If we are eating so badly, why are we living so long?

By Adam McCulloch on August 26, 2010 12:47 PM | No TrackBacks
fitzpatrick-Mike-100.gifby Dr Mike Fitzpatrick

The history of medicine reveals that doctors resort to recommending diets when they have no effective treatments - a state of affairs that prevailed from antiquity until the 1930s. Dietary protocols for numerous conditions, from insulin-dependent diabetes to pernicious anaemia, have disappeared with the development of new drugs or other forms of therapy.

The food issue: why food is at the heart of social care

Continue reading If we are eating so badly, why are we living so long?.

Big Thank A You - And Remembering What It's All Really About

By Adam McCulloch on April 30, 2010 1:55 PM | No TrackBacks

Two apparently unrelated stories struck me when I read last week's Community Care (29 April 2010). Both left me with strong feelings. Both deserve further comment.  First there was the tribute, following his premature death, to David Morris, longstanding senior policy adviser on disability to the London Mayor.


Continue reading Big Thank A You - And Remembering What It's All Really About.

Centre for Social Justice contradicts Cameron's 'broken Britain' slogan

By Adam McCulloch on April 28, 2010 3:50 PM | No TrackBacks
Bob-Holman-60.jpgby Bob Holman

Unlike Margaret Thatcher, David Cameron does acknowledge the existence of
poverty. The credit rests with Iain Duncan Smith whose Centre for Social
Justice (CSJ) contains staff in contact with people in deprived areas.


Continue reading Centre for Social Justice contradicts Cameron's 'broken Britain' slogan.

Road to social care funding reform lined by people with their heads in the sand

By Adam McCulloch on April 6, 2010 3:23 PM | No TrackBacks
Humphries,-Richard-2.gifby Richard Humphries

Many hope that White Paper 'Building the National Care Service' published last week will become a key staging post towards a reformed social care system.   
If I had to choose a Beatles' song to describe the journey so far, it would be 'The Long and Winding Road' - and the destination still seems a long way in the distance.

Continue reading Road to social care funding reform lined by people with their heads in the sand.

Liking sex is not a disorder, but endlessly expanding psychological diagnoses might be

By Adam McCulloch on March 10, 2010 11:22 AM | 1 Comment | No TrackBacks
Fitzpatrick-Mike-2.gifby Dr Michael Fitzpatrick

Early commentary on the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM V) of the American Psychiatric Association - due for publication in 2013 - has focused on the new range of sexual disorders. These include "absexuality" (the Mary Whitehouse syndrome of excitement at being appalled at displays of pornography), "hypersexuality" (the affliction of Tiger Woods, film stars and premiership footballers), and, so that nobody feels left out, "sexual arousal disorder" (experienced by people who are just not interested).
Continue reading Liking sex is not a disorder, but endlessly expanding psychological diagnoses might be.

Forget the child pedagogy waffle; the solution is more obvious

By Adam McCulloch on February 22, 2010 12:42 PM | 4 Comments | No TrackBacks
Fitzpatrick-Mike-2.gif
Do children in care really need social pedagogues, asks Michael Fitzpatrick, himself the parent of a looked-after child on the verge of transition to adult services

According to the draft guidance on "the physical and emotional health and well-being of looked after children and young people" produced by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) and the Social Care Institute for Excellence (Scie), social pedagogy is "an important development for all care provision". But what exactly is it?
Continue reading Forget the child pedagogy waffle; the solution is more obvious.

New remedies in respect of enhanced CRB disclosures

By Allan Norman on November 18, 2009 8:42 AM | 1 Comment | No TrackBacks

allan norman 60.jpg by Allan Norman

One of the first decisions of the new UK Supreme Court L, R (on the application of) v Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis [2009] UKSC 3 (29 October 2009) will offer some welcome reprieve to social care workers and would-be social care workers who have discovered the devastating effects of "information disclosed at the Chief Police Officer's discretion" - on an enhanced CRB. There is now a way of fighting back.

The problem

The problem - because there most certainly is one - can be summarised as follows:

  • The use of enhanced CRBs is growing dramatically - nearly 275,000 were issued in 2008-09
  • The Police, if in doubt about the relevance of information, are likely to include it - saying, correctly, that it is for the organisation to whom it is disclosed to make decisions about suitability, not them
  • Employers and agencies are likely to err on the side of caution when an enhanced CRB raises concerns
  • All this has a devastating effect on the 10% or so of applicants in respect of whom enhanced information is disclosed.
Continue reading New remedies in respect of enhanced CRB disclosures.

A tougher GSCC? No thanks!

By Allan Norman on November 10, 2009 6:15 AM | 3 Comments | No TrackBacks

allan norman 60.jpg by Allan Norman

You might have thought from the media coverage of the GSCC between its discovery of a backlog of conduct cases and its sacking of its Chief Executive, that its problem was that it wasn't tough enough, and the solution was that in future it would need to be tougher. Neither is the case.

Dame Denise Platt has commented here on the prominence of public protection on the GMC's website, contrasting that with the GSCC's website. I should like to make a different comparison.
Continue reading A tougher GSCC? No thanks!.

'Top social workers' needed to scrutinise child protection

By Simeon Brody on November 9, 2009 11:38 AM | No TrackBacks
ray jones.jpgby Ray Jones, professor of social work, Kingston University and formerly director of social services in Wiltshire

Community Care has been ahead of the game. In a post I contributed in February it was recommended that following the 'Baby Peter' media frenzy which started a year ago this month there should be new performance indicators for children's services (and why not for adult social services as well) focussed on stability and continuity in front-line teams.
Continue reading 'Top social workers' needed to scrutinise child protection.

The GSCC needs reminding of whom it truly should serve

By Adam McCulloch on November 9, 2009 11:30 AM | 1 Comment | No TrackBacks
Platt-Denise-70.gifby Denise Platt

Log onto the website of the General Medical Council (GMC). Pretty quickly you will read that "we protect patients by dealing firmly and fairly with serious concerns about doctors". The General Teaching Council says: "We work for children through teachers". Now look at the General Social Care Council website - you'll be hard pushed to find the words "protect the public" or any mention of people who use services on its home page or "about us" section.
Continue reading The GSCC needs reminding of whom it truly should serve.
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