Homecarer
May 2014
Inside:
3 Chief Executive’s page
5 New procurement rules
6-7 Employment laws change
7 UKHCA joins care forum
9 Dealing with a crisis
10-11 Zero-hours contracts
12-14 Membership news
14 Scotland
A new start
to inspection
and ratings
15 Wales
16 Employment schemes
16-17 Northern Ireland
18-19 England
20 Q and A
21 Training news
22-23 Publications and Events
24 Disclosure service
April saw the Care Quality
Commission launch a consultation
that has huge importance for the
homecare sector and other regulated services. Comprising a raft
of documents that will require
time to study, CQC set out its
plans for inspecting and rating
care and health ser vices in
England.
Anna Dabek of Anthony Collins
Solicitors explains what’s new in
employment law – pages 6-7
The consultation runs until 4 June
2014 and reflects the new approach
CQC has developed to inspection
over the last six months. Much of
the contents will be recognisable to
providers. The use of larger, more
specialist inspection teams led by
chief inspectors, with experts by
experience contributing the layper-
Members’ helpline: 020 8661 8188
son’s view, and better use of information to identify risks and plan
inspections, are all familiar concepts.
CQC wants inspectors to ask the
questions set out in its New Start
consultation, which took place last
summer. Is a service safe, effective,
caring, responsive to people’s needs
and well-led?
It also wants feedback on the
core services that are always
inspected, methods it uses to gather information from the public, how
it should assess risk when deciding
when and where to inspect, and the
frequency of inspection.
Providers will be glad to note that
the consultation contains proposals
for a ratings system for adult social
Turn to page 2
www.ukhca.co.uk
New start to inspection and ratings
Continued from front page
care and health services. The sector
has waited a long time for a new
system of ratings, since the scheme
that existed when the Commission
for Social Care Inspection was regulator under the previous governing
legislation, was abandoned. As
expected, the proposed new system
of ratings uses four rating categories - “outstanding”, “good”,
“requires improvement”, “inadequate”.
UKHCA Policy Director Colin Angel
commented: “It’s encouraging the
Care Quality Commission is listening
to its stakeholders. They are very
keen to design plans for inspection
and ratings that work for providers,
as well as the regulator.
“But homecare services will want
to look closely at CQC’s plan to
return to proportionate inspection
frequencies. The quality rating
given to the service will determine
whether it receives inspections at 6,
12, 18 or 24 month intervals.
“While proportionate inspection is
a sensible approach, it can lead to
longer intervals between inspections. We know that the last time
this system was operated, councils
started to operate their own inspec-
2
Homecarer – May 2014
tions as part of contract monitoring.
This is costly and often results in
unnecessary duplication.”
CQC is offering a variety of means
to respond to the consultation. You
can use CQC’s online feedback
form, take part in CQC’s Online
Provider Community, contribute to
CQC's live Twitter sessions or write
to CQC. See the options under “Get
at: www.cqc.org.uk/
Involved”
public/get-involved/consultations/
consultation-how-we-regulate-inspectand-rate-services
There are also CQC Events for
Providers at a range of venues
during May and June, see:
https://registration.livegroup.co.uk/cqcco
nsultsprovider2014/
The consultation itself consists of
provider handbooks and their
appendices for a range of services,
plus overview documents, so it’s
important to read the right documents for homecare (unless you
provide other types of service too).
Homecare is included in the documents for “community adult social
care services”. There are also
overview documents by the Chief
Inspector for Adult Social Care,
Andrea Sutcliffe, and impact
assessment and analysis documents.
You may wish to read the blog
published by Andrea Sutcliffe which
discusses the consultations and
mentions the recent well-received
provider meeting she had with
UKHCA members. See: www.cqc.
org.uk/blog/andrea/consultations-arecoming
Finally, there is a consultation on
CQC’s human rights approach to
regulation of health and social care
services.
Colin Angel continued: “I would
strongly urge providers to comment
on the proposals, as they will form
the basis for CQC inspection and
rating for many years to come. Your
views will help CQC to prepare final
guidance in September, with the
new system introduced from
October 2014.”
UKHCA is preparing a consultation
response, so please send us your
comments to policy@ukhca.co.uk by
16th May, so we can use members’
views to inform our response.
UKHCA Policy and Campaigns Team
● For UKHCA’s response to the
Department of Health’s Duty of
Candour and Corporate Accountability consultations, see page 19.
Chief Executive’s page
Prices, market position
statements and policy reforms
Despite the very clear messages in
our Minimum Price for Homecare
paper, local authorities continue to
tender and contract at a rate way
below £15.19.
Not only does this challenge the
sustainability of services, and
undermine the Care Bill’s aspiration
for a varied mix of providers and
services, it also raises real concerns
about how the increased National
Minimum Wage of £6.50 (from
October) will be accommodated,
when local authority funds are being
cut still further. We’ll continue our
campaigning and sending clear
messages about the welfare of vulnerable people to Government on
this.
Homecare contracts feature
strongly on the agenda across the
UK. We had another useful and
interesting meeting of the Five
Nations Care Forum, this time in
Belfast, at which we agreed to promote a single message across all
five nations about the crucial importance of good commissioning. The
Forum’s website is due to go live
shortly, so that will give us a joint
voice and provide links to all Forum
members’ websites. We’ll be promoting the address when it’s showing on the web.
“
We warmly welcome the
merger of Skills for Care
and the National Skills
Academy for Social Care.
Clearly it makes sense for
them to operate together
The Forum had a very interesting
session with Professor Andrew
Kerslake of the Institute of Public
Care, whose work with local authorities in England on devising Market
Position Statements is drawing to a
close. He gave us a candid report on
the issues he encountered and the
challenges some local authorities
have faced in preparing a useful
statement. One of the learning
points he drew out was the importance for providers to be pro-active
in approaching local authorities with
their innovative ideas. He told us
that most local authorities
expressed a desire to work more
closely with providers, although he
accepted that many had reverted to
working with a small number. The
Institute of Public Care held a number of workshops in mid May with
the Care Provider Alliance to pro-
Bridget Warr
mote the learning from its project.
Before the Forum closed, we said
farewell and thank you to Hugh
Mills, Chief Executive of IHCP in
Northern Ireland, for his strong contribution to its work. Hugh is
preparing to retire shortly and his
successor is currently being recruited. We are also sad to lose John
Compton from the role of Chair of
the Health and Social Care Board
and look forward to working with his
successor, Valerie Watts.
On changes, we warmly welcome
the merger of Skills for Care and
the National Skills Academy for
Social Care. While both organisations make a very useful contribution to the sector, clearly it makes
sense for them to operate together.
We continue to try and make sure
homecare has a voice where it matters. Despite our many attempts to
broaden the Demos Commission on
residential care, chaired by Paul
Burstow MP, to link with homecare,
we have been unable to secure
direct representation. But we will be
responding to Paul Burstow’s
recently set up Commission on
homecare staffing – see page 19 for
how to respond to this.
We’re also working on a programme of a variety of meetings
with senior Parliamentarians, in the
build up to next year’s General
Election. If members have any
direct contacts they would like to
suggest, please do email us at policy
@ukhca.co.uk
The work continues on the guidance that will underpin the Care Bill.
We (through staff and members)
are involved in a large number of
the groups developing good practice
guidance and advising on the statutory guidance. The workload is very
demanding but we see this as a crucial opportunity to influence the
operating environment for providers
of homecare and those who use
their services.
We had a very positive meeting
recently with Andrea Sutcliffe, the
Care Quality Commission’s Chief
Inspector of Adult Social Care, with
a number of UKHCA members. We
are supportive of her vision, which
would address many of our
concerns about the current
regulatory practice, and do hope it’s
possible for the Commission to
deliver. Her personal blog is well
worth reading at www.cqc.org.uk/blog/
author/andrea-sutcliffe
Hope you have noticed we have
changed our address to Wallington
(nearest station Hackbridge). Our
telephone numbers and email
addresses are unchanged. We have
also welcomed Jonathon Holmes,
who joined our Policy and
Campaigns Team in April as a Policy
Officer.
This seems to be the awards season - and it’s a great time of year,
for members to be recognised for
the excellent work they do. Please,
if you receive an award, do tell the
world and let us have photographs
so we can promote the positives of
homecare in Homecarer widely.
Bridget Warr
UKHCA Chief Executive
Homecarer – May 2014
3
4
Homecarer – May 2014
New EU procurement rules
to be adopted in the UK
Public procurement is changing as a result of new EU
directives. UKHCA Senior Campaigns Officer Duncan White
discusses what this means for homecare providers.
New rules to simplify tendering
procedures which will impact on
local authorities and care
providers were adopted by the EU
Council in February.
Although national governments
have been given two years to
implement the changes, the UK
Coalition has said it will fast-track
the new rules, which could become
UK law later this year or early 2015.
10 Changes to Speed Up Contracting
There are ten rule changes that will
improve the contracts tendering and
bidding process: Firstly, and probably the most important change, will
be the introduction of ’innovative
partnerships’.
The importance of this will
become more evident with the
move towards integrated health and
social care services and joint commissioning. Remember that the
Better Care Fund was announced in
June 2013 “to ensure a transformation in integrated health and social
care” as “a single pooled budget to
support health and social care services [in England] to work more
closely together in local areas”.
The new rules will empower commissioners to seek out organisations
that can develop innovative solutions to problems, rather than, for
example, a local authority spelling
out each and every activity that a
care provider should perform.
Negotiations could revolve around
the nature, complexity, legal and
financial make-up of the contract or
to design new and innovative services. Local authorities could partner with several enterprises to conduct research, development and
implementation plans without going
out to further competition.
