TonyButcher

Why we need a fundemental review into Social Care in the UK

The headlines over the last few weeks, i.e. Winterbourne, Southern Cross and, today, the delivery of Home Care, have shown that there is a crisis in how we look after the most vulnerable in society. Unfortunately, successive Governments only appear to...

Published 20 Jun 2011 10:13 AM by TonyButcher

Filed under: Ageing, Care Home, Demographics, Home Care, Social Care, social care workers, Society, Southern Cross, Workforce

Give the Social Care Workforce a Voice

As I have mentioned, many times before, the social care workforce have been classed, by the previous Government and the TUC , as vulnerable workers because of the low pay, working hours and general conditions in the care sector. This problem has been...

Published 3 Jun 2011 11:06 AM by TonyButcher

Filed under: General Social Care Council, Government, National Skills Academy for Social Care, Panorama, social care workers, Society, TUC, Workforce

Social Care - From a Different Angle

Who provides care services? The answer is a complicated one but the bottom line is that most front line care is provided by independent companies, either private businesses or charities, which are dependent, as businesses, on the income provided by individual...

Published 1 Mar 2011 11:27 AM by TonyButcher

Filed under: Budget Cuts, Business, care providers, Care Quality Commission, CQC, Cuts, Fees, Funding, Providers, Residential Care, Social Care, Social CarePolicy, Society, Vulnerable People

Daily Mail Needs To Stop Scaremongering

Today's Daily Mail has an article entitled "How 600 die of thirst in care homes: Damning report exposes the rising number of elderly killed by neglect" Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1352015/Damning-report-exposes-rising...

Published 31 Jan 2011 9:48 AM by TonyButcher

Filed under: Daily Mail, Dehydration, Elderly, Malnutrition

Can Care Providers Be Squeezed Anymore?

I think it was back in 2008 that Ivan Lewis, as Care Secretary, said, in response to a Parliamentary question that care providers should at least expect a raise in fees in line with inflation following a round of announcements from Local Authorities giving...

Published 15 Dec 2010 10:55 AM by TonyButcher

Filed under: care providers, Cuts, Local Authorities

Care Education More Important Than Tuition Fees

Passions are running high over the tuition fees debate but I do wonder if things are being put totally out of perspective by the well organised opposition of the NUS. What is missing from the debate is the lack of funding for vocational education for...

Published 7 Dec 2010 11:18 AM by TonyButcher

Filed under: care providers, Care Workers, Cuts, Funding, Knowledge, Politics, Train to Gain, training, Tuition Fees

Social Isolation - We Need to Work Together

Today’s report on Community Care about the Relatives & Residents Association (R&RA) report on the social isolation faced by many elderly people in care homes is disturbing but not surprising ( http://bit.ly/abb2pb ). Yet it does raise the...

Published 10 Nov 2010 11:03 AM by TonyButcher

Filed under: Big Society, care providers, Charities, Elderly, Local Authorities, R & RA, Social Care, Social Isolation

The Spending Review could Impact on Standards of Care

Whilst the plight of Adult Social Care seems to have been mitigated by the announcement of £2bn to be given to councils for care provision, George Osborne's Spending Review does hold some hidden problems for the care sector. The top of this...

Published 20 Oct 2010 3:15 PM by TonyButcher

Filed under: comprehensive spending review, CQC, development, social care workers, training

Who will Council Care Home Closures Benefit?

Kent County Council have announced a consultation about closing council operated care homes in the county in a bid to save £2m each year. Of course the whole process is couched in spin. The cabinet member for adult social services, Councillor Graham...

Published 16 Jun 2010 10:16 AM by TonyButcher

Filed under: care providers, Care Workers, Local Authorities, Vulnerable People

Fairness, Freedom and Responsibility in Social Care

Fairness, Freedom and Responsibility were the buzzwords of the first Queens Speech under David Cameron’s Government. Yet we have little detail, so far, how these ideals will be applied to social care. We had the promise of a Commission which will...

Published 26 May 2010 1:11 PM by TonyButcher

Filed under: Commission, David Cameron, Fairness, Freedom, Government, Individual Budget, Parliament, Personal Budget, Queens Speech, Responsibility, Social Care

We need Greater Social Care Commitment from Government

I would like you to see a comment left on my petition calling for the Government to make Social Care a High Priority: “ The commitment to dementia research in the Coalition Agreement is very welcome, but there needs to be a commitment to good social...

Published 21 May 2010 9:50 AM by TonyButcher

Filed under: Department of Health, Funding, Government, learning disability, Social Care, Technology

Govt NOT Planning to make Social Care a Priority

Apologies for hogging the blog list but I had to share this response I just got from the Department of Health on my call for making Social Care a High Priority: "Dear Mr Butcher, Thank you for your email of 17 May about the future of social care...

