Fighting Monsters - Member blogs - Social Work Blog

Choice, Control and Obfuscation – How the Personalisation Dream is Dying

In the bold move towards a transformation in adult social care, it feels from where I sit, that control has completely overtaken any pretence of ‘choice’ in the so-called move towards more idealised ‘person-centred’ care and support planning. I hope I...

Published 12 Sep 2011 7:29 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: burstow, carer, carers, dementia, direct payments, Disability, discrimination, elderly, health, local authority, local government, mental health, Mental Health Foundation, old age, older people, personal, personal budget, ras, resource allocation system, social care, social issues, social work, socialcare, the small places, work
Technology, Social Media and Social Services – Finding new ways to ‘help’

I have some across lots of discussions and debates about ways of using social media and new technologies and interactions to ‘help’ social services become more effective. Most of it seems to revolve around building online directories and databases of...

Published 30 Aug 2011 6:39 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: british social work, carer, carers, dementia, direct payments, Disability, election, IPad, local authority, old age, older people, personal, personal budget, social care, Social media, social media and social work, social work, social work and technology, socialcare, technology and social work, Twitter, using technology with service users, work, YouTube
Initial thoughts on the Dilnot Report on Funding of Care and Support

Scheduling and exhaustion meant I didn’t have time to look at the Dilnot proposals in detail yesterday so this morning I have fired up my browser and am going to make a few initial comments on the baseline main recommendations and hopefully over the next...

Published 5 Jul 2011 7:08 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: Andrew Dilnot, british politics, care and funding, carer, carers, dementia, dillnot report, dilnot report, dilnot report on funding of care and support, dilnott report, Disability, elderly, Funding, funding of care, health, local authority, long-term care, Means test, mental health, nursing home, old age, older people, personal, politics, social care, social work, socialcare, work
Personal Budgets, Personalisation, Thoughts and Hopes

Yesterday Think Local Act Personal (TLAP) published the results of a National Personal Budget Survey. The headline ‘results’ are of course overwhelmingly positive. Personal Budgets work. Direct Payments Are Good. Everyone is happy. jrambow@flickr Is any...

Published 23 Jun 2011 7:37 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: budget, carer, carers, direct payments, Disability, discrimination, elderly, health, Home Care, local authority, local government, mental health, old age, older people, personal, personal budget, politics, social care, social work, socialcare, work
Human Rights, Home Care, Personal Budgets and Cost Saving

I read on the BBC website among others that there is a report suggesting that care provided in the home by local authorities to older adults may be overlooking human rights issues. Daniel2005@flickr An inquiry into this was initiated by the Equality and...

Published 20 Jun 2011 6:55 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: carer, carers, dementia, direct payments, Disability, discrimination, ehrc, elderly, elderly home care, equality and human rights commission, government, health, Home Care, home care and human rights, Human Right, Human Rights and Liberties, human rights of older adults, individual budgets, local authority, local government, mental health, old age, older people, personal, personal budget, personal budgets, personalisation, report into home care, social care, social work, work
The Price of Everything and the Value of Nothing

To continue my theme (at least initially) for carers’ week, I wondered a while on the purpose of these weeks and days and months we have devoted to various issues. They are about celebration, gratitude and recognition for the most part. Celebrating Mothers...

Published 14 Jun 2011 6:55 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: carer, carers, Employment, health, improving social work, mental health, National Health Service, nhs, personal, politics, social care, social issues, Social media, social work, work
Carers and Carers Week

Carer. Caregiver. Sometimes terminology overcomplicates. What is a carer? A husband or a wife. A partner. A parent or a child. A neighbour. A friend. A niece or nephew. A brother or sister – by blood, or in spirit. A daughter or son-in-law. Sometimes...

Published 13 Jun 2011 6:51 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: carer, carers, local authority, personal, social care, social issues, social work, work
What makes a good care worker?

I haven’t been able to shake off the Panorama programme about the abusive care environment at Winterbourne View. We spent quite a lot of time talking about it at work yesterday as well, at meetings and in the office. It has pushed my mind back to the...

Published 2 Jun 2011 7:11 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: Abuse, Care Quality Commission, care work, care worker, carer, carers, cqc, Disability, elderly, health, institutional abuse, local authority, long-term care, management in residential care, old age, older people, panorama, paul burstow, personal, residential care, social care, social work, support worker, winterbourne view, work
Keeping Mum

I was sent information by a PR company about a book – Keeping Mum. I don’t usually respond to requests for information and advertising (and to be clear, this isn’t advertising as I haven’t been paid!) but I thought it might be a book that could be potentially...