Commissioners can now consult
with ‘market participants’ to identify options before they buy a service. This clarifies the ‘dos and
don’ts’ about the limits of engaging
in pre-procurement consultation
and also now allows a potential bidder to show that their participation
in the planning stages will not distort competition.
The difference between Part A and
Part B services arose because the
EU originally considered that some
service tenders would not attract
bidders from other countries. The
distinction between A and B services is now eliminated as the
market has developed and all service contracts are subject to the full
set of procurement rules up to a
value of €750, 000 beneath which
there will be a ‘light touch’ for certain health and social care services.
A greater use of self-declarations will simplify preliminary selection criteria so that only the successful bidder will provide full documentation for verification: the reality is that many commissioners will
want to make financial checks on all
companies before they select a preferred bidder.
Proof of financial capacity of
bidders will be limited to twice the
estimated contract value other than
where this is critical and specified in
the tender, and there are now ‘selfcleansing’ rules which allow a bidder to prove they are a reliable
business partner despite reasons to
exclude them in the past. There are
discretionary grounds so that public
authorities can include previous
poor performers, as well as to
reconsider cases of collusion, conflicts of interest, undue influence or
misrepresentation. There are also
additional reasons to exclude a bidder because of terrorist offences,
human trafficking and breaches of
obligations to pay taxes or social
security contributions. It is anticipated that failure to pay the
National Minimum Wage will be
included.
In future the most economically
advantageous tender (MEAT) will
be assessed using price or cost
effectiveness, including ‘full lifecycle costing’ so that commissioners
can take into account functionality,
technical merit, innovative ideas,
staffing and organisational competences for the whole life of the contract.
The use of a simplified tenderi n g a p p r o a c h gives small and
medium enterprises (SME) an
opportunity to divide larger contracts into lots using the “do or
explain” method to show how a
contract divided between smaller
providers will work.
The new rules clarify the position
concerning local authorities cooperation. In straightforward serviceagreements between or within local
authorities, procurement laws are
not now needed. This cooperation
can extend to the setting up of
commercial companies *to carry out
work that would usually be undertaken in-house. If over 80% of that
company’s activity is for local
authorities then it’s now considered
to be part of the authority and not
subject to procurement rules, as
long as there isn’t any private funding or capital involved. The local
authority can hand work to the
company in the same way as it
would give work to any other inhouse department. (*‘Teckal’ companies after a landmark legal case.)
There have been several legal
challenges arising from modifications to contracts, and the new
rules clarify where changes do not
have to lead to re-tendering. For
example, where there are unforeseeable circumstances, or where
additional work or low value modifications become necessary, or where
work has to be taken over by
another organisation are now
allowed as long as the total value of
the revised work does not exceed
50% of the original contract value.
Concessionary Contracts have
been allowed within a partnership
where a private company takes over
the operational risk of running
‘infrastructure’ schemes, such as
toll roads or a swimming pool on
behalf of a local authority. The new
rules now include all service contracts as well as infrastructure
schemes valued over €5m which will
now have to be advertised and
commissioned competitively.
The new rules eliminate some of
the problems that have arisen over
the last few years, some of which
have led to legal challenges. The UK
government does not now have to
introduce new primary legislation,
as they can simply fast-track the EU
regulations and it is anticipated that
they will apply to the health and
social care commissioning system in
time for the 2015 contracting
round.
Duncan White
UKHCA Senior Campaigns Officer
More on public procurement reform:
http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/publicprocurement/modernising_rules/reform_proposals/index_en.htm#140115
● Transposing EU procurement directives: www.gov.uk/transposing-eu-procurement-directives
●
Homecarer – May 2014
5
Are you ready? Raft of changes
31 January
England, Scotland and Wales:
The Transfer of Undertakings
(Protection
of
Employment)
Regulations 2006 (TUPE) – TUPE
Regulations, which may apply
where staff are transferred from
one provider to another, have been
amended. The key changes
include:
● Specific provision that the activities that are carried out after the
change in service provision (i.e.
where an organisation, including a
local authority, engages a contractor to do work on its behalf,
engages a different contractor to do
that work, or brings the work ‘inhouse’) must be “fundamentally the
same as the activities carried out by
the person who has ceased to carry
them out”. Where the activities are
not fundamentally the same, TUPE
does not apply;
● Any collective terms included in
the transferring employees’ contracts which come into force after
the transfer (where the new
employer is not involved in the collective bargaining for that change),
do not automatically transfer to the
new provider. The new provider is
now also able to change terms that
come from collective agreements,
one year after the transfer, provided
that the overall change is no less
favourable to the employee;
● A dismissal for a reason connected with a transfer remains automatically unfair unless the provider can
show that it is for an “economic,
technical or organisational reason
entailing changes in the workforce”.
The meaning of “entailing changes
in the workforce” now, however,
includes a change of location. This
means that genuine place of work
With the new financial year upon us, employers should
take a note of employment law changes which may
impact on future workforce costs and liabilities. Anna
Dabek of Anthony Collins Solicitors explains what’s new.
taking place, and we anticipate a
response at some point this year.
7 March
UK: National Minimum Wage – New
regulations came into force increasing the financial penalties that can
be imposed by HMRC where
providers are found to have underpaid staff. The penalty is calculated
as a percentage of the total underpayment as set out in the notice of
underpayment. The Regulations
increase the percentage figure from
50% to 100% and the maximum
from £5,000 to £20,000. The
Regulations do not give HMRC the
power to penalise employers for
each employee that was underpaid,
but we do expect that the legislation will be amended in the near
future.
6 April
Anna Dabek
redundancies as a result of a transfer, are prevented from being automatically unfair; and
● The
deadline for providing
‘employee liability information’ to
the new provider will be increased
from 14 days to 28 days before the
transfer. This will only apply to
transfers that take place on or after
1 May 2014.
The changes are not applicable to
Northern Ireland, however, there is
a separate consultation currently
England, Scotland and Wales:
Statutory discrimination questionnaires – The prescribed questionnaires, which enable an individual
who thinks they have been discriminated against to obtain information
from their employer, are to be abolished. This will enable providers to
better challenge any unreasonable
requests for information when
unlawful discrimination is alleged.
Providers should note however that
a complainant may still ask questions of them, and a court or
Tribunal may draw an adverse inference from refusal to respond, or
evasive answers given. This does
not apply to Northern Ireland where
Homecarer
Editor: Carole Broughton
Editorial Panel: Colin Angel and Duncan White
Policy Commentator: Dominic Carter
Editorial Advisers: Lucianne Sawyer CBE, President; Yvonne Apsitis,
Ambassador; Noni Cobban, Ambassador.
Telephone: 020 8661 8188
Email: policy@ukhca.co.uk
UKHCA Board:
Stephen Allen, Vice Chair; Lynda Gardner, Hon Secretary;
Trevor Brocklebank, Treasurer;
Dominique Kent, Peter King, Lesley Megarity (Northern
Ireland), Mike Padgham, Wayne Rees (Wales), Richard Smith,
Raina Summerson, Max Wurr, vacant (Scotland). UKHCA: Bridget
Warr and Peter Randall.
Details: www.ukhca.co.uk/board.aspx
Homecarer is published by United Kingdom Homecare Association Limited (UKHCA) as a service to UKHCA members. Registered office: Sutton Business Centre,
Restmor Way, Wallington, SM6 7AH. Registered in England No. 3083104
● Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this edition, it is intended to provide information rather than a definitive statement of the law; advice
should be taken before action is implemented or refrained from in specific cases. UKHCA and its contributing authors accept no responsibility for action taken or
refrained from solely by reference to the contents of this edition.
● Homecarer is designed and typeset by Simon Jenkins, 36, Allerton Grange Rise, Leeds, West Yorks, LS17 6LH. t: 07791-333229; e: s.w.jenkins@ntlworld.com
● Printing by ES Print Solutions, Media House, 26 Trenance Gardens, Halifax, HX4 8NN; t: 01422-375445; e: info@esprintsolutions.com; w: www.esprintsolutions.com
● All views expressed in Homecarer are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Association or its Board
● UKHCA can accept no liability for services or products offered or provided. Inclusion in Homecarer does not imply endorsement by the Association.
● For an advertising pack or to find out about joining UKHCA as a homecare provider or commercial member, Tel 020 8661 8188, enquiries@ukhca.co.uk
● Picture credits: GoUnity (p12) by Staceylillyann Photography; Paul Burstow (p19) by Department of Health
●
6
Homecarer – May 2014
introduced to employment law
the questionnaires remain in place.
UK: National Insurance Percentage
Threshold Scheme – The Scheme
currently enables providers to
reclaim Statutory Sick Pay (SSP)
from HMRC, where the total SSP
paid in a month exceeds 13% of
their Class 1 National Insurance
contributions for that month. A draft
Order abolishing the scheme has
been approved and it is expected to
take effect on 6 April.
UK: Increases to rates and limits –
Several statutory rates and payments are increasing, including:
● Statutory maternity, paternity pay
and statutory adoption to £138.18
per week;
● Maternity allowance (from 7 April)
to £138.18 per week; and
● Statutory Sick Pay to £87.55 per
week.
6 May
England, Scotland and Wales:
Mandatory pre-claim ACAS conciliation – A new four-step procedure
for Early Conciliation (EC) through
ACAS is to be introduced that has to
be
completed
before
an
Employment Tribunal claim can be
commenced. Transitional provisions
cover the period between 6 April
and 5 May during which, EC will be
available. EC will be mandatory for
all claims presented on or after 6
May 2014. The EC process is
intended to give an opportunity to
seek to resolve a dispute before
having to commit time and expense
in bringing and defending proceedings. However, if a provider did not
wish to participate in EC, the ACAS
officer will immediately issue the EC
certificate enabling the claim to be
lodged. There is ongoing consultation in this area in Northern Ireland.
