November 2009 - Fighting Monsters

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The Importance of Information

I looked through my ‘draft’ folder this morning and for some reason, found each of my previously written posts (there are probably around 20 of them knocking around in various stages of the ‘gestation’ process) unsatisfactory. Some were just too detailed...

Published 30 Nov 2009 6:45 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: AMHP, ASW, Foster care, foster carer, foster child, fostering, information, lack of information, mental health, mental health act, social care, social issues, social services, social work, work
Personal Care at Home Bill

The Bill claiming to bring in the promised free home care for those with critical needs was introduced to parliament yesterday. There is a lengthy ‘impact assessment’ available at the Department of Health website that I don’t have time to trawl through...

Published 26 Nov 2009 7:27 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: andy burnham, critical banding, Disability, discrimination, elderly, election, facs, free personal care, health, local authority, long-term care, mental health, old age, older people, personal, personal care at home bill, politics, queens speech, social care, social issues, social work, uk, work
Moving on Individual Budgets

And so it starts. Currently we are still in ‘pilot’ phase of the Individual Budget roll-out – the forefront of the personalisation and self-directed support agenda and if that sentence made little sense to you – you can probably count yourself lucky!...

Published 25 Nov 2009 6:49 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: alzheimers, attempts to be positive about new systems, carer, carers, carers individual budgets, direct payments, elderly, England, health, ib, individual budget, local authority, personal, personal budget, personalisation, personalisation agenda, ras, resource allocation systems, sds, self-assessment questionnaires, self-directed support, social care, social issues, social services, social work, uk, work
Inside View

Just a quick post this morning as I had a little and completely non-serious accident involving my thumb and a fast-closing door meeting an an uncomfortably fast speed and thus am finding typing more painful than usual.. But The Times prints a story by...

Published 23 Nov 2009 6:45 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: counselling, couples therapy on iapt, depression, edward monkton, health, iapt, mental health, on trapping a thumb in a fast closing door, personal, social care, social issues, the times, thumb pain, work
On Probation

In some unsurprising but still welcome news, Community Care reports that the Social Work Taskforce is proposing a ‘qualifying year’ post degree and pre-registration to all social workers coming into the workforce from university. It makes perfect sense...

Published 20 Nov 2009 7:07 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: british social work, community care, local authority, probation year for social workers, social work, social work taskforce, social worker, uk, work
Backwards and Forwards

A couple of weeks ago, I attended some training about that was provided by the PCT (Primary Care Trust). For the record, it was about various policies that will be implemented regarding funding and if that sounds boring in a sentence, imagine what it...

Published 19 Nov 2009 7:15 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: birthday, grief, personal, school reunion, work
The Queen’s Speech and Free Home Care

Today the Queen will announce the government’s programme of legislation for the next year. It is widely reported that free home care for those whose needs fall into the ‘critical’ band will be included in the speech. The idea is that it will be a popular...

Published 18 Nov 2009 6:54 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: Disability, elderly, facs, free home care, general election, health, local authority, long-term care, old age, older people, personal, politics, queens speech, shaping the future of care together, social care, social issues, social work, work
Dementia and Hospital Stays

Today, Community Care reports that the Alzheimer’s Society has called for patients with dementia to be discharged earlier from hospitals as this would save a significant amount of money. They conducted a survey of 1300 carers of people with dementia,...

Published 17 Nov 2009 7:01 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: Alzheimer's disease, dementia, elderly, health, hospital, long-term care, mental health, old age, older people, residential care, social care, social issues, social services, social work, work
Adjustments and Thoughts

A few changes going on at work. We have had an adjustment in the management structure which means my direct line manager is switching with another manager. I am not overly distressed by this as although I got on well with my manager, I also have a lot...

Published 13 Nov 2009 7:06 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: changes at work, health, high work loads, local authority, mental health, practice teaching, social care, social work, social work education, social workers in multidisciplinary team, trying to be positive, uk, work
The Price of Stigma

It has been said that the fight against the generally felt stigma about those with mental illnesses is a vain fight. Particularly, there was an article I alluded to about a month ago that comes to mind. And this was one of the points that came to mind...

Published 12 Nov 2009 6:40 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: depression, depression in sports, discrimination, football, german, grief, health, mental health, personal, robert enke, social issues, sports, stigma, teresa enke, work
Aftermath

It’s been a year since the ‘Baby P’ story broke about Peter Connolly and his tragic death following a litany of appalling abuse by his carers. As he was on the child protection register and known to Haringey Social Services and had contact with primary...

Published 11 Nov 2009 7:25 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: baby p, children act, ed balls idiot, Guardian, Haringey, local authority, mental health, patrick butler, personal, peter connolly, Ray Jones, social issues, social work, social work taskforce, socialcare, work
Caring with Confidence

I was pointed in the direction of the link of Caring with Confidence directly by some of those responsible for its implementation – not having been aware of its existence – but having checked it out briefly (to ensure authenticity – because often I am...

Published 9 Nov 2009 6:48 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: caregivers, carer, carers, carers information, caring with confidence, free training for carers, national carers strategy, personal, politics, uk, work
The virtue of thought before action

It is not uncommon that I might ‘put my foot in it’ but I had a very narrow escape earlier in the week. I needed to place Mrs J in a residential home. There were no beds at the preferred home of choice of her family members and she had needed to be discharged...

Published 6 Nov 2009 6:49 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: care services, elderly, local authority, long-term care, narrow escapes, nursing home, office, old age, older people, personal, putting foot in it, residential home, social care, social issues, social work, work
Of CTOs

Community Treatment Orders – Supervised Community Treatment – however it is termed it is one of the aspects of the amended Mental Health Act that I thought I would likely not have significant contact with on a day to day basis. I was right. But my experience...

Published 5 Nov 2009 6:49 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: AMHP, ASW, care in the community, community treatment order, cto, England, growth in ctos, health, medication, mental health act 1983, mental health, mental health act, mental health act 2007 amendments, personal, pink forms, social work, supervised community treatment, uk, work
Regulating Regulators

The GSCC (General Social Care Council) is a mess. That’s pretty much confirmed. It was set up to regulate social care workers and plans to roll out the registration of all workers in the social care sector has stalled with the registration of qualified...

Published 4 Nov 2009 6:07 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: work
You think what you eat

We have grown used to the ‘you are what you eat’ notion and it is both obvious logically and well-known scientifically that health is affected by the foods we eat. Indeed, there is little escaping the fact and I say this, having a natural affinity for...

Published 2 Nov 2009 6:59 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: diet, Food, health, healthy eating, mental health, mental health and diet, personal, social issues, work

November 2009 - Fighting Monsters

Syndication

Recent Posts

Tags

Archives

The Importance of Information

Personal Care at Home Bill

Moving on Individual Budgets

Inside View

On Probation

Backwards and Forwards

The Queen’s Speech and Free Home Care

Dementia and Hospital Stays

Adjustments and Thoughts

The Price of Stigma

Aftermath

Caring with Confidence

The virtue of thought before action

Of CTOs

Regulating Regulators

You think what you eat