New quality assurance framework for adult care

[Colin James]

The council’s new approach to quality assurance for adult care and support services across the county has been launched.

 

 

The new quality assurance framework will ensure that service providers offer appropriate high quality care and support services to meet the individual needs of the county’s adults. We continue to build positive relationships with service providers and residents to ensure this is achieved, as supportive partnership working will enable quality improvements to be delivered with better, innovative and cost-effective outcomes to promote the wellbeing of those who need our care and support.

 

The key principles of the new quality assurance framework maintain an approach which is person-centred, intelligent, supportive and proportionate. This moves away from planned monitoring visits to informed monitoring activities undertaken in partnership with service providers, residents and their carers.

 

As part of the framework, new quality standards will also be introduced in conjunction with Herefordshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). These will reflect what good practise looks like and all service providers and partner organisations will be required to work towards these standards to ensure high quality care and support is delivered.

 

Source

[Roger]

The new quality assurance framework will ensure that service providers offer appropriate high quality care and support services to meet the individual needs of the county’s adults.

 

I'm not sure how much the 'service providers' pay their staff but that sector is notoriously low paid and many people might be on the minimum wage of £6.70 an hour. Which, of course, went up today to become a 'living wage' of £7.20. A 7.5% wage increase. I doubt a service provider would want to absorb that cost if they can pass it on to someone using their services ....

[Denise Lloyd]

It all looks fine on paper but nobody knows what goes on behind closed doors.  I have worked as a carer on minimum pay and have seen and heard some pretty awful goings on!

[DILLIGAF]

Working in the industry for 10+ yrs, all I can say is good luck! Companies cannot retain staff due to the workload, unsociable hours, 7 day working weeks minimum pay and endless paperwork. You are expected to work 8-12hrs a day with clients then complete all relevant paperwork, which in the last 3yrs has increased 10fold to no real effect! Then if a colleague is sick you are expected to assist in cover. Inevitably mistakes are made, and when this does happen you are hauled over the coals (rightly so) most (not all) mistake are due to fatigue; this is never properly addressed, as agency cover is extremely costly and you will alway get a member of staff going the extra mile when really they shouldn't. Companies should be employing more staff, but because of of the low wage they know staff will require more hours to live on, therefor benefit the company as they don't need to train up more staff.

I certainly don't do it for the money, just the satisfaction of helping someone less fortunate than most, do simple tasks by themselves that we take for granted everyday.

I have to be really careful here..... A client has recently been reported to ASC as I felt that "we" we're not providing adequate care for them, as we were not supporting them due to alcohol dependence. We were unable to check if medical supplies were administered for several weeks, however as we were making visual contact most days. ASC don't want to know! It falls into the MCA and ASC say this client is deemed to have capacity! Yet at the same time "we" are failing to provide adequate care for this client! But nobody wants to do anything further.

Previously a section order was refused under the MCA, yet they spent 3 weeks in hospital 1 in ICU! Go figure.

It's all about money and the council palming off vulnerable adults to private and charitable companies.

It is cheaper P/A to have a client in private social care than in state social care. Yet it is all funded centrally, yet identical clients from Gloucester receive more funding than one from hereford and less than Somerset; Go figure?

When something happens like "Winterbourne" the authorities and folk on the outside automatically assume it's happening everywhere when it's not.

I won't go on anymore. As you can see I'm very passionate about the guys I work for, I get paid by a corporation but work for the individual, Horlicks to the company, they just sit behind desks coin counting! I'm frontline doing what needs to be done for the best. Yet I have managerial qualifications.

In Switzerland a basic support worker is paid £17ph; if you work with individuals with alcohol and drug issues or need to administer medicine it's upwards of £26ph.. Food for thought.