30 June
England, Scotland and Wales: All
employees have the right to request
flexible working – All employees
(with 6 months’ continuous service)
will be entitled to request flexible
working. Providers should be clear
that this does not provide a right to
work flexibly, but does mean that
providers will have a duty ‘to consider requests in a reasonable manner’. Northern Ireland has not yet
confirmed its position but is committed to flexible working.
1 October
UK: National Minimum Wage – The
rates for National Minimum Wage
will increase as follows:
● adult rate (21 year old and above)
to £6.50 per hour;
● 18 – 20 years olds to £5.13 per
hour;
● over compulsory school age but
not yet 18 to £3.79 per hour; and
● apprentices who are under 19, or
are 19 or over but are still in the
first year of their apprenticeship to
£2.73 per hour.
Other
U K : Auto enrolment – Many
providers are going to have their
staging dates this year. Providers
should make sure that they know
when their staging date is to ensure
compliance. For more information in
relation to pensions and auto-enrolment please see Douglas Mullen’s
article in the January 2014 edition
of Homecarer at: www.ukhca.co.uk
/downloads.aspx?ID=433 and to check
your staging date, please see:
www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk.
Anna Dabek
Anthony Collins Solicitors LLP
Disclaimer
Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this article, it is a summary, rather than a definitive statement of the
law; advice should be taken before action is implemented or refrained from in specific cases. No responsibility can be accepted for
action taken or refrained from solely by reference to the contents of this article.
UKHCA joins HSE Social
Care Partners Forum
Policy Director Colin Angel is representing UKHCA on the Social
Care Partners Forum, a new forum
set up by the Health & Safety
Executive.
The Social Care Partners Forum
(SCPF) exists to promote consistency, proportionality and an integrated
approach to health and safety with
quality of care. Its remit extends to
both service users and staff and it
aims to give well-informed and
authoritative answers to questions
about ‘what social care providers
are expected to do’ that will satisfy
providers, regulators and commissioners of services.
Key messages from initial meetings are that:
● SCPF wants to publicise itself as a
GB-wide body, and is working on a
communications plan.
● The SCPF has representatives
from central and local government,
regulators, stakeholder bodies, and
Colin Angel
trades unions covering England,
Scotland and Wales, and will ensure
service users are represented as
well.
● Members
representing
the
Department of Health and regulators in England, Scotland and Wales
will provide updates to the Forum
on current regulatory developments
in their respective nations.
● The SCPF has resolved to help
CQC establish where guidance is
most needed to describe ‘what compliance looks like’ on health and
safety-related issues within the
Registration Regulations, and to
help CQC provide that guidance.
● SCPF’s Commissioning Working
Group will focus its attention on
Wales to improve clarity, and reduce
duplication/unnecessary burdens, in
the health and safety aspects of
commissioning. This will act as a
pilot study, to allow the principles
established to be considered in
England
and
Scotland.
Commissioners, regulators, care
providers and trade unions will all
be involved.
UKHCA looks forward to playing
an active part in the Forum and will
pass on news of its activities to
members via our email alerts.
Homecarer – May 2014
7
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8
Homecarer – May 2014
0103NS310314 - UKHCA Homecare advert.indd 1
4/9/2014 12:53:53 PM
Could you keep your
business afloat in a crisis?
In March Homecarer we reported
on the heroic efforts of careworkers providing homecare in the
floods. In this edition Jason
Claydon, Technical Director,
Towergate Patrick considers could
you keep your business afloat,
should the worst happen?
The storms and floods earlier this
year left many businesses wondering how well they’d cope in the face
of catastrophic weather or other crisis.
Businesses buy insurance for
financial protection and peace of
mind should their premises be
directly exposed to hazards including fire, flood and theft. Homecare
organisations are also vulnerable to
the fall-out from bad weather in the
communities they serve.
Although the worst of the bad
weather looks to be behind us,
Towergate Patrick urges homecare
businesses to plan for the future
and provides some useful pointers
to keep your business above water
should the worst happen.
Pre incident
Create a Business Continuity
Plan to deal with issues such as
remote working arrangements,
access to employee and service
user contact information as well as
temporary arrangements with other
organisations. Your plan should be
communicated to all employees so
they understand what’s expected of
them and who they should contact
in the event of extreme weather.
Ensuring your business can run
remotely means call patterns can
continue unaffected thereby minimising the impact on service users.
Towergate Patrick recommends
keeping a copy of your insurance policy away from your
offices as you might not be
able to access the original
when you need it most.
Immediately an incident occurs
Ensure any damage at your
premises is made safe - you are
still responsible for the health and
safety of employees and visitors.
Where possible try to prevent further damage or loss occurring.
Read the small print. Insurance
policies include very specific instructions about when and how claims
should be notified and it is important you follow these to help with
your claim. Make sure you know
how quickly you’re expected to get
in touch and what information you
need to provide.
Establish the likely costs of
any damage. A verbal quote will
suffice initially but a written estimate may be required by your
insurer at a later date. Gather evidence – including photos - to support your claim.
Co-operate with your insurer.
In the event of a large loss they
may appoint a loss adjuster to
assess damage, arrange or oversee
repairs or even negotiate a settlement. Provide any information they
require as quickly as possible to
ensure the smooth process of your
claim.
Once the dust has settled
Review how well your Business
Continuity Plan worked by asking
employees and service users for
their feedback. Make changes
where necessary and communicate
them to employees.
Implement any risk improvem e n t s within the timescales
advised by your insurer, your ongoing cover could be invalidated if you
don’t.
Review the adequacy of your
insurance cover in light of events.
Prevention is better than cure
Perhaps the most important step
you can take to protect your business is to make sure you’ve bought
the right insurance cover in the first
place.
For example, in the event of widespread damage from flooding, you
may not be able to generate your
usual level of income. There may be
additional costs involved in servicing
the needs of those receiving care.
Specialist modes of transport,
overnight accommodation, additional staff and/or overtime will all need
consideration so check your insurer
provides cover for them. Check also
that your policy covers Business
Interruption following damage not
just to your property but also in the
vicinity as well as the effects of
restrictive actions by authorities.
The level of protection required
will vary from business to business
in the homecare sector. If you’re not
sure what cover you need, seek
advice from a specialist with
knowledge of the sector and the
particular risks facing homecare
businesses.
Specialist Support
Towergate Patrick has provided
insurance services to the care sector for more than 30 years and
offers a suite of products, services
and risk management tools
designed to help you manage the
risks involved in running a successful home care business.
We also have a team of dedicated
claims advisors. They’re experienced in dealing with insurers, loss
adjustors, trades people and
solicitors and they’ll support you
through what can be an extremely
stressful experience. What’s more
they’ll make sure your claim is
settled quickly and effectively so
you can get on with doing what you
do best – caring for others.
● Towergate Patrick is the preferred insurance provider of the UKHCA. Find out more about its Homecare Concept
Enhanced Policy at www.towergatepartners.co.uk/UKHCA or call 0844 346 0981.
● Towergate Patrick is a trading name of Towergate Underwriting Group Limited. Registered Office: Towergate
House, Eclipse Park, Sittingbourne Road, Maidstone, Kent, ME14 3EN. Authorised and Regulated by the Financial
Conduct Authority.
“Care staff go the extra mile in flood-hit Britain” by Mary Wardell, Caremark Limited – March 2014 Homecarer:
www.ukhca.co.uk/downloads.aspx?ID=438
●
Homecarer – May 2014
9
Hero or zero? Zero-hours cont
Zero hours contracts continue
to polarise opinion but
many providers regard them
as essential in today’s
homecare market. UKHCA’s
Policy and Campaigns
Director Colin Angel shines a
light on this controversial
subject.
Why are zero hours contracts used in
domiciliary care?
There are many reasons - some are
positive to give the workforce the
flexibility it needs and others relate
to the current homecare market,
which limits providers’ ability to
offer guaranteed hours to their
workers.
Councils usually purchase care by
reference to “contact time”, and
with rates that barely cover the
minimum price for care, there simply isn’t the money in the system to
pay workers for periods of downtime. We are now at a point where
many providers are struggling to
keep ahead of National Minimum
Wage. The purchase of short (less
than 30 minute) homecare visits
exacerbates this problem, as does
aggressive cost-cutting by councils.
The disparity shows in UKHCA’s
Minimum Price for Homecare:
www.ukhca.co.uk/downloads.aspx?ID=434
Councils’ purchase of care can
also be unpredictable, particularly
when block contracts are replaced
by framework contracts, where
providers are often bidding for individual packages of care, or having
to offer the lowest price to secure
volume.
Historically, providers have opted
for zero-hours contracts because of
the risk of losing a council contract
at the end of its three-year life, so
they can retain an employment
relationship with the worker, even if
the contract is lost.
Such contracts are also more flexible where there are fluctuating
demands on a service - throughout
the day, with peaks early morning,
lunchtime and evenings, or changing service user needs (more or less
care needed, if independence
improves, or when there is an
emergency needing hospital or residential care or if a user ceases to
need care). These can change from
week-to-week, and happen at short
notice.
Some workers also want flexible
working to fit in their own commitments, to help provide time to care
for children or older relatives, or
10
Homecarer – May 2014
Keerati/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
study. In a recent call for evidence
from our members, we had a number of strongly-stated views that
even where providers are offering
guaranteed hours contracts, workers were still opting for zero-hours.
The homecare workforce is the
chief asset of the sector, and workers’ dedication, expertise and commitment is key to providing quality
care for service users. So, if businesses want to thrive and be able
to recruit, it is in their interests to
have employment terms that meet
favour with their workforce.
What would need to change in the
homecare market for there to be less
use of zero hours contracts?
We will need a substantial change
to the way the state purchases
homecare. Zero-hours contracts are
extensively used and have been for
more than ten years. The data on
them is variable, but I don’t think
they have increased recently and
current conditions mean they are
unlikely to decrease.