Published 27 May 2011 7:10 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: Alzheimer's disease, carer, carers, dementia, Keeping Mum, keeping mum book, marianne talbot, work
The Pilkingtons, Disability Hate Crime and Responses

Yesterday, the Independent Police Complaints Commission published it’s report into the case of Fiona and Francecca Pilkington which I wrote about first in September 2009. The Guardian has an article which highlights some of the main points but to sum...

Published 25 May 2011 7:24 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: carer, carers, Disability, discrimination, housing, local authority, personal, politics, social care, social issues, work
Are Beans more valuable than People? – Or A Day at Community Care Live 2011

Yesterday I went to the C0mmunity Care Live conference. It is an annual event put on by Community Care Magazine and runs across two days. Being one of the very few free events (and excellent – free isnt the ONLY reason I go but it does help!), I...

Published 20 May 2011 6:29 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: caregiver, carer, carers, dementia, direct payments, elderly, health, MCA, mental health, Mental Health Foundation, miranda wixon, old age, older people, personal, peter beresford, social care, social issues, Social media, social work, think local act personal, work
Carers, Conferences and Random Blog Search Terms – a Friday Special

Yesterday, I was sent an email by someone associated with Age UK to draw attention to the information on their website for carers. I get a number of requests from various sources every week but having checked out the information, it is definitely worth...

Published 13 May 2011 6:58 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: Age UK, blog, blog search terms, carer, carers, community care, community care live, Islington, london, munro, social care, Social media, social work, social work conference, work
Law Commission Report on Adult Social Care – some thoughts

I’ve not had much time to look through the Law Commission Report into the proposed changed in Adult Social Care Law but to say it’s been long needed is an understatement. Adult Social Care Law is a hotch-potch and a mess. A couple of weeks ago, I was...

Published 12 May 2011 7:21 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: adult social care, british social work, carer, carers, direct payments, direct payments for residential care, elderly, health, Law Commission, law commission report on adult social care, local government, mental health, national assistance act, national assistance act 1948, old age, older people, politics, social care, social care law, social work, Statute, uk, work
The Hardest Hit Campaign

The ‘Hardest Hit’ Campaign is has been organised by a number of disability charities which form the heart of the UK Disabled People’s Council which is an umbrella group for many organisations across the country and Disability Benefits Consortium which...

Published 10 May 2011 6:49 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: benefits, carer, carers, Disability, disability benefits, Disability Living Allowance, Disability pension, employment support allowance, hardest hit, london, National Insurance, social care, social work, socialcare, work
Personal Budgets in Practice

Recently, I’ve been working with a service user and his carer (daughter) to put together a support plan or rather two support plans – one for him and one for his daughter . The two live together and without his daughter’s presence, there is no doubt at...

Published 6 May 2011 7:06 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: budget, caregiver, carer, carers, carers allowance, carer's direct payment, carers personal budget, dementia, direct payment, direct payments, elderly, health, Home Care, individual budget, local authority, local government, old age, personal, personal budget, social care, social issues, social work, uk, work
Cuts – a personal tale

A couple of weeks ago, I had one of those deeply depressing moments that will generally punctuate a career in social care. I had to go and tell a woman, who cares for her mother with enormous patience and dignity, … Continue reading → Read...

Published 28 Jan 2011 6:56 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: budget, caregiver, carer, carers, cuts, dementia, direct payments, Disability, elderly, evil tories, family, health, individual budget, local authority, london, mental health, old age, older people, personal, personal budget, personal care, personalisation, politics, respite care, sds, self-directed support, social care, social issues, social work, work
The Complainant

It was never going to be a visit I was looking forward to. While our manager no longer sidles up to us and drops a physical paper file on our desks by way of allocation, she now sends emails with … Continue reading → Read More...

Published 13 Dec 2010 7:26 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: AMHP, approved mental health professional, carer, carers, Complaint, dementia, elderly, health, local authority, local government, mental health, old age, older people, personal, social care, social work, work
A Vision for Adult Care – a few brief thoughts

I’ve only just had a chance to read the ‘Vision for Adult Care’ published yesterday and wanted to offer a view very initial thoughts although I haven’t any doubt that it will be referred to continually for many years to … Continue reading →...

Published 17 Nov 2010 7:12 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: big society, care in the community, care sector, care services, carer, carers, dementia, direct payments, elderly, health, individual budgets, local authority, local government, mental health, old age, older people, paul burstow, personal, personal budget, personal budgets in care, personalisation, politics, social care, social issues, social work, uk social work, vision of adult care, work
The Financial Management of Personal Budgets

The soon-to-be defunct Audit Commission published ‘The Financial Management of Personal Budgets’ today. Community Care have a good run down on the basic points but I thought I’d read through it myself, just because I’m actually genuinely interested...