Published 20 May 2010 10:59 AM by TonyButcher

Coalition Takes the Daily Mail Option

We now have fuller details of what the new coalition plans to do on social care. http://programmeforgovernment.hmg.gov.uk/social-care-and-disability/comment-page-1/ Unfortunately they seem to have gone for the Daily Mail option and decided to focus on...

Published 20 May 2010 10:09 AM by TonyButcher

Filed under: Coalition, Government, Social Care

The Demonization of Care Homes

A few years ago I spent 18 months or so working as a Face to Face Charity Fundraiser (or a ‘chugger’ to give it its colloquial term). Since that time there is one conversation that has always stuck with me. I was fundraising for a dementia...

Published 19 May 2010 12:22 PM by TonyButcher

An Unbalanced Society

Thousands of people being inconvenienced by having to change or cancel their travel plans because of the British Airways strike. 100s of 1000s of vulnerable people whose lives have been affected because local authorities were unable to increase the care...

Published 17 May 2010 9:12 AM by TonyButcher

Filed under: Government, Media, Social Care, Society

Fighting for Social Care: A Rallying Cry

One of the biggest problems face by social care in achieving recognition on the national political arena and raising its profile among the general population is the great diversity found in the sector, not only in the range of people who use care service...

Published 14 May 2010 1:44 PM by TonyButcher

Filed under: ADASS, care users, Goverment, service providers, Social Care

Social Care in Perspective - Why the Govt must Act

Social care has, as per usual, taken a backseat during the political wrangling of the last few weeks, and any mention of social care seems to make people turn away with disinterest. So it is worthwhile pointing out just how important social care is in...

Published 13 May 2010 3:33 PM by TonyButcher

Filed under: Government, immigration, Social Care

Social Care - Where Politics Must Meet Reality

Now that we have the General Election finally out of the way the new Government being put into place, today it must start working on the policies that will frame its first Queen’s Speech. Whilst we have heard much on the economy, education and political...

Published 12 May 2010 2:00 PM by TonyButcher

Filed under: Andrew Lansley, David Cameron, Elderly, Funding, Government, learning disability, Social Care, Social Workers

Why we need dialogue in Social Care

I attended a local care forum recently, made up of representatives from Local Authorities, Health, Independent Providers and University Academics. During the course of the day one of the academics remarked that the care sector was very unusual in that...

Published 26 Mar 2010 11:51 AM by TonyButcher

Filed under: Budget Cuts, Commissioning, Providers, Registration, Regulation, Social Care, Transforming Social Care

Beware the CQC Registration Scare Mongers

With any new system that is introduced there appears a range of organisations ready to leap onto the band-wagon and try to make a quick buck by using scare tactics to grab as much cash as they can. The new Care Quality Commission registration seems to...

Published 25 Mar 2010 10:36 AM by TonyButcher

Filed under: Care Quality Commission, CQC, Registration

Challenging the Political Parties to Produce a Social Care Manifesto

In terms of social care this could be the most important election choice ever so the Political Parties must set out their intentions for social care now On BBC South East (and probably on the other regional channels to) they are asking for people to contribute...

Published 4 Mar 2010 3:11 PM by TonyButcher

Why Gordon Brown must be Suspended and Investigated

The current allegations against Gordon Brown about bullying in the workplace must be treated seriously and, as controversial as it may sound he must be suspended from his post until the allegations can be thoroughly investigated. Bullying in the workplace...

Published 22 Feb 2010 9:55 AM by TonyButcher

Filed under: bullying, Gordon Brown

Is Govt contravening Human Rights of Learning Disabled in Residential Settings?

It is quite clear that there is a Government agenda of moving adults with learning disabilities away from residential provision to community living regardless of needs or choice. And the main instrument to push this agenda is the "Socially excluded...

Published 2 Feb 2010 4:52 PM by TonyButcher

Filed under: care providers, Human Rights, learning disability, PSA 16, Residential Care, Social Inclusion

CQC urgently need to advise Providers of correct registration procedure

Last week the care provider I work for received a letter from the Care Quality Commission about the new system of registration. This letter also stated that we needed to contact a company called Teleperformance within the next 5 working days to confirm...

Published 28 Jan 2010 1:59 PM by TonyButcher

Filed under: care providers, Care Quality Commission, CQC, Registration, Social Care, Social CarePolicy

Personal Care at Home - Policy or Prevarication

With the publication of the Personal Care at Home Bill came the usual consultation process, which begs the question – Do the Government really have any intention of tackling social care funding? This latest consultation will run to 23 rd February...

Published 26 Nov 2009 11:02 AM by TonyButcher

Filed under: General Election, Government, Personal Care at Home, Policy

GSCC Chief Exec Salary is an insult to all of us on the Front Line

On one of the CareSpace Forums there is a debate on how much social workers get paid with Unison saying the average for middle-ranking social workers is £29,000 p.a., lower than many other public service workers. Added to this many social workers...