To reduce the use of such contracts, we would need changes to
commissioning, with providers able
to trust councils to purchase care
consistently and predictably.
Ideally, this would mean councils
paying a reasonable rate for care or
a return to block contracts - unlikely, I know, given all the work on
personalisation and councils’ belief
block contracts cost them money
for services they don’t actually purchase.
So in reality the way forward
would be either (a) councils purchasing care in defined geographic
zones from a limited number of
‘approved providers’, and paying a
rate capable of sustaining guaranteed hours; or (b) councils buying
blocks of time from a provider.
However, the nature of the market causes complications. As we
know, the demand for homecare
fluctuates throughout the day, so
offering guaranteed hours is difficult
unless a provider can find sufficient
work to fill periods of relatively low
demand. It would be difficult for
providers to offer “9 to 5 style” contracts on the current periods of
tracts in the homecare market
demand.
There are also barriers to councils
forming better relationships with
providers – some treat providers as
suppliers who are managed through
contracts and specifications rather
than partners in caring for some of
the most vulnerable people in society. Where contracts are designed
by local authority contracting personnel who (a) wish to mitigate all
risks that the authority faces and
(b) lack understanding about commercial practice, it is difficult to
build a constructive relationship.
David Pearson, who has succeeded Sandie Keene as president of the
Association of Directors of Adult
Social Services, has said councils
have a “clear responsibility” to
ensure care providers treat their
staff fairly. We look forward to seeing this reflected in the contract
prices they offer.
There is a lot of rhetoric about the
negative aspects of zer o hour s
contracts. What is UKHCA doing about
it?
UKHCA sits on a number of high
level workforce forums and has
been actively raising awareness of
issues facing our sector with politicians, such as our work with the
Labour Party last year when we
involved members in an event with
Shadow Business Secretary Chuka
Umunna. Our response is to explain
how zero hours contracts are used
in the sector and to support their
continued ethical use, avoiding
those practices found in other sectors which are highly undesirable.
Government is working on the reform
of zero hours contracts, though its
recent consul tation suggested
changes not really aimed at our
sector. What’s your take on this?
The reforms discussed by the
“
I would hope with our
connections we can raise
awareness of why zero
hours contracts are so
important to our sector,
so those responding to
the rhetoric are better
informed.
Department for Business Innovation
& Skills centre on outlawing exclusivity terms in contracts, which are
not extensively used in our sector
as far as I know, and improving
information for employees on their
employment terms, which we would
agree with. So we don’t anticipate
legislative reforms under this
Government that would be too disadvantageous, but we do hope for
good practice guidance. If Labour
got in next year, we would probably
expect more of a crackdown.
We are aware of counci ls, care
regulators and wo rkforce bodies
showing an interest in reform. Do you
think some sort of back door policing
will come in?
This is a bit like the response to
National Minimum Wage compliance. I recently came across a contract where a council wanted its
providers to demonstrate actively
that they were not in breach of
NMW rules. I think it is inevitable
that political pressures will result in
some councils trying to police zero
hours contracts.
Quite how this would affect their
tendering processes is anyone’s
guess at the moment. As far as regulators and workforce bodies are
concerned, I would hope with our
connections we can raise awareness
of why zero hours contracts are so
important to our sector, so those
responding to the rhetoric are better informed. We are open to measures that encourage the ethical use
of zero hours contracts and would
welcome guidance that supports
this.
Do yo u envi sage providers will
voluntarily decide to offer guaranteed
hours or work periods to address
labour shortages or counter adverse
publ icity surrounding zero hours
contracts?
I am aware of a large-scale provider
that has offered some degree of
guaranteed hours to its workers.
The organisation doing this may be
able to guarantee ‘core’ hours at
times of the day when services are
most highly in demand.
How far other providers can offer
guaranteed hours or work periods
would depend on local market conditions, their own finances and what
their workforce wants. Providers
have told me the demand for flexible working from their workforce
means they wouldn’t be able to run
their businesses if guaranteed hours
were the only option.
Has UKHCA a position on the use of
zero hours?
The Association has not adopted a
formal position on zero hours contracts, but we’d be likely to support
the following:
● The Association strongly supports
the ethical use of zero-hours contracts in employment;
● Zero-hours contracts play a significant role in the delivery of home-
care services, particularly given (a)
the way that the vast majority of
councils purchase home-based care
and (b) the demand from a significant proportion of the workforce for
flexible working;
● Workers should have a clear
explanation of the features of their
working conditions under a zerohours contract, backed-up by a
clearly written statement for future
reference. This should include an
explanation of the possibility of
working hours being reduced;
● Where used, zero hours contracts
must genuinely reflect the mutual
relationship of both employees
being able to decline work without
disadvantage and employers not to
provide work;
● Employers should not penalise
workers for not accepting work
offered. Equally, workers must
understand that work accepted
must be undertaken, except where
negotiated by their employer, or in
the case of unavoidable absence;
● Differential pay rates for workers
engaged on zero-hours contracts,
compared to workers on guaranteed
hours contracts undertaking similar
activities, are undesirable;
● Employers should operate policies
and procedures related to notice
periods for cancellation of planned
work for staff on zero-hours contracts;
● Employers should provide workers
with some degree of short-term
financial protection from a change
in income from an unplanned reduction in earnings (for example where
a service user has an unplanned
admission to hospital);
● Likewise, statutory sector commissioners who purchase care by
reference to the time spent in service users’ homes, should include
reasonable clauses in their contracts
to make payment for short-notice
cancellation of purchase;
● Staff should not be prevented
from working for other employers
(“exclusivity”), where there is no
obligation to be provided with work,
except in situations where is it justifiable, such as access to commercially sensitive information (we cannot think of an example where this
would apply in the case of homecare workers); and
● The Association supports calls for
good practice guidance for the use
of zero-hours contracts to be developed by BIS, unions and employer
representatives.
Carole Broughton
UKHCA Policy and Campaigns Team
● Want to comment? Send your
views to policy@ukhca.co.uk
Homecarer – May 2014
11
Membership news
Survey shows people prefer care at home
A survey by live-in care and nursing provider, Consultus
Care, showed that most people would prefer their elderly relative to be looked after at home or with a relative,
rather than in a residential or nursing home.
The research, amongst readers of the Kent & Sussex
Courier newspaper, showed there is growing interest in
live-in care.
Peter Seldon, Managing Director of Consultus Care,
based in Tonbridge, pointed out the cost of keeping an
elderly person in hospital is far greater than one-on-one
live-in nursing care or a live-in care worker helping with
personal care.
Consultus Care is working with UKHCA and other care
agencies to raise the awareness of live-in services as an
alternative to institutional care.
www.consultuscare.com
● Thinking of providing live in care? See page 23 for
UKHCA’s brief introduction for owners and managers.
Unity makes for a top team
Well done to UKHCA members
Unity in Care Ltd of Farnborough
who were finalists in the GO Team
of the Year Award category of the
National Government Opportunities
(GO) Excellence in Public
Procurement Awards 2014/15.
With stiff competition from major
organisations like Crossrail and
London Underground, the presence
of a homecare provider amongst the
finalists for the team award was a
triumph.
Manager Beverley Garrett said
“This is a fantastic recognition of our
progress and achievement for procurement activity, especially given
the record level of competition
from across the UK for
these awards. We are
truly proud to highlight excellence in
procurement in the
homecare sector. I
would like to thank
all members of the
team, whose individual contributions
made us a finalist in the
GO Team of the Year
Awards”.
The National GO Awards are
recognised as the benchmark for
progress in the multibillion-pound
procurement sector. Lead Judge
Teamwork – Beverley Garrett, Pansy Wright, Bernice Sepenu,
Mya Zahradnik and Julie Williams of Unity in Care
Grahame Steed said: “This
year’s submissions demonstrated the incredible breadth and
depth of activity, innovation and
commitment across the sector.”
Unity in Care Ltd was established
in June 2009, and provides holistic
care and support in a variety of set-
tings to families, the elderly, children
and young people – those with disabilities and/or challenging needs.
Owner and manager Beverley is a
qualified Social worker, and has 40
years’ experience in the health and
social care sector.
www.unityincareltd.co.uk
Good Care Day inspires local community
UKHCA members in East Anglia have been flying the flag
for homecare.
Christies Care held a second Good Care Day at their
training centre in Saxmundham, Suffolk, and provided
useful information to more than 60 local people on
stroke care.
Christies Care Director Lin Barnes said: “While we
offer live-in care across the UK, this event gave us the
opportunity to raise awareness of the options available
for social care in this region, with quality care, information and support readily available.”
www.christiescare.com.
Extra Hands successful at Norfolk Care Awards
Congratulations to Extra Hands of Heacham, who were
awarded the Motivational Leadership award at the first
Norfolk Care Awards, held earlier this year. Extra Hands
provide homecare in Norfolk, including dementia care,
and offer a wide range of individually tailored services.
Managing Director Anita Walter said: "I was thrilled
and honoured to accept this award on behalf of Extra
12
Homecarer – May 2014
Hands and to recognise the excellent commitment, dedication and development of all our staff in providing quality care in the Norfolk community. We, as a organisation, continually strive to raise the standard and profile
of homecare across the county and it was fantastic to
see all our hard work rewarded."
www.extrahandshomecarenorfolk.co.uk/#ixzz2zhGYTWJk
Membership news
Bluebird soars to a new high
Merseyside homecare provider and
UKHCA member Bluebird Care’s Sefton
division has recently expanded its team
in the North West.
Ten new members of staff have
joined since the start of the year with
four having specific experience and
qualifications in childcare and caring
for adults with learning disabilities.
This brings the range of customers that
Bluebird Care Sefton can serve to a
new high.
