CQC Assessment notification to Gloucestershire Adult Social Care
The Health and Care Act 2022 gives the Care Quality Commission (CQC) new powers to provide independent assessment of care at a local authority and integrated care system level. Our self-assessment reflects the quality of care in Gloucestershire and CQC inspection will provide independent assurance to the public of the quality of care in their area. On 18 March 2024 we received our CQC Assessment notification. We will be working to provide CQC with all relevant information (38 categories including our self-assessment) before 9th April 2024. CQC will send a survey out to all registered providers in Gloucestershire when we submit our information return. This survey will draw out key areas from the Care Act. Feedback will inform any themes or trends they would like to take forward to the site visit. During onsite visit (expected between Mid May and October 2024 TBC) provider representatives will also be invited in to be interviewed.
We are in a good place thanks to all our preparations over the last year, and we recognise all the hard work our staff and partners are currently putting in to support our improvement and transformation activity. We will post to our website (link to be published after 9th April) all of our key information and lay out key dates of the assessment process and any planned interviews or focus groups.
The Head of Quality & Performance from Adult Social Care will be joining the Provider Forum on 23rd May to give more detail about the assessment process, what this means for providers and answer any of your questions. If anyone would like to submit questions ahead of the forum please email disabilitiescommissioning@gloucestershire.gov.uk.
CQC Local Authority assessment - an overview
The Health and Care Act (2022) empowered the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to assess how well local authorities meet their duties under Part 1 of the Care Act (2014) using their single assessment framework.
We asked the Local Government Association (LGA) to undertake a peer review of Gloucestershire in September 2023 - read the full report here.
We welcome the additional assurance and transparency that CQC will give people in Gloucestershire and members of the Council and the insights the process will give to inform our continuous improvement.
CQC has published guidance on local authority assessments.
The LGA offers guidance and support to local authorities subject to the CQC’s new assurance framework which has been utilised in helping us to prepare for CQC Assessment. In addition we have also been working with the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) regionally and nationally on sector-led improvement and our self assessment has been bench marked against our peers.
Disabilities Provider Forum
Thank you to everyone who attended our recent Provider Forum. It was great to see so many of you and we hope you found the event informative and useful.
Below we have collated information that was shared by our guest speakers, including engagement on Enhanced Health in Care Homes Framework, a talk from Digitising Social Care, and from The Wellbeing Line.
Our next Disabilities Provider Forum will take place on Thursday the 23rd of May. More information will be shared shortly, but if you have any questions or to confirm your attendance, please click this link.
Enhanced Health in Care Homes Framework
It was lovey to meet so many providers at the Disabilities Provider Forum on Thursday 22nd February 2024.
Thank you so much to those who completed the survey and to everyone who spoke so honestly and shared their experiences - the information shared is critical in us being able to identify where gaps are and the impact this has on you providing care and support but also to the Individuals you care for.
The information shared from both the survey and verbal discussions has formed an important baseline and I just wanted to update you with what has happened following the Forum:
- I have shared the information with the ICB Disabilities Quality Team and hope to discuss areas of concern and how we can work with Providers to better support you and your staff and the Individuals you support.
- Have shared names and contact details of Providers who expressed an interest in working collaboratively with the Care Sector Support Team around the Falls Awareness, Prevention and Response Training Programme.
- Liaised with the Ageing Well Team at the ICB to discuss the information gathered around End of Life, ReSPECT and Delegated Healthcare Activities.
- Contacted Primary Care Team at the ICB to discuss issues raised regarding Dentistry.
It is my hope to come to future Provider Forums so we can focus on specific elements of the Enhanced Health in Care Homes Framework that are of greater importance to you and the Individuals you support.
I thought it may also be useful to have access to the Enhanced Health in Care Homes Framework.
Thanks again and see you soon,
Sami Holmes (Clinical Lead Enhanced Health in Care Homes)
Ageing Well Team
NHS Gloucestershire ICB.