Published 28 Oct 2010 7:26 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: Audit Commission, budget, carer, carers, direct payments, Disability, elderly, health, local authority, local government, mental health, National Health Service, old age, older people, personal, personal budget, politics, social care, social issues, social work, work
Closing Care Homes

Community Care reports that the CQC yesterday released figures stating that 42 adult care services (that would be care homes and home care agencies) have been closed over the last year following action taken by the registration authority. A further …...

Published 30 Sep 2010 7:04 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: care home closures, care homes, care of the elderly, Care Quality Commission, carer, carers, cqc, domestic agencies, elderly, local authority, long-term care, mental health, old age, older adults, older people, personal, politics, public sector, residential homes, social care, social issues, social work, uk, work
Thoughts on the Leaders’ Debate – 15.4.10

I watched the ‘Leaders Debate’ or rather, most of it. I thought Brown did better than I expected and Cameron worse. That may have been due to my expectations that Brown would be poor and Cameron would be polished. I expected Clegg to make quite a strong...

Published 16 Apr 2010 6:58 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: Brown, cameron, carer, carers, Conservative, david cameron, direct payments, Gordon Brown, government, itv, leaders debate, Liberal Democrat, local authority, Nick Clegg, old age, personal, personal budget, politics, social care, social issues, social work, work
Good Quality Care

Yesterday, I went to visit a service user that I’ve been working with for a good while. Mrs K has Alzheimer’s at a fairly advanced stage and has and continues to be well supported in her home. She currently receives a care package via the local authority...

Published 5 Mar 2010 6:26 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: carer, carers, elderly, Employment, local authority, local government, london, old age, older people, personal, social care, social issues, social work, Wage, work
Into the Night

Image via Wikipedia Although the nature of AMHP work is that it will be crisis-orientated, I have found that assessments are usually planned to some extent. Last week, we received a referral to our team at about 3.30pm. For reasons that smack of ageism...

Published 8 Feb 2010 7:12 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: Add new tag, Ambulance, AMHP, approved mental health professional, ASW, carer, carers, elderly, health, hospital, london, long-term care, mental health act 1983, mental health, old age, older people, personal, social care, social work, social worker, work
Left to die in Northamptonshire?

This is something of an ‘old’ story, so to speak, but last week, The Daily Mail commented on the tragic story of Mr and Mrs Randall – an couple aged 81 and 79 respectively – who were found dead in their home in Northamptonshire even though a concerned...

Published 19 Jan 2010 6:51 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: carer, carers, daily mail, derek and jean randall, derrick and jean randall, elderly, freezing to death in northamptonshire, health, local authority, northamptonshire, northamptonshire evening telegraph, northants evening telegraph, old age, older people, personal, randall, social care, social issues, social services, social work, uk, work
Reunited

Last week, I visited a nursing home – one of the few in the borough and one I had not been to for a while. I was trying to iron through some local difficulties however when I was there, chatting to the staff about the situation, I turned around...

Published 13 Jan 2010 6:47 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: carer, carers, elderly, local authority, long-term care, nursing home, old age, older people, personal, residential home, social care, social work, uk, work
Of Snowiness

Really it was a fairly busy day yesterday. The person I had been scheduled to visit and had completely expected to be out when I called was actually in. Of course, he wouldn’t let me in but we managed a fairly useful chat through the front door and kitchen...

Published 22 Dec 2009 6:40 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: carer, carers, cmht, local authority, london, mental health, old age, older people, personal, snow, social care, social work, socialcare, traffic, travel, work
Towards Christmas

Certainly it’s been picking up this week in terms of the rush – and compounded by more than the usual number of people off work at any given period, mean that it’s likely to be a busy week. I am used to working over the Christmas period – I can’t remember...

Published 21 Dec 2009 7:14 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: carer, carers, Christmas, christmas turkey, foster care over christmas, fostering, local authority, long-term care, mental health, old age, older people, personal, social care, social issues, social work, turkey, work
Can Gerry Robinson Fix Dementia Care Homes?

This evening, BBC2 are running the first of a series of two programmes about the state of dementia residential (and presumably nursing) care in the UK. Gerry Robinson, a successful businessman, who, in 2007 brought us ‘Can Gerry Robinson Fix the NHS?...

Published 8 Dec 2009 6:09 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: bbc2, can gerry robinson fix dementia care homes, Care Quality Commission, carer, carers, cqc, dementia, dementia care, elderly, gerry robinson, local authority, long-term care, mental health, old age, older people, personal, social care, social issues, social work, television, 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
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
Free Personal Care?!

Image by lukemontague via Flickr One of the surprises in Gordon Brown’s speech to the Labour Party Conference yesterday (to me, anyway!) was his proposal that from the middle of 2010 (election result nonewithstanding.. ) he would oversee a change to the...