Craig Adamson, owner of Bluebird
Care Sefton said: “The great response
that we’ve received to our professional
and high quality service means we
have been able to grow quickly.
“The expansion reflects the growth of
our customer base and strict policy of
providing regular care workers for customers, to guarantee continuity of care
without compromising on quality.”
www.bluebirdcare.co.uk/sefton
Board members’ twin success at care awards
Winners – Home Instead (left) and The Good Care Group
Two UKHCA Board members
received double recognition at the
Laing & Buisson Independent
Specialist Care Awards in March.
Trevor Brocklebank of Home
Instead
Senior
Care
won
Entrepreneur of the Year, with his
wife
and
co-director
Sam
Brocklebank, an award that recognised their business skills aligned
with their contribution to making
quality care available to thousands
of older people across the UK.
The team from Home Instead
Senior Care in Wirral, Merseyside
also achieved success, winning the
Early Intervention and Prevention
Care award for their preventative
service that facilitates a quick discharge from hospital (within 16
hours) for their clients, once medically fit to return home.
Two other Home Instead finalists
●
were Claire and Bill Percy from the
Farnborough, Farnham and Fleet
office and Gail and Robert Godson
from West Lancashire and Chorley.
“It was wonderful to win our
award,” said Trevor. “We were doubly
proud that our offices have also
been recognised for the great work
they are doing. We all work as a
team, sharing the same ethos in
wanting to change the face of ageing.”
The Good Care Group also had
double reason to celebrate success,
winning the best homecare provider
award for their outstanding contribution to homecare, for the second
consecutive year. The organisation
attributed their success to being able
to demonstrate excellence in providing services that deliver improved
outcomes for clients.
UKHCA Board member and Good
Care Group Operations Director
Dominique Kent said: “I am delighted we have scooped this prestigious
accolade for a second time in a row.
It’s the result of the achievements of
all those in our professional care
team who continue to deliver high
quality homecare that really makes
a difference to people’s lives.
“I would like to thank everyone in
this team, as well as the managers
that work tirelessly to provide unrivalled levels of support – your dedication and commitment is unsurpassed. Next it’s the Health Investor
awards in June where we have been
shortlisted as finalists in the
Domiciliary Care Provider category.”
The winners received their awards
at a gala dinner, hosted by presenter
and former politician Michael Portillo.
Independent Specialist Care
Awards 2014 winners: www.laing
buisson.co.uk/Events/IndependentSpeciali
stCareAwards/Winners.aspx
Membership news continues on Page 14
Homecarer – May 2014
13
Membership
news
Complete
success
Congratulations to national
complex health care provider
The Complete Group for
being a national finalist in the
Care Employer category of
the Great British Home Care
Awards. The provider highlighted the quality of its staff
training programmes, which
aim to achieve the best possible outcome for each client.
Regional finalists go forward to the finals, with winners being announced in
June. Complete has also been
shortlisted, for the third year
running, in the Complex Care
Provider category of the
Health Investor awards, also
that month.
www.completegroup.co.uk
Congratulations to all
UKHCA members who have
achieved success in the
regional finals and good luck
at the national Great British
Care Awards: www.careawards.co.uk/
● See Simon Sinclair of The
Complete Group’s article
“Personal health budgets - a
brave new world of commissioning” on page 18.
Care, concern
and cakes
UKHCA
members
Care
Concern (Homecare) Ltd
have shown their concern for
those with dementia by raising funds for a local dementia
charity.
Registered Manager Catherine Gunnewicht said: “As a
small independent care company, we feel it is important
to support our community.
Earlier this year we organised
a tea party and a raffle in aid
of local charity, Dementia
Concern.
“We raised £550 and about
50 people attended. We had
cream teas, cake and lots of
sandwiches. Two representatives from Dementia Concern
also joined us and gave a talk
about their services.”
“Apart from raising money
for charity and giving people
a fun afternoon, the event
was a valuable opportunity to
raise awareness of dementia
and keep it high on the agenda.” www.careconcern.org.uk
14
National reports – Scotland
Integrating health and
social care in Scotland
Scotland took a big step towards the
integration of health and social care
services with the passing of the
Public Bodies ( Joint Working)
(Scotland) Act in February.
The Act puts in place a framework
that will see more joined-up health
and social care provision, with consultations due on the regulations and
associated guidance this spring.
The Act requires Health Boards and
local authorities to:
● integrate adult health and social care
services and decide whether to include
children’s services
● establish local integrated partnership
and governance arrangements.
● have integrated budgets for health
and social care.
● be jointly responsible for joint strategic and locality planning in their area.
● put in place their local integrated
arrangement by April 2015 with the
full integration of services across
Scotland expected by April 2016.
A number of NHS Boards and local
authorities have shadow integration
arrangements in place, including NHS
Highland and the Highland Council
which implemented a fully integrated
model of health and social care in
2012.
Under these arrangements, NHS
Highland took on responsibility for
adult health and social care while the
Highland Council now has responsibility for children’s health and social care
utilising a 'lead agency’ model.
Chair of NHS Highland, Garry Coutts,
said: “In the Highland area there were
too many examples where we felt that
staff were coming across barriers that
prevented them from doing the very
best for their clients. These barriers
included the fact there was two separate budgets, two sets of managers
and two systems of governance that
National reports
Scotland
made it difficult for them to focus on
the best interest of service users. With
integration we have started to break
down these barriers.”
UKHCA Ambassador Noni Cobban
commented: “This is clearly a key policy which will impact on providers of
care at home in Scotland. It is worth
emphasising that the Act is very much
the start of the journey. Detailed guidance will shape how integration takes
place at a local level. That’s where
homecare providers can really get
involved, with local integration teams,
to create a new system that will
encourage co-ordination and continuity
of care, and achieve better outcomes
for service users.”
UKHCA is working on a paper on
integration of health and social care
services which we hope to make available to members in due course.
The Public Bodies (Joint Working)
(Scotland) Act: www.scottish.parliament.
uk/parliamentarybusiness/Bills/63845.aspx
More on integration of health and
social
care
services
at:
www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Health/Policy/A
dult-Health-Social Care-Integration
Press release: http://news.scotland.
gov.uk/News/Royal-assent-for-IntegrationBill-b1c.aspx
Video case study on integration:
www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Health/Policy/A
dult-Health-Social Care-Integration/Aboutthe-Bill/Video
New procurement flexibility
Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has followed through on the commitment
she gave in December to amend the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Bill to give
local authorities more discretion on putting care contracts out to tender, and to
enable Scottish Ministers to make statutory guidance on the procurement of care
and support services.
See: Infrastructure and Capital Investment Committee report, 19 March:
www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentary business/28862.aspx?r=9053&mode=pdf page
2843/44.
Meanwhile three new EU public procurement directives came into effect from
17 April: www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/Procurement/ProcurementNews/NewsVault2014/NewEuropeanprocurementDirectivespublished
EU Member States have two years to implement them in their own national
law, a process that will include considering the policy options offered by the
Directives. Nicola Sturgeon said the Scottish Government will consult on these
options in the summer, so they can make regulations in 2015.
For more on the EU procurement directives, see page 5.
Homecarer – May 2014
National reports – Wales
Minister issues update on paying for care
Gwenda Thomas, Deputy Minister for Social Services,
has issued an update on paying for care in Wales. She
explained that final decisions on the nature of reforms
in Wales were waiting for the detail of changes being
implemented by the UK Government in England.
The Deputy Minister remained committed to delivering a fairer, less complex and more affordable system
of paying for care than the present arrangements,
and had put in place the framework in the Social
Services and Well-being (Wales) Bill. She has com-
missioned an independent research study to look at
the options for reform, reporting in September. This
will be followed by stakeholder engagement with
firmer proposals likely to be outlined later in 2014.
In the interim, after consultation, the maximum
limits a person should pay for non-residential care,
will rise from £50 per week to £55 per week from
April 2014 year and £60 per week from April 2015.
http://wales.gov.uk/about/cabinet/cabinetstatements/2014
/payingforsocialcare/?lang=en
Reform bill completes passage
through National Assembly
The Social Services and Wellbeing (Wales) Bill has completed
its legislative passage through the
National Assembly, putting in
place the framework to reform
social services delivery by adopting an outcomes approach.
Deputy Minister for Social
Services, Gwenda Thomas, said:”It
has been a real privilege to lead on
the development and delivery of
this Bill on behalf of the Welsh
Government. This Bill is for the people, with the well-being of the indi●
●
●
National reports
Wales
vidual at its very heart.
“Throughout the legislative
process, the Bill has been subject to
robust scrutiny, and is all the better
for it. We are getting closer to fulfilling our ultimate goal - to make a
real difference to the lives of those
who need care and support in our
society. This has only been made
possible by a number of organisations working together towards this
shared ambition, and I sincerely
thank all of those who have played
their part.
“I look forward to the Bill becoming an Act when it goes before Her
Majesty the Queen for Royal
Assent.”
More from:http://wales.gov.uk/topics/health/socialcare/bill/?lang=en
www.ccwales.org.uk/news/2014/03/19/landmark-social-services-transformation-to-become-law/#sthash.HNXLYxYe.dpuf
History of the Bill: www.senedd.assemblywales.org/mgIssueHistoryHome.aspx?IId=5664
Views sought on learning
lessons of adult abuse cases
The Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Bill contains a new legal framework for adult protection and a consultation is under way on new guidance to improve the arrangements for reviewing and learning from cases of adult
abuse and neglect.
The proposals include Adult Protection Reviews which follow the format of Child Practice Reviews, introduced to
replace Serious Case Reviews.
The draft guidance has been developed with input from practitioners, local authorities, health, police, care services and the social services inspectorate (CSSIW) and is being tested by selected Safeguarding Adults Boards.
