scholarly journals Commissioning an ordinary life

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Broadhurst
Keyword(s):  
Learning Disabilities ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Transformational Leaders ◽  
Care Programme ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Ordinary Life ◽  
The Past ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Inclusive Society

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to review the role and ability of commissioners to implement policy and be transformational leaders. Design/methodology/approach The role and ability of commissioners to implement policy is reviewed against the Institute of Public Care’s Commissioning Cycle and experience of working with commissioners across the UK over the past 29 years. Findings Empowering commissioners to be transformational leaders and enabling them to secure good outcomes for people with learning disabilities will require broadening the responsibilities for creating an inclusive society past commissioners of health and social care. Originality/value The Transforming Care Programme and the failure to meet targets illustrate that policy implementation in the arena of learning disabilities is still a pertinent issue. This commentary adds to the discussion by highlighting the challenges commissioners face when trying to implement policy and the need to take the conversation about inclusive communities wider than health and social care.

scholarly journals Health and social care access for adults with learning disabilities across the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 174-179
Author(s):  
Samantha Flynn ◽  
Chris Hatton
Keyword(s):  
Learning Disabilities ◽  
Northern Ireland ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Family Carers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
Adults With Learning Disabilities ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This paper aims to present data about access to health and social care services during the COVID-19 pandemic for adults with learning disabilities across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected directly from 621 adults with learning disabilities and through separate proxy reports by family carers and paid support staff of another 378 adults with learning disabilities. The data were collected between December 2020 and February 2021 and concerned the use of health and social care services since the start of the first COVID-19 national lockdown in March 2020. Findings Access to and use of health and social care services significantly reduced for adults with learning disabilities across the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic between March 2020 and February 2021, with many people not receiving any services at all during that period. Similar patterns were seen across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. However, data suggest some variations between countries for some services. Practical implications Future pandemic planning must ensure that access to these essential services is not completely lost for adults with learning disabilities and their family carers, as it was in some cases during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Originality/value This is the largest study about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health and social care services for adults with learning disabilities in the UK. The authors primarily collected data directly from adults with learning disabilities, and worked with partner organisations of people with learning disabilities throughout the study.

Commentary on “Assisting individuals ageing with learning disability: support worker perspectives”

2015 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 223-227
Author(s):  
Martin Stevens
Keyword(s):  
Learning Disabilities ◽  
Older People ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Support Worker ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Role Of The State ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
The Uk

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore some of the themes identified by Wark et al.’s paper and to highlight commonalities and differences between the Australian and the UK social and health care regimes. It also points to evidence about other implications for policy and practice of the increasing numbers of people growing older who have learning disabilities. Design/methodology/approach – The commentary analyses some policy and practice documents and identifies a range of other research and commentary on this topic. Findings – Wark et al. have identified areas of importance for supporting older people with learning disabilities, particularly access to suitable and acceptable services and the importance of sufficient support worker time. They also identify gaps in the research on people’s needs and service responses. The commentary also highlights other factors for consideration in work with this group of people, particularly the implementation of personalisation policies in social care and integration between health and social care services. Research limitations/implications – There is a need for further research into developing policy and practice for health and social care for older people with learning disabilities. Some of the evidence supports the case for specialist involvement, particularly by nursing professionals. Originality/value – The paper and this commentary highlight the challenges associated with the increasing number of older people with learning disabilities in contemporary debates about the role of the state and professional specialists.

scholarly journals Day services and home care for adults with learning disabilities across the UK

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Hatton
Keyword(s):  
Learning Disabilities ◽  
Northern Ireland ◽  
Home Care ◽  
Service Use ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Adults With Learning Disabilities ◽  
Day Services ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Over Time

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to compare data from national social care statistics on day services and home care for people with learning disabilities across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Design/methodology/approach National social care statistics (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) reporting the number of adults with learning disabilities accessing day services and home care were reviewed, with data extracted on trends over time and rate of service use. Findings Regarding day services, despite some variations in definitions, the number of adults with learning disabilities in England, Scotland and Wales (but not Northern Ireland) using building-based day services decreased over time. Data from Scotland also indicate that adults with learning disabilities are spending less time in building-based day services, with alternative day opportunities not wholly compensating for the reduction in building-based day services. Regarding home care, there are broadly similar rates of usage across the four parts of the UK, with the number of adults with learning disabilities using home care now staying static or decreasing. Social implications Similar policy ambitions across the four parts of the UK have resulted (with the exception of Northern Ireland) in similar trends in access to day services and home care. Originality/value This paper is a first attempt to compare national social care statistics concerning day services and home care for adults with learning disabilities across the UK. With increasing divergence of health and social service systems, further comparative analyses of services for people with learning disabilities are needed.