Digitising Social Care
 Round table digital discussions at the February Care Provider Forum
It was great to join many of you at the recent care Provider Forum at the Pavilion in Cheltenham on 22nd February. We had some great discussions with many Providers about the benefits of DSCRs and to discuss some of your hesitations about ‘going digital’. This is useful feedback which we will take forward to the final year of the programme. There is lots of support available to help you digitise, find out more below.
Funding and support to 'Go Digital'
Have you considered going paperless in your care setting or are you interested in using technology to help with the provision of care?
There is no better time to adopt a digital social care record (DSCR). Not only is NHS Gloucestershire giving out grants to cover half the cost of a DSCR but the CQC is also strongly encouraging Providers to adopt a digital system as part of their principles for achieving ‘good outcomes’ for people in care. Read more here.
If you are already aware of DSCRs but are struggling to decide on the right supplier for your setting, we have a fantastic tool which will help guide your decision: Find assured solutions for digital social care records | Digitising Social Care
We also have a collection of 30-minute supplier demos available to watch on our YouTube channel: Digitising Social Care YouTube channel.
To access the funding opportunity or to chat it over further, contact our friendly team: glicb.glosdt@nhs.net
Digital Social Care Record webinar recording
We have hosted a useful webinar for Care Providers to find out more about Digital Social Care Records. We heard from Care Providers who already have a system in place and they spoke about their experiences moving from paper based records and the funding they received. You can find a link to the recording here: Gloucestershire ICB Digital Social Care Records Webinar - YouTube
Further support…
Have you also got your free access to NHSmail (a secure way of communicating across health and social care)? Contact: digital@gcpa.co.uk
Finally, the data security and protection toolkit is a really great way to demonstrate good data and cyber security in health and social care. You can access support to reach 'Standards Met' by contacting Dani- digital@gcpa.co.uk
The Wellbeing Line
What is The Wellbeing Line?
The Wellbeing Line is the Gloucestershire Staff Mental Health and Wellbeing Hub, offering confidential mental health and wellbeing support to anyone working in health and social care in Gloucestershire.
The Wellbeing line:
- Is available to all staff, no matter your role
- Is confidential and completely independent of your employer
- Provides a safe space for people to talk about their mental health and wellbeing
 Support for Individuals
- Direct access – there is no need for referral or the completion of any paperwork or questionnaires
- Contact us by phone for a supportive and non-judgemental conversation
- We will listen to your concerns and work together to make sense of what is going on, then think about possible ways forward
- We will always offer to follow up and “check in” with you a couple of weeks after your initial call
- The Wellbeing Line is not an emergency or crisis service. We do not provide 1-1 therapy or counselling but we can direct you to where does, if that is what you would like.
- No problem is too small – get in touch.
Support for Teams:
- We offer support for teams which is targeted at the specific needs of each team.
- We encourage managers and team leaders to speak with one of our clinical psychologists in the first instance to discuss options for team support.
Examples of some of the support we have offered to teams:
- Looking After Your Health and Wellbeing (60-minute session)
- Decompression/Reflective Practice Session (60-90-minute session)
-
Bespoke Sessions (30-60 minutes) – We can run sessions on specific topics that are related to mental health and wellbeing.
-
Compassion Focused Staff Support (CFSS; Six x 60-minute sessions) - a group programme.
- Meet the Team (15-30 minutes)
Support for Team Leads/Managers
-
Consultation: We offer a 30-60-minute telephone or MS Teams consultation to managers and team leaders who are concerned about a colleague. The consultation is with a clinical psychologist, who will help you explore ways of supporting your team members and ways to normalise conversations about mental health and wellbeing in the workplace.
-
Peer Connecting Sessions: We also run regular 50-minute facilitated peer support sessions for those individuals with Line Management responsibility, who support others in health and social care across the Integrated Care System (ICS).
-
Leading with Compassion Programme: A programme currently being developed, contact us for more information.
If you would like to find out more about The Wellbeing Line, including how you or your organisation can get involved, you can contact them via this link.
The Wellbeing Line - New Starter Conversations:
We are pleased to update you on the ‘new starter wellbeing conversation’, which is a new initiative being trialled by the ICB in collaboration with The Wellbeing Line.
New to working in care in 2024?