UKHCA Corporate Services Director Peter Randall said: “As services that have close contact with vulnerable individuals, homecare services are well placed to spot potential abuse. It’s important that care providers in Wales
familiarise themselves with the new adult protection arrangements.”
● Protecting Adults at Risk in Wales - Draft Guidance, Proposed new arrangements for multi-agency Adult Practice
Reviews: http://wales.gov.uk/consultations/healthsocialcare/agency/?lang=en
National dementia vision
Fitness to practise rules
A reminder the National Dementia Vision for Wales is
available for providers to read. This highlights the
support and advice available to anyone in Wales
diagnosed with dementia.
There is a 24 hour bilingual helpline and website to
offer emotional support to people diagnosed with
dementia or their relatives/carers. Dementia helpline
0808 1410043.
http://wales.gov.uk/topics/health/publications/health/gui
dance/dementia/?lang=en
New Fitness to Practise rules came into effect in Wales
on 1 April 2014.
This means the Care Council for Wales will implement new fitness to practise procedures when investigating a complaint or allegation about a registered
worker or student.
A video has been developed to explain more about
the fitness to practise process see: www.ccwales.org.uk/
news/2014/04/01/new-fitness-to-practise-rules-come-intoforce/#sthash.SPe9dKtm.dpuf
Homecarer – May 2014
15
National reports – Northern Ireland
Domiciliary Care? There’s an App for that!
The Northern Ireland Social Care Council has released mobile phone Apps to support learning in domiciliary care
and child development 7-12 Years.
The Apps are available to download free for Apple and Android: www.niscc.info/News-347.aspx#3003
Employment schemes can help
your homecare business succeed
Is your business based in
Northern Ireland or do you have a
branch of your business based in
Northern Ireland?
Could your business benefit from:● £5,000 cash incentive for
employing a young person?
● £40-75 per staf f member
towards the cost of wages?
● £750 towards the cost of training?
If the answer to the above questions is yes, then the Department
for Employment and Learning can
help your business succeed.
We offer financial assistance as
well as helping your workforce
develop the skills to succeed. Some
of the initiatives available that could
help your business include:
Employers Online
Through our dedicated vacancy
advertising website, you can:
● Manage all your recruitment
online
● Link to European Job Portal
● No cost to employers to use.
www.employersonlineni.com
Youth Employment Scheme (YES)
This scheme was introduced to help
address youth unemployment, linking employment outcomes to skills
development for economic growth.
Launched in September 2012 to
help young people compete for jobs
in a difficult labour market, it is
aimed at 18-24 year olds who are
job ready. It provides three separate strands - work experience,
skills development and subsidised
employment:
Work Experience
● 3 - 8 week placement
● £250 payment available
to the
employer if the opportunity lasts
for more than 4 weeks.
Skills Development Strand
● 26 week placement. Client to
undertake training 1 day per
week
There is a variety of employment schemes in
Northern Ireland that can benefit employers and
potential recruits. The Department for Employment
and Learning describes what’s available.
● Must be working 16 hours +
● 26 week subsidy (£40 - £75)
● Financial contribution of up
National reports
Northern Ireland
to
£750 towards accredited training for
18-24 year olds only.
To find out more about Steps to
Work call the freephone number:
0800
353530
or
visit
www.nidirect.gov.uk/stepstowork
Graduate Acceleration Programme
(GAP)
Placement has a realistic job
outcome.
●
Enhanced Employer Subsidy
● Full time position (30+ hours)
● Wage subsidy £5, 000
● Mandatory Training Subsidy of
£750 to up-skill client
● 15 credits on QCF Framework.
If you are interested in offering a
young person a placement under
the YES scheme in Northern Ireland
please contact the Employer
Engagement Team:
Email: EmployerEngagementTeam
@delni.gov.uk
Telephone: 02890 252312
Steps to Work
Steps to Work is DEL’s flagship adult
employment programme that aims
to assist people who are unemployed or economically inactive to
find and sustain employment.
The programme is built around 3
key pillars :
● Work Experience (lasting up to 8
weeks)
● Training (lasting up to 26 weeks)
● Employment (subsidised up to 26
weeks)
For a Step to Work Employer
Subsidy to apply, the person must:
● Must be economically inactive or
on benefit for at least 13 weeks
(early entry conditions may apply)
● 26 week placement for Graduates
● Project based
● Voluntary employer’s contribution
up to £1000
Only if work travel expenses paid
by employer.
More information about GAP from
telephone 02890 460606 or email:
employers@gapni.com
●
Disability Employment Services
(DES) Programmes
● Job Introduction Scheme
● Access to Work NI
● Workable NI
● Work Connect
● Occupational Psychology Service
To find out about DES, telephone
02890
252237
or
email:
des@delni.gov.uk
Training Programmes
A range of training programmes
are also available from the department to help upskill your existing
workforce:
● Bridge to Employment
● Management
Analyses and
Planning
● Management and Leadership
Development Programme
To find out more about upskilling
your existing staff contact Skills
Delivery Branch:
Email: skillsdeliverybranch@delni.
gov.uk
Telephone: 02890 905251
www.ukhca.co.uk
16
Homecarer – May 2014
National reports – Northern Ireland
Retiring HSCB Chief sets out care’s key role
John Compton, Chief Executive of Health and Social
Care Board, is about to retire. In readiness for this
farewell, he has written an interesting piece on why
he believes the future of health and social care matters now more than ever, as Transforming Your Care
moves forward. See: www.hscboard.hscni.net
The new Chief Executive is Ms Valerie Watts who is
expected to take up her post at the start of July 2014.
She is Chief Executive of Aberdeen City Council and
was previously Chief Executive of Derry City Council.
We wish John Compton well in his retirement and
look forward to working with Valerie Watts in the
future.
For more news from Northern Ireland, see the Chief
Executive’s Page on page 3.
For progress on Transforming your Care, see
Minister Edwin Poots statement to the NI Assembly:
www.dhsspsni.gov.uk/tycstatement110314
Minister considers Duty of
Candour to aid transparency
Minister Edwin Poots said he was open to the idea of a duty of candour and has
asked officials for a report on the pros and cons, when responding to questions
in the NI Assembly about incidents at the Northern Health and Social Care Trust.
The Minister emphasised that he wanted to see greater transparency by health
staff and better record keeping of serious incidents, so lessons can be learned and
staff supported and re-trained where needed.
There are currently proposals in England for a duty of candour to apply to health
and social care professionals, in the light of care deficiencies at Mid-Staffordshire
Trust - see page 19.
www.theyworkforyou.com/ni/?id=2014-03-31.7.2&s=speaker %3A13853+section%3Ani#g7.21
Need to value our
ageing workforce
The Commissioner for Older People for Northern
Ireland’s report “Valuing an Ageing Workforce”,
produced in conjunction with the International
Longevity Centre-UK, highlights the need for government and employers to help older people
remain in the workforce.
The research found economic output for
Northern Ireland could increase by £2.3 billion by
2037, an additional 4.4%, if employment rates for
the over 65s continued to increase.
The Commissioner for Older People for Northern
Ireland, Claire Keatinge, pictured, said, at the
report’s launch: “It is essential that appropriate
supports are put in place so as to enable older
workers to continue to be able to play a positive
role in the workforce.
“This means introducing support for informal
carers, flexible working practices, improved public
health and promoting a positive view of ageing
within human resource departments so as to
ensure that older workers can be supported,
whatever their circumstances.
“By working with older people to facilitate their
needs, we can enjoy the benefits of a more experienced workforce.”
For more information see: www.copni.org/news/
valuing-an-ageing-workforce.html
Report “Valuing an Ageing Workforce”:
www.copni.org/images/documents/ILC_COPNI_Report.pdf
Edwin Poots
Knowledge is power
Insight is essential
Ignorance
is not an option
The Care Quality Audit is an independent
evaluation of your agency’s performance,
from your client's perspective.
It provides unique insight for informed
decision making, ensures consistency in
staff standards and is a key contributor to
CQC documentation.
Be reassured you meet client needs at
every level.
020 7284 9770
info@thequalityauditcompany.com
www.thequalityauditcompany.com
The Quality Audit Company Limited, Gloucester Avenue, London. NW1 7BB
@ukhca
Follow us
on Twitter
Homecarer – May 2014
17
National reports – England
Personal health budgets – a
brave new world of commissioning
A significant development in the
personalisation agenda took place
in April this year.
Around 56,000 people in England
receiving NHS continuing healthcare
– NHS-funded healthcare for individuals with complex ongoing
healthcare needs but who are not in
hospital – gained the right to ask
for a personal health budget (PHB).
This could be in the form of someone controlling how money to provide their healthcare is spent, as
with some local authority social care
funding.
In October 2014, those with the
right to ask will gain the right to
have a PHB, which will be declined
only if clinical or financial grounds
are deemed to make it unviable.
PHBs are a logical evolution for
personalisation, the process of
putting people at the centre of identifying their needs and enabling
them to make good decisions about
the way they are supported. Under
PHBs, these care decisions must be
supported by clinical commissioning
groups (CCGs), to fulfil their statutory duty of care.
This means CCGs face a significant learning curve to develop the
capacity and capability to deliver
PHBs, and foster a diverse market
of providers and services to meet
budget holders’ individual needs,
including those for more preventive
support.
New entrants may make the market more interesting, but established providers, including those
working with clients and local
authorities on direct payment
arrangements, have much to offer.
At Complete Care, we have
almost 20 years’ experience in
Simon Sinclair, Head of Commissioning at national complex
carers The Complete Group looks at the implications of
personal health budgets for commissioners and highlights
the benefits of working with established providers.
While PHBs are an exciting evolution for personalisation, CCGs need
time to develop the capacity and
capability to deliver them. New
entrants to the market will also
need time to find their feet – and in
that respect, the experience of
proven, established providers is
likely to offer a distinct advantage.