Beyond healthcare leadership? The imperative for health and social care systems

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 351-363
Author(s):  
John Duncan Edmonstone
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Leadership Development ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Current Model ◽  
Healthcare Leadership ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
The Future ◽  
Care Systems ◽  
The Uk

Purpose This paper aims to make the case that there is a need to move beyond a focus on an approach to leadership development which is confined to health care only. It argues that, given the economic, financial, social and organisational context within which health and social care organisations in the UK operate, there is a need to develop leadership within health and social care systems, rather than within the existing “siloed” sectors. Design/methodology/approach The paper considers the context within which health and social care organisations in the UK operate; examines the nature of those organisations; makes the case for focusing on the health and social car system through systems leadership; and identifies the need for leadership, rather than leader development. Findings There is a danger of health and social care organisations “walking backwards into the future” with eyes fixed on the past. The future lies with treating health and social care as a system, rather than focusing on organisations. The current model is individual leader focused, but the emerging model is one of collective multi-agency teams. Originality/value The paper seeks to go beyond a health-care-only focus, by asserting that there is a need to regard health and social care as a single system, delivered by a multiplicity of different organisations. This has implications for the kind of leadership involved and for how this might be developed.

scholarly journals Exploring perceptions and attitudes of black Sub-Sahara African (BSSA) migrants towards residential care in England

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 307-315
Author(s):  
Mathew Nyashanu ◽  
Scovia Nalugo Mbalinda ◽  
Fungisai Mushawa ◽  
Mandu Stephene Ekpenyong
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
Residential Care ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Death And Dying ◽  
Focus Group Discussions ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Early 19Th Century ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
The Uk

Purpose Since the early 19th century, the UK has seen a decrease in mortality rates and increase in life expectancy. This has increased the number of elderly people being put into residential care. Change in British population demography with the arrival of many Africans from the black Sub-Sahara African (BSSA) countries has increased the need of these services. The purpose of this paper is to explore perceptions and attitude of BSSA towards residential care from potential user perspective. Design/methodology/approach This study was explorative qualitative in nature, using focus group discussions and one-on-one follow up semi-structured interviews. The focus group discussions and interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. The Silences Framework was used to guide this study, and the collection of data was done using the thematic analysis approach. Findings This study found out that the sense of confinement, lack of ownership, non-provision of culturally friendly food, non-provision of culturally friendly personal care, non-provisional of culturally orientated death and dying care, stigma for being neglected and perceived poor inclusivity leading to loneliness were found to discourage BSSA research participants from taking up residential care in the UK. Research limitations/implications In future, there is need for cross-cultural comparisons of BSSA communities living in the UK and BSSA communities living in Africa or other parts of the world. This may enhance understanding the differences and similarities based on contextual social, political and economic factors. Practical implications There is a need to understand the needs and concerns of new communities in relation to residential care and make necessary changes to enhance diversity and inclusivity. More importantly, the curriculum and professional development courses for staff in health and social care need to factor in the concepts of cultural competency and inclusivity to prepare them for the increasingly changing terrain of social care. Originality/value Owing to the changing demography and diversity in the UK population, there is a need to re-orient and re-design residential care services provision to make it diverse and inclusive of new communities from other cultures.

scholarly journals Service user and carers perspectives of joint and integrated working between health and social care

2014 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 62-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ailsa Cameron ◽  
Lisa Bostock ◽  
Rachel Lart
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Integrated Services ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Policy Debates ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an update to a review of the joint working literature in the field of health and social care for adults, with particular emphasis given to the experiences of users and carers. Design/methodology/approach – The aims of the literature review remained largely the same as those of the original, they were to identify: models of joint working, evidence of effectiveness and cost-effectiveness and the factors promoting or hindering the models. However, to reflect the growing interest in the experiences of users and carers a fourth aim was added to map these experiences. Given their prominence in terms of policy debates about integration, the review focused on jointly organised services for older people and people with mental health problems in the UK only. Findings – The review demonstrates tentative signs that some initiatives designed to join-up or integrate services can deliver outcomes desired by government. Importantly some studies that report the experiences of users of services and carers suggest that they perceive benefits from efforts to join-up or integrate services. However it is our contention that the evidence is less than compelling and does not justify the faith invested in the strategy by current or previous governments. Originality/value – The study updates our knowledge of the impact of joint working in the field of health and social care for adults. Importantly the paper highlights what is known about the experiences of users and carers of joint/integrated services.

Modernising the regulation of health and social care professionals: the Law Commissions’ final report and draft Bill

2014 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. 411-420
Author(s):  
Tim Spencer-Lane
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Final Report ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
The Law ◽  
Draft Bill ◽  
The Uk

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to summarise the Law Commissions’ final report and draft Bill on the regulation of health and social care professionals. Design/methodology/approach – To summarise the key recommendations that are relevant to adult safeguarding. Findings – The final report concludes that new legislation is needed to govern the UK regulators of health and social care professionals. Originality/value – The paper sets out the recommended new legal framework.

scholarly journals Living arrangements of adults with learning disabilities across the UK

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Hatton
Keyword(s):  
Learning Disabilities ◽  
Northern Ireland ◽  
Nursing Care ◽  
Living Arrangements ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Adults With Learning Disabilities ◽  
Trends Over Time ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Over Time

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to