in Devon to assess how well Devon County Council is working with partners and providers in the commissioning and delivery of adult social care services in the area using a similar methodology to the Care Quality Commission.
The Peer Challenge started at the end of June when we submitted our Self-Assessment and a supporting library of evidence as well as publishing our Leadership Survey results. It continued last week when two of the LGA Peer Challenge Team joined us for two days of Case Audit which we have now published our reflections on.
The main visit is scheduled for fieldwork on the 19th and 20th of July. While the timetable is subject to further change, we have published the current version. Participants are being written to separately with additional details and we have published our introductory presentation in advance to help their preparations.
The Peer Challenge will conclude with feedback from the LGA Peer Challenge Team on 21st July and we will share their findings as soon as we are able and begin working on our response that afternoon. We are planning feedback sessions to staff, other colleagues in the council, providers and representative users of our services and their carers which you'll hear about in due course. When we receive the final report and have agreed our response we will publish both in the Autumn.
Thank you for your ongoing interest in this exercise. It is helping us prepare for inspection by the Care Quality Commission but more importantly it will help us improve services for the people of Devon in line with our vision for promoting their independence.
Community Services Review Feedback and Thanks
Devon County Council sent out a survey to individuals/organisations that deliver, receive, and supporting people in receipt of Community Services, to take part in the Community Based Review.
This Survey gave an opportunity to feedback on what works well, what could be changed and what you would like to see improved in the future. It is the first phase of working together on the Community Services Review and our longer term commissioning approach and there will be further opportunities for feedback.
The presentation below is the initial feedback from these surveys and the key themes that have been identified. Thank you to all for participating in this first phase and we will inform you of next steps.
CS Stage 1 All external Stakeholders feedback.pdf
Spring Booster Programme final position and thanks
We are pleased to share the final position for Devon for the Spring Booster Programme 2023. In comparison to the national Older adult Care Homes resident uptake of 83.85%, the Southwest region has achieved the highest uptake of 90.07%. Within the Southwest Devon has excelled with the highest uptake of 92.57%, resulting in 8,366 vaccinated residents in Older Adult Care Homes, this is a remarkable achievement for Devon.
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all providers and Local Authority colleagues who have diligently collaborated with our vaccination teams to help us attain this outstanding position. Your dedication and support have played a crucial role in our success.
During the inter-season period, vaccinations will only be available for individuals who are at increased risk of Covid-19. In most cases, you will need to wait until the Autumn for your vaccination. However, if you develop a new health condition or commence treatment that significantly weakens your immune system, you may be eligible for an earlier vaccination based on advice from your clinician or GP. For mor information please consult your consultant or GP.
If you have any queries in relation to vaccinations you can contact the Devon Vaccination Support Team:
d-icb.devonvaccinationsupport@nhs.net or telephone 01752 398836
Direct Payment Forum PAs Employment Status Report
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Mark Bates Ltd have been a proud sponsor and friend of the National Direct Payment Forum for many years and have been asked to help distribute their new report looking at PA employment status.
Please see message from the Chair of the DP Forum about this work below.
Any enquiries relating to the content of this email to the DP Forum directly at contact@nationaldirectpaymentforum.org.uk
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The Forum has long been aware of the difficulties facing many around these issues. We seek in the report to look at maximising flexibility whilst ensuring that employment status is lawful, and that DP recipients and the workforce are fully legally protected. We also emphasise the importance of properly funded support services to guide users through what are quite often complex issues.
We began looking at the question in earnest last year leading a series of workshops with the Low-Income Tax Reform Group (LITRG), HMRC, Employment Agency Standards, CQC, ILG, TLAP and others to examine Personal Assistant employment status.
Please find a link to the report which summarises the outcomes of that work - here
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Please find a link to the report which summarises the outcomes of that work here
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The Forum fully intends to follow up this work encouraging others to engage openly to find cross sector solutions to the issues raised. We are also planning to arrange a one-day conference around its findings in the autumn with the main contributors and other sector partners.
The report is also available to download via the Forums website here. If you would like to know more about the Forums work and attend future meetings, please make contact via the email below and you will be added to the mailing list.
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Government consults on making Visiting a Legal Requirement in Care Settings
New regulations will give the Care Quality Commission (CQC) additional powers to allow families to visit loved ones receiving care in residential and other settings.
The Government acknowledges the positive effect visiting has on the emotional wellbeing of all involved. To this end, it has launched a public consultation on how visiting can be mandated effectively and safely within health and care settings, including care homes.