Published 30 Sep 2009 6:34 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: british policy, carer, carers, dementia, discrimination, domiciliary care, elderly, eligibility for free services over 65, fair access to care services, free personal care for over 65s, Gordon Brown, gordon brown's speech 29/9/09, health, labour party conference, local authority, long-term care, old age, older people, personal, politics, social care, social issues, social work, social worker, socialcare, support in the community, uk, work
Father’s Day

Image by Denis Collette…!!! via Flickr Yesterday, I , with my siblings, went to see my father. I’m sure that is nothing remarkable. I have been to hospices a few times for work-related matters. I know how they work. What kind of work they do and...

Published 22 Jun 2009 6:03 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: carer, carers, elderly, father, father's day, health, help the hospices, Hospice, hospital, london, long-term care, Medicine, old age, older people, personal, uk
What Price Care?

Today the Institute for Public Policy Research publishes a study about adult social care on the cusp of the publication of a new Green Paper next month. As they claim, the study seeks to generate public debate about the future of social care; and consider...

Published 29 May 2009 7:01 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: carer, carers, elderly, Green Paper, health, health care, Home Care, Home Health, institute for public policy research, old age, older people, paying for care, personal care, social care, social issues, social work, Tax, uk, universal care, work
Love and Death

At 8.58am yesterday I was just about arriving at work and Mr A’s death was certified. I didn’t know about it though. I didn’t know until about half an hour later because Mrs A’s carer had arrived at 8am that morning and had found Mrs A in a distressed...

Published 13 May 2009 6:58 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: after a death, animal warden, caregiver, carer, carers, Coroner, Death, dementia, elderly, family, health, Home Care, old age, older people, pets, respite care, social care, social work, work
Death

I have worked consistently in older adult’s services since I qualified. I’d say, at least until a few months ago anyway – when I seem to have accumulated a few people in their late 60s - that most of the people I see regularly are over 85. So it isn’t...

Published 2 Apr 2009 7:10 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: caregiver, carer, carers, Death, dementia, elderly, family, grief, Grief Loss and Bereavement, health, mourning, old age, older people, social care, social issues, social work, socialcare, work
Assessing Capacity

We have, over the last 18 months or so, carried out a lot of capacity assessments in our team. Actually, truth be known, we were and have been carrying out capacity assessments for far longer but as far as codified assessments go, the paperwork has been...

Published 28 Mar 2009 9:32 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: assessment, Best Interests Assessor, Care of residents, carers, Court of Protection, dementia, elderly, health, long-term care, MCA, Mental Capacity Act 2005, mental capacity assessment, old age, older people, social work, work
Guardianship - A Case Study

I have been working on another Guardianship application. It is an interesting scenario. I thought I would present a scenario based on some of the issues in the form of a fictional case study. I have been liberal with the actual details which have been...

Published 17 Feb 2009 6:41 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: AMHP, ASW, carer, carers, case study guardianship, dementia, elderly, Guardianship, health, hospital, long-term care, MCA, mental health, mental health act, old age, older people, section 7, section 8, social care, social issues, social work, using guardianship, work
Midnight Ramblings

I’m writing this in the middle of the night. I know we are told not to take work home with us. And for the most part, I’m pretty good at that. Currently though, the reason for my wakefulness is concern about a particular individual or rather...

Published 28 Jan 2009 5:53 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: carer, carers, dementia, Emotional Health and Wellbeing, health, insomnia, long-term care, mental health, old age, older people, personal, sleepless nights, social care, social issues, social work, taking work home, work, work-related stress, worry
Abuse and Stress

The BBC reports on a study published in the BMJ (British Medical Journal) which questioned carers of people who suffer from dementia and found that a third admitted “significant abuse” Predominantly, this abuse is emotional and verbal abuse...

Published 23 Jan 2009 6:22 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: Abuse, alzheimers, BMJ, caregiver, caregiver support, carer, carer support, carers, dementia, elder abuse, elderly, emotional abuse, health, old age, older people, social care, social issues, social work, socialcare, ucl, uk, University College London, work
Support for Alzheimer’s

Tonight, on Dispatches (Channel 4 - 8pm) is going to be looking at support (or rather the lack of support) that is available for people with Alzheimer’s Disease and their families and carers in the UK. The Guardian ran a brief story with Fiona Philips...

Published 12 Jan 2009 6:44 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: Alzheimer, Alzheimer's disease, carer, carers, Channel 4, dementia, dispatches, elderly, fiona philips, health, long-term care, memory clinic, mental health, old age, older people, social care, social work, socialcare, work

1 2 Next >

Browse by Tags

Syndication

Recent Posts

Tags

Archives