You are invited to a small group session which will:
- Provide an opportunity for you to reflect on your own wellbeing
- Support you to share your experiences with others in a safe space
- Enable you to learn about key wellbeing resources and support available
- Begin discussions focusing on how organisations can provide the best possible support to ensure staff wellbeing.
This will take place on MS Teams on Thursday 9th May 2024 at 10:00am – 11:30am.
To book a place, visit this link.
To find out more, email ptc@gloucestershire.gov.uk.
Skills for Care estimates that the staff turnover rate in Gloucestershire was 32.0%, which was similar to the region average of 32.2% and higher than England at 28.3%.
If the workforce grows proportionally to the projected number of people aged 65 and over then the total number of adult social care posts in the South West region will increase by 30% (from 190,000 to 246,000 post) between 2022/23 and 2035, making the need to retain new starters within the sector more important than ever.
The ‘new starter wellbeing conversation’ is designed to support all new starters in their role, providing a wellbeing check-in and safe space for colleagues to share their wellbeing practices, as well as concerns and ensuring staff know where to find helpful contact numbers/resources should they wish to. New starters will come together in a small group and the sessions will be facilitated by a member of The Wellbeing Line.
The ambition is that by the end of the session, the new starter will have had an opportunity to talk about their wellbeing and be more aware of support available. The Wellbeing Line will also be requesting feedback on the content and delivery of the session with a short survey included in a resource pack sent to each staff member following the event.
The Wellbeing Line - Health & Wellbeing Champions
Become a Health and Wellbeing Champion! Are you interested in workplace health and wellbeing? Health and Wellbeing Champions support their teams by helping to ensure staff wellbeing is thought about regularly in team meetings, such as by sharing information and ideas about how to look after their wellbeing. They may even organise some special activities to bring everyone in the team together.
Support for Health & Wellbeing Champions:
- Fortnightly ‘Peer Connecting Sessions’ via MS Teams
- A fortnightly email bulletin with resources, information and updates
- Opportunities for training and to attend events
This doesn’t have to sit just with managers, so open up the discussion with your team and widen this role out.
If you’d like to find out more or sign up, email hello@thewellbeingline.co.uk
The Wellbeing Line - Leading with Compassion
This is especially designed for senior managers who are responsible for others in their service or organisation. This could include practice managers, care home managers, clinical and operational managers as examples. The course will explore how we support our own and our colleagues’ mental health in the work place and it will be delivered over three half days.
Please find out more by clicking this link. Due to the popularity of this course, The Wellbeing Line will be running courses in April, June and September and welcome continued expressions of interest despite the deadline in the attachment having passed.
Domiciliary Care and Care Home Forum - Have Your Say
Due to the success of holding Provider Forums for both Domiciliary and Care Homes back in February 2024, where we have been delighted with the level of engagement in which Providers have shown during designated discussion sessions, we would like to inform you of future forum dates as follows:
| |
Domiciliary Care Forum
|
Care Home Forum
|
|
10:00 – 12:30
|
3 May 2024
|
30 May 2024
|
|
10:00 – 12:30
|
4 September 2024
|
12 September 2024
|
|
10:00 – 12:30
|
14 November 2024
|
28 November 2024
|
Themes and agendas for the forthcoming sessions will be sent out in due course with confirmation of a venue. If you are interested in attending a future forum, or have any requests/suggestions for our agenda items, please do register/let us know through the Proud to Care email address: ptc@gloucestershire.gov.uk.
A further update and details of the May forums will be sent out in the April bulletin/newsletter.
Pre-Paid Cards service
The Pre-Paid Cards service currently used by several teams across GCC and the ICB has been re-tendered.
The service enables GCC & the ICB to offer a flexible service to a wide range of clients.
- Adults – Direct Payments
- Clients Affairs - making personal spending money available to vulnerable adults
- Integrated Care Board – Personal Health Budgets
- Children’s Services – care leavers and short breaks for children with disabilities
- Homes for Ukraine – used to give the welcome payments
The new contract started on 1st March 2024, and the provider will continue to be Prepaid Financial Solutions Limited (PFSL) for a period of 4 years with the option to extend for a further 2 years.
|