Responses are encouraged from anyone involved in the health or care sector, whether through providing care, drawing on care, or as a friend or family member of someone who receives care. The consultation runs until 16 August 2023.
Visiting in care homes, hospitals and hospices - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Suction-based Airway Clearance Device advice
Based on the Resuscitation Council UK advice, it is recommended that suction- based airway clearance devices are not used for the treatment of choking, and to continue with existing advice to follow basic life support first and for removal of foreign body airway obstructions.
De-choker device info (April 2023) (002).pptx
Nutrition and Hydration training
Intake of good nutrition and hydration is a fundamental part of everyday life, but can often be challenging for individuals, especially in supported living and residential care settings. The impact of poor nutrition and hydration has far reaching effects on quality of life and overall health. This training is aimed at care staff, to give practical guidance on how to support residents / clients to maintain optimum dietary and fluid intake.
This training is aimed at care staff, to give practical guidance on how to support residents / clients to maintain optimum dietary and fluid intake.
The training is being offered either Face to Face or Virtually via MS Teams, according to your preference and the Team’s capacity. Training can also be provided within your own setting or in a central venue by arrangement.
Please contact emma.bartrop@nhs.net
or rduh.northerncarehomesteam@nhs.net
or call 07830 953310
Devon Wellbeing Hub new Introducing Mindfulness Course
The Devon Wellbeing Hub are pleased to offer a free, virtual ‘Introducing Mindfulness’ course for colleagues working in healthcare, social care and the police across Devon.
The three-week course, led by Senior Colleague Wellbeing Practitioner, Anna Croucher, will provide an introduction into mindfulness theory and practice. It will explore key themes to support you in both your professional and personal life. You will discover how to train your attention, learn different ways of ‘being’ and recognise the difference between ‘reacting’ and ‘responding’.
Good News Story - Re-Rooted by Purpose in the Evolve Group's Gibraltar Nursing Home
Move over Alan Titchmarsh as Alan Harding is celebrating gardening success in the Evolve Care Group's Gibraltar Nursing Home.
Alan Harding has spent his whole life needing to wake up with a purpose, so when he moved into Gibraltar Nursing Home, our team knew we had to find a way we could support this. It is common knowledge that being outside and exposing ourselves to natural light can have a positive effect on our mental health. But what if this light could hold the power to completely transform a person’s mindset and make them fall in love with living again?
That was the case for Alan when he rediscovered a lost love that had been waiting for him in Gibraltar’s gardens.
When a man who is used to a life filled with dreams, travelling the world, and celebrating his joy and successes with his family is faced with a Dementia diagnosis, as you can expect, it isn’t an easy pill to swallow. Alan was first diagnosed with Parkinson’s, and the dementia followed. Jennifer dedicated herself to caring for him at home, until she reached the point in Alan’s dementia journey where she was faced with a decision many life partners are.
Alan’s wife Jennifer had no one to ask advice. As it so often goes, her children do not live locally and she had no help at all. “Alan and I had no quality of life anymore and I dreaded each day. In the end it comes down to your loved one being in a safe place with qualified people to take care of them. And you have to think of yourself too.” It was time for Jennifer to look for extra support, which she found at Gibraltar Nursing Home. “It was a very hard decision to make and not something taken lightly. Lots of factors had to be considered, not least the financial cost. I feared Alan would think I was abandoning him. Although he’d spent time in respite care before, it was on the premise of his coming home after two weeks. Actually leaving him there and coming home to an empty house was a totally different experience for me."
To read the full story: Re-Rooted in Purpose: How Gardening Helped a Man Diagnosed with Dementia Bloom | Gibraltar Nursing Home
 The Health and Social Care Skills Accelerator Programme (HSSAP), part funded by the European Social Fund (ESF) is pleased to be offering FREE Optimal Handed Care Moving and Handling courses to Domiciliary Care Providers to support you and your organisation with single handed care approaches. These 3-hour sessions will increase your confidence and enhance your practical skills in safe moving and handling practice.
Courses will run weekly and be available through Petroc College and South Devon College from March to July 2023.
Spaces are limited so book early to avoid disappointment! To find out more or to book a place, please contact hssap@petroc.ac.uk or louisenorthcott@southdevon.ac.uk.
*Eligibility criteria applies.
** Places are only open to care staff that already have the mandatory Moving and Handling Training qualification.
Remember to share your good news stories in this newsletter
Has your support helped transform someone’s life? Have you got innovative practice to share? Send us your celebratory photos and words and we will help share good practice.
Revisit previous good news stories
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