UKHCA Senior Campaigns
Officer Duncan White commented: “We agree that the
challenge for existing, experienced organisations is to make
the right links with clinical commissioning groups and be proactive as PHB commissioning
develops.
“The main issue is getting people out of hospital. To do this
safely, NHS hospital trusts, community services and local authorities need to work together. If a
care provider can make this happen, and design a contract and
care pathway that will enable
people to be discharged from,
and remain out of, hospital, they
will be making excellent use of
PHBs and solving one of the
most difficult problems facing
health and care today.
“It’s a strategy we are fully
expecting the Government ’s
Better Care Fund to support.”
Simon Sinclair
delivering home-based, long-term
care and rehabilitative support for
people with complex health needs.
We, and other services like ours,
already work with clients, commissioners and other stakeholders,
within budgets, to decide how best
needs can be met, best outcomes
achieved for clients, within the
parameters of their condition, and
best value delivered.
This on-going process embraces
the support required to facilitate
individual lifestyles and greater
independence – including education,
work or holidays – and enables us
to respond to changing needs, perhaps by increasing care as conditions worsen or reducing support as
rehabilitation progresses. So flexibility is crucial, including our ability
to vary support from day to day or
week to week.
UKHCA members Complete Care
are finalists in the Great British
Care Awards, see page 14.
●
Single statute urged for workforce regulation
The Law Commission wants a single statute to form
the framework for regulating UK health care and
social care professionals in England. It says this
should replace current separate statutes and lead to
greater consistency in workforce regulation between
the professions. The Law Commission’s review consulted widely and looked at professions regulated by
the Health Professions Council, the Nursing and
Midwifery Council, the General Chiropractic Council,
the General Dental Council, the General Medical
Council and other professional bodies in the health
field.
The proposals would include the ability for
Government to introduce barring schemes through
regulation that would list those barred rather than
those fit to practise. A barring scheme could be intro-
18
Homecarer – May 2014
duced by a regulatory body in respect of a profession
prescribed in the regulations, a specified field of activity and/or a specified occupational group, including
those not currently regulated. The Law Commission
had concerns about the utility of voluntary registers,
which it felt were confusing for the public, and recommended regulators’ powers to establish them should
be removed.
The full report runs to 465 pages. The regulation of
social care professionals in other parts of the UK was
outside of the review, which was carried out under the
Law Commission’s remit to review and recommend
reforms of the law.
Regulation of Health and Social Care Professionals:
http://lawcommission.justice.gov.uk/publications/Healthcareprofessions.htm
National reports – England
UKHCA calls for workable DH reforms
The Department of Health’s plans to ensure corporate
accountability focus on CQC undertaking ‘fit and proper’
interviews, to check health and social care organisations are ‘well led’.
In our response to the recent DH consultation, we
called for fine tuning of the proposals to make them
more workable. For example, we thought the definition
of “well-led” needed refinement to aid interpretation,
and cover issues like financial probity, risk management, capacity and resource management, sector intelligence and contract compliance. We queried how the
proposed requirements would dovetail with company
law.
The DH also intends to introduce a statutory Duty of
Candour for health and social care organisations, to
ensure there is more transparency if things go wrong a central recommendation of the Francis report. The
key question is what threshold triggers the duty to notify service users (or persons lawfully acting on their
behalf ) - Francis recommended “death or serious
injury” and the consultation talks of “serious harm”, in
line with CQC notifications for “serious injuries”.
Whatever definition is used, we believe it is essential
providers can easily understand when candour is
required.
UKHCA consultation responses:
● Corporate accountability: www.ukhca.co.uk/downloads.
aspx?ID=442
● Duty of candour: www.ukhca.co.uk/downloads.aspx?ID=441
Standards operation prompts
some fundamental questions
UKHCA has replied to the
Department of Health’s consultation on how it will change Care
Quality Commission registration
requirements
to
introduce
Fundamental Standards of Care,
the standards that will replace the
Essential Standards of Quality and
Safety.
We focused particularly on the
tough enforcement provisions that
would apply to regulated care services and give inspectors power to
take action against providers without a warning notice, unless the
breach fell within a number of
exceptions.
We expressed concern about the
application of the exceptions and
and their family do not wish to cooperate or commissioning practices
affect the provider’s ability to comply with CQC requirements.
For example, under Regulation 4
of the draft regulations accompanying the consultation, which enshrine
the Fundamental Standards in law,
the provider is expected to meet
the service user’s needs and preferences.
Our concern is that the service
may have been commissioned in
such a way that this is not possible.
We are particularly mindful of the
attention that the use of very short
homecare visits has generated both
by arms-length bodies and in the
media.
UKHCA response: www.ukhca.co.uk/
cons.aspx?id=231670
National reports
England
queried whether they gave
providers sufficient protection from
over-zealous enforcement by
inspectors.
We anticipated that providers
could have difficulty with the “strict
liability” elements of the proposed
new rules, if either service users
Have your say on staff development
Paul
Burstow
A new Commission has been launched to investigate workforce development in the homecare sector, chaired by Paul Burstow MP and supported
by the Local Government Information Unit and Mears Group.
The Commission has called for evidence from local authorities, government departments, professional bodies and unions, care providers, service users and any individual with a stake in improving homecare services and will be holding a series of hearings over the summer, before
producing recommendations.
The Commission’s online call for evidence closes on 21 May 2014.
If you would like to send your views to the Commission, see:
www.lgiu.org.uk/current-projects/call-for-evidence-the-commission-on-the-future-ofthe-home-care-workforce/
Extra funding set to deliver integration
Care and Support Minister, Norman
Lamb, confirmed at a conference
recently that the £3.8bn Better Care
Fund earmarked to encourage integration of health and social care
services in England would be supplemented by further funding from
local authorities and clinical commissioning groups.
The Minister explained that a
pooled budget of more than £5bn
would be available, reflecting local
wishes to pool more than
Government originally asked, to
kick start closer working between
health and social care.
UKHCA Senior Campaigns Officer
Duncan White said: “It’s good to
hear that significant funds are there
to launch the drive to integration,
but I’m doubtful there is much new
money.
“It’s all well and good to pool
existing resources and seek better
use of them, but there is still a
funding shortage for adult social
care which is getting worse.”
Homecarer – May 2014
19
Q
A
Q
A
Are there tax reliefs for an individual making payments for their care?
Although there appear to be such reliefs in the
Republic of Ireland, they don’t exist in the UK. They
might have been raised as part of the general debate
on paying for care, at the time of the Dilnot
Commission.
We asked Hazlewoods LLP, accountants who specialise in the health and social care sector for their
view. They replied: “Unfortunately the answer is that
you are correct, and there are no tax reliefs for those
who self-fund.We’re not sure if such an option was
raised during the Dilnot discussions, but we have not
heard of any murmurs of any such approach being
proposed either.”
Does the Disclosure and Barring Service allow potential recruits based overseas to use a ‘care-of’
address?
Yes, DBS suggest that overseas applicants use a ‘careof’ address, to make it easier for them to receive their
DBS Certificate. This could be a family, friend,
employer or the Registered Body address. The applicant can then collect the certificate when they come to
the UK or have it forwarded on.
The ‘care-of’ address needs to be entered in section
b of the application form, clearly stating it is a ‘careof’ address. The applicant’s current address can then
be entered in section c and will need to be verified in
the usual way.
DBS Disclosure News: www.gov.uk/government/ publications/dbs-disclosure-news-april-2014
For more about address issues, see DBS e-guide at:
Q
A
Q
A
www.gov.uk/government/publications/completing-the-dbsapplication-form-e-guide
Is the National Skills Academy for Social Care running
its Graduate Management Training Scheme this year?
The Department of Health has approved funding for
the fifth cohort of the Graduate Management
Training Scheme. This is open to graduates who
would like to undertake a one year paid placement in
social care at a host organisation, starting in October
2014. The aim is to obtain experience and a qualification in leadership and management. Graduates can
access the online application form at www.nsasocialcare.co.uk/programmes/graduate-scheme The deadline
for applications is noon, 28 May 2014.
The National Skills Academy for Social Care (NSA)
is also looking for potential host organisations in
England, who are invited to complete an “expression
of interest” form by 13 June 2014.
The host organisation needs to be a NSA member
and able to offer a graduate a placement which
involves significant leadership development and
responsibility – “a fast paced development experience
and a kick start to their management career in social
care.”
For more information, contact Harriet Phillips,
Graduate Scheme Manager by email at
harriet.phillips@nsasocialcare.co.uk.
Do you have any information on holding individual
service funds on behalf of service users?
If you are contracted to hold an individual service
fund on behalf of a service user, you need to check
firstly how the contract specifies the ISF is to be managed (if it does). Can you design a system based on
this? Then you need to consider how are you going to
account for the transactions, so there is a proper
20
Homecarer – May 2014
Q
A
and
A selection of questions
put to the helpline
Q
A
Q
A
accounting and audit trail.
We wonder if you would find it useful to read the
papers on individual service funds produced by In
Control. There is some useful material at: www.incontrol.org.uk – search for “Individual Service Funds for
Homecare” and “Progress for Providers toolkit”.
Where can I find the HMRC Notice on the VAT exemption for homecare charges?
The current document is VAT Notice: Welfare HMRC
Reference: Notice 701/2 (June 2011). To find it, go to
the HMRC website at www.hmrc.gov.uk and search for
“Welfare”. You might wish to double check when you
do this that using are using the current version of the
Notice.
Call the VAT helpline on 0300 200 3700 as the
Notice does change from time to time.
Could you remind us of the rules on administering
medication from an unsealed blister pack?
UKHCA’s Medication Policy Guidance advises against
care workers administering medication from an
unsealed pack filled by the service user’s family or
any other third party. Regulation 13 of the Health and
Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities)
Regulations 2010, which applies to providers in
England, states that:
Management of medicines
13. The registered person must protect service users
against the risks associated with the unsafe use and
management of medicines, by means of the making of
appropriate arrangements for the obtaining, recording,
handling, using, safe keeping, dispensing, safe administration and disposal of medicines used for the purposes
of the regulated activity.”
There is further explanation of what this means in
Outcome 9 Management of Medicines in CQC’s
Essential Standards of Quality and Safety:
www.cqc.org.uk/organisations-we-regulate/registeringfirst-time/essential-standards
We have had extensive contact with CQC on medication practice, and we believe they would regard
using an unsealed pack filled by the family as unsafe
practice. This is sometimes difficult to explain to families, so it’s worth making this clear in your service
user documentation, to avoid any misunderstandings
later.
Training news
UKHCA wins new cash for skills development
UKHCA is delighted that our continued success in meeting and
surpassing Workforce Development Fund contract targets has
resulted in Skills for Care offering
us, as part of our three year funding contract, over £310,000 to distribute (subject to confirmation of
DH funding).
This fund is aimed at supporting
the on-going professional development of staff across the adult social
care sector through QCF health and
social care qualifications. The level
of support is £15 per credit.
Additional information regarding
the
fund
is
available
at:
www.ukhca.co.uk/fundtra.aspx and
www.skillsforcare.org.uk/funding.
If your organisation is a full
UKHCA member based in England,
please complete and return the declaration form on www.ukhca.co.uk/
fundtra.aspx to receive the paperwork and guidance on how to make
a successful claim. (2013/14 partners are not required to complete
this form.) Don’t forget to update
all your records and organisational
information on the NMDS-SC website www.nmds-sconline.org.uk to
ensure eligibility.
This funding for 2014/15 relates
to England only. We regret there is
no comparable funding from Skills
for Care’s equivalent bodies in
Wales, Scotland and Northern
Ireland.
Ailsa Blair
UKHCA Compliance Manager
020 8661 8183
ailsa.blair@ukhca.co.uk
Are you ready for the Care Bill?
The Care Bill is anticipated to become law in 2014,
bringing together care and support legislation into
a single Act with the principle of well-being as its
core value.
It is intended that the new law will come into effect
in April 2015 with the reforms implemented before
the end of 2016.
The Bill has significant impact for homecare services and staff at every level will have to learn about
the changes that will be introduced as many roles
within the homecare sector will be affected. New
skills and knowledge will be necessary to deliver services that meet the requirements of the Bill so that
providers can fully comply with the new regulations.
The Government has sponsored work to identify
the learning and development needs of staff within
the homecare sector. The new Bill is designed to
create integrated care and support between local
authorities, health services, housing and all service
providers to focus on improved outcomes. To support care providers a national learning and development programme with nationally recognised standards
and guidance is being developed to ensure there is consistency in preparing staff to deliver services to the
quality required in the new Bill.
To this end there will be ‘train the trainer’ style workshops for everyone to attend by October 2014, backed
up with nationally approved and standardised learning
materials and resources for use by all care providers in
England. Whilst it is important that the standard learning materials are used by all services, they will be
designed in a way that allows them to be adapted to
local use by providers whilst maintaining consistency in
both content and delivery.
A series of nationwide roadshows and train the trainer
workshops will ensure everyone involved in teaching
their care staff has the knowledge, skills and resources
to deliver consistent learning, whether this is undertaken in-house or by members who choose to use external
agencies.
UKHCA is working with Skills for Care, the National
Skills Academy for Social Care and the College of Social
Work to devise the learning and development framework for the homecare workforce. This programme will
be based on eight knowledge-categories within the
Care Bill, which will feature in the next issue of
Homecarer.
Duncan White
UKHCA Senior Campaigns Officer
● Care Bill: http://ser vices.parliament.uk/bills/201314/care.html
Merger creates ‘one-stop shop’ for care training needs
UKHCA is pleased to hear Skills for Care and the
National Skills Academy for Social Care (NSA) are to
merge, probably from the end of May 2014.
Sharon Allen, current Skills for Care CEO, who was a
speaker at UKHCA’s conference last year, will stay on to
head up the merged organisation. Current NSA Chief
Executive Debbie Sorkin is taking up a new role as
National Director of Systems Leadership, at the
Leadership Centre based at the Local Government
Association. Jo Cleary, Chair of the National Skills
Academy from its inception, is stepping down.
Skills for Care Chair Professor David CroisdaleAppleby welcomed the proposed merger, which he said
would reflect employers’ wishes to have a one stop
shop to meet the learning and development needs of
their staff.
Homecarer – May 2014
21
Publications and events
Keep in touch with the
key issues in homecare
UKHCA's publications and events keep you up-to-date
with policy changes, provide guidance to help you implement changes and keep you abreast of best practice in
care.
Featured event
End of Life Train the Trainer Workshop
- Cardiff, 8th July 2014
Over 500, 000 people die in the UK each year, and projections estimate that the death rate will rise by 17%
from 2012 to 2030 across the UK.
It is therefore imperative that homecare workers
should be well-trained and able to support service
users wishing to stay at home when nearing the end of
their life.
UKHCA’s End of Life “Train the trainer” style programme, which includes a resource guide, trainer’s
handbook, a PowerPoint presentation and a CD containing the entire course, has been designed to ensure
you can train your care staff to a high standard
Date: 8th July 2014
Location: Cardiff
Price for UKHCA Members: £149
Price for Non-Members: £308
For more information and to book, see:
End of Life Car
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Other events
May to June 2014
Workshop – Medication Train the Trainer
Medication is an increasingly important aspect of
homecare. UKHCA’s bespoke domiciliary care
medication train the trainer workshop includes a
pack specifically designed to enable organisations
to train their staff in-house.
Date: 15th May
Location: Belfast
Date: 12th June
Location: London
Medication – an increasingly important aspect of
homecare
22
Homecarer – May 2014
Workshop - Preparing for CQC Inspections
The Care Quality Commission has a remit to
ensure compliance with the regulations set out
in the Guidance about Compliance: Essential
Standards of Quality and Safety document.
UKHCA has developed this workshop to help
your organisation understand what evidence is
needed to show that you comply with each regulation.
Date: 20th May
Location: Hackbridge
Workshop – Tendering for Homecare Services
This workshop is designed for domiciliary care
providers who wish to supply services under
contract with a local authority or primary care
trust.
By the end of this workshop, delegates will
understand the tender process and contractual
risks and be prepared to submit a tender for a
domiciliary care contract.
Date: 26th June
Location: Birmingham
● For further details of our events in 2014/15,
including programmes, cost and booking details,
please go to www.ukhca.co.uk/conferences.aspx or
phone 020 8661 8182.
Please note: all workshops require a minimum
number of delegates for them to run.
Publications and events
Publications in focus
UKHCA
Thinking of provid
ing live in care?
A brief introduction
April 2014
UKHCA Policy and Camp
aigns Team
United Kingdom Home
care Association Ltd
Sutton Business Centr
e
Restmor Way
Wallington
SM6 7AH
Telephone: 020 8661
8188
E-mail: policy@ukh
ca.co.uk
Website: www.ukhc
a.co.uk
Twitter: @ukhca
Registered in Engla
nd. No 3083104
UKHCA Handbook Advert Sept 2013:UKHCA Handbook September 2013
Thinking of providing
live-in care?
Live in care provides a flexible option for those with substantial
support needs, and is often able to prevent admission to a care
or nursing home.
Service users may have physical or sensory needs
that mean they require “round the clock” care, or
issues like dementia, that make it difficult for them to
be on their own. Live in care also provides an answer to
social isolation, with the worker acting more as a companion than a care worker.
Live in care has been the preserve of a small number
of specialist providers and agencies. But increasingly
homecare organisations that provide daily care are considering offering the service, often in response to user
demand.
So what issues should a provider consider before
branching out into live in care?
UKHCA’s new publication provides a brief introduction
to live in care for owners and managers, and is available
03/09/2013
08:44 Page 1
at: www.ukhca.co.uk/downloads.aspx?ID=439
UKHCA Homecare Workers’ Handbook
The essential guide to care in the home
Avai
l
to o able
rd
now er
Completely re-written and up to date.
The handbook is designed to be easy for
careworkers to use, both to complement
their training and as a valuable reference
book that they can refer to quickly.
To order copies for your staff team you can
go to: www.ukhca.co.uk/handbook.aspx
Or you can download and complete a
paper order form.
UKHCA member price ranges from £8.99 for a single
copy to £7.29 each for orders of 200 + copies.
Non-member price - £13.99 each
Homecarer – May 2014
23
UKHCA members
save on criminal
record checks...
5’ 5”
5’ 0”
4’ 5”
4’ 0”
UKHCA
UNITED KINGDOM
HOME CARE ASSOCIATION
UKHCA’s Disclosure Service enables
organisations to complete criminal
record checks on current or
prospective employees.
3 Reduced rates for UKHCA
members.
3 Quickly submit applications online.
3 Support and guidance on
applications to ensure accuracy.
Disclosure Service
For more information or to register,
please call:
3’ 5”
“We use this regularly - it’s very
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UKHCA member, London
020 8661 8188
(select option 3)
“I think the Disclosure Service
are doing an excellent job and
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UKHCA member, Minster on Sea
For more information on UKHCA membership, please call
020 8661 8188 (select option 2) or email membership@ukhca.co.uk
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3
3
3
3
Stay informed
3 Support and guidance
3 Highlight your commitment
Promote your organisation
3 Save on criminal record checks
to quality
Funding for training
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3 Discounts on essential
Specialist domiciliary care events
publications and resources
products and services