Published 24 Nov 2009 4:07 PM by TonyButcher

Filed under: GSCC, social care workers, Social Workers

Anti-Psychotics - Is Social Care Taking to much Blame?

A couple of quotes to start off with; “This report is timely in that it highlights concerns about how anti-psychotic drugs are used across the sector and we believe that specific training is urgently needed to support staff who work with people...

Published 13 Nov 2009 3:50 PM by TonyButcher

Filed under: anti-psychotics, health, Social Care

"GSCC in Crisis" - Surely the Problem is Wider than That

This weeks Community Care arrived with the headline “GSCC in Crisis” but surely the problem is much wider than just the GSCC and there needs to be a pause for thought about the way forward Whilst the particular problems of the GSCC will mean...

Published 12 Nov 2009 3:58 PM by TonyButcher

Filed under: Green Paper, GSCC, Registration, Safeguarding, Social Care

Pay Freezes: Assure Us All Other Measures Have Been Taken First Mr Osborne

Public sector workers owning over £18,000 are being told that, under a Conservative Government, their pay will be frozen for a year in order to help bring down the huge public finance deficit created by the current Government. Whether you agree...

Published 7 Oct 2009 4:17 PM by TonyButcher

Filed under: Conservatives, George Osborne, Pay Freeze, Public Sector, Vulnerable People

Party Leaders Please Note - Social Care is More Important than Education

As we keep being told by those who produce demographic data, there are now, or will shortly be, more people over the age of 60 than those under 18. So, in a sense, Social Care is now more important than Education Not to denigrate the importance of Education...

Published 5 Oct 2009 4:01 PM by TonyButcher

Filed under: David Cameron, Education, Gordon Brown, Social Careocial Care, Social CarePolicy

A National Care Service - Clarification Please

The Labour Party conference has reignited talk of the National Care Service proposed in the recent Green Paper. But I can’t help feeling I am missing something somewhere! The proposal is that a National Care Service will exist to provide social...

Published 1 Oct 2009 12:54 PM by TonyButcher

Filed under: Department of Health, Government, Green Paper, Labour Party, National Care Service, Social Care

Ministerial Half-Truths Undermine Social Care

On the BBC Breakfast programme this morning (18 th Sep) they have been focusing on the Help the Aged/Age Concern claim that many elderly people who receive Local Authority Funding are having to have their fees topped up by relatives because, in many areas...

Published 18 Sep 2009 9:30 AM by TonyButcher

Filed under: Age Concern, BBC, Fees, Funding, Green Paper, Help the Aged, Local Authorities, Phil Hope, Social Care, Transforming Social Care

An Inclusive Social Care System Should Include Social Care Workers

According to their website “ The General Social Care Council is responsible for setting standards of conduct and practice for social care workers and their employers, for regulating the workforce, and for regulating social work education and training”...

Published 8 Sep 2009 3:41 PM by TonyButcher

Filed under: GSCC, Indepndent Safeguarding Authority, Participation, Social Care, social care workers, Workforce

Training standards should not be removed but everybody needs to work together

Public sector union Unison is urging the Care Quality Commission to boost standards in training for social care workers in adult care. The union say that the current requirement of 50% of care workers having NVQ level 2 or higher is to be removed with...

Published 25 Aug 2009 4:29 PM by TonyButcher

Filed under: care providers, CQC, NVQ, social care workers, training, unison

If politicians want to win our votes now is the time to start talking

As the summer draws to an end and the majority of us start forgetting about our holidays and start worrying about earning enough for Christmas, our nation’s politicians have one last knees up before getting back to work proper. The party conference...

Published 25 Aug 2009 1:46 PM by TonyButcher

Filed under: Conservatives, GSCC, Liberal Democrats, Party Conferences, Policy, Politics, Social Care, Social Work

It Seems Social Care Still Has a Way to Go

The provisional data from the Social Care Indicators released by the NHS Information Centre show that there is a long way to go in providing personalised, independent living for many of those who rely on social care, particularly those with learning disabilities...

Published 14 Aug 2009 12:57 PM by TonyButcher

Filed under: direct payments, employment, learning disability, older people, Social Care, statistics

GSCC - Lets Have Solutions Not Recriminations

Should we really be surprised to find out that the General Social Care Council has a backlog of referrals? At last years GSCC conference outgoing chair Sir Rodney Brooke readily admitted that the organisation would have problems this year. It has been...

Published 23 Jul 2009 1:17 PM by TonyButcher

Filed under: GSCC, Indepndent Safeguarding Authority, Social Care, Social Work

Syndication

Recent Posts

Tags

Archives