This April Skills for Care are Celebrating Social Care and recognising the dedication, compassion and hard work of the sector. The #CelebratingSocialCare campaign is now in its fourth year, after being launched for the first time by Skills for Care in April 2022. The workforce development charity says the annual campaign celebrates the amazing...
New framework launched to reduce health inequalities
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has launched a new framework to help reduce health inequalities. The health and care watchdog worked in partnership with National Voices and the Point of Care Foundation to develop a self-assessment and improvement framework to help Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) address health inequalities. Integrated care systems (ICSs) are local...
New Skills for Care campaign supports managers in care
Skills for Care have launched their new campaign to support managers in care. The national care workforce development charity will be running the ‘Managing your service’ campaign throughout March to support registered managers, nominated individuals and care organisation directors to manage their services effectively. The campaign has been devised to empower leaders and managers...
New year brings new reforms to transform social care
The government started off the New Year by announcing immediate investment and new reforms to help transform adult social care in England. Alongside additional funds and reforms to improve outcomes, support the workforce and relieve pressures on the NHS, the government also announced the creation of a new independent commission into adult social care,...
Learning and development matters in social care
Skills for Care has launched its ‘Learning and development matters’ campaign to promote the benefits of training for those working in social care. Every January and February, the national workforce development charity repeats its campaign to urge adult social care managers and their teams to #KeepLearning. The annual campaign receives positive feedback from across...
Social care providers warn of risk of ‘widespread failure’ in sector
Major figures from within adult social care have penned a letter to government warning that, without “urgent action”, there will be “widespread failure” within the sector. Ministers have been warned that high employment costs, low fee rates and struggling councils all pose serious risks to the sustainability of the adult social care sector. These...
CQC sets out to rebuild trust in its regulation
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has set out the improvements and changes it will make to help rebuild trust in its regulation. The care watchdog is aiming to improve the way in which it works in response to two important reviews of its practices. Dr Penny Dash recently published the final report of her...
Skills for Care warns “clock is ticking” on social care recruitment
The latest report from Skills for Care highlights ongoing social care recruitment and retention challenges, with any workforce improvements driven by international recruitment. The State of the Adult Social Care Sector and Workforce in England report reveals that the adult social care workforce grew, and vacancies fell, for the second successive year during 2023-24....
Government pledges fair pay agreement for care professionals
The Care Minister has reiterated a government pledge to establish a fair pay agreement for care professionals as he reached out to services regarding “operational resilience” this winter. The Minister of State for the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), Stephen Kinnock, wrote a letter this week to local authorities and adult social...
New whitepaper outlines ‘first steps to fixing social care’
A new social care whitepaper has been published which sets out the “blueprint” for addressing the “severe challenges” faced by the sector. Released yesterday (17th September 2024), the whitepaper has been published by homecare technology specialist Birdie and includes insights from social care leaders and experts from across the sector. Entitled ‘Ready to Care:...
New Workforce Strategy for adult social care a ‘call to action’
The new national Workforce Strategy for adult social care in England has been described as a “call to action” which provides a “long-term vision” for the sector. The sector-led Workforce Strategy has been developed by Skills for Care in collaboration with other social care bodies and stakeholders, including the Care Quality Commission (CQC), care...
Deprivation of liberty court applications reach record high
Court applications made for deprivation of liberty reached record high numbers in the first quarter of this year. Minister of Justice (MoJ) figures show that the Court of Protection (CoP) in England received just over 2,000 applications regarding deprivation of liberty under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) from January to March 2024. This...
Skills for Care campaigns for integrated care
Skills for Care’s latest campaign focuses on making integrated care happen. The workforce development charity says that integration between our health and social care systems is vital if people are to receive seamless services that offer higher-quality, person-centred care. That’s why their ‘Making integration happen’ campaign aims to support social care providers to understand,...
CQC publishes first local authority care assessments
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has published the first of its formal local authority care assessments. Britain’s care watchdog is now required to formally assess how all local authorities in England are meeting their adult social care duties under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014. This covers the general duties of local authorities,...
The new Care Workforce Pathway for adult social care
Developed by the UK government in partnership with Skills for Care, the new Care Workforce Pathway is a framework which outlines the knowledge, skills, values and behaviours required of people working in adult social care services. Co-developed by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), Skills for Care, representatives from the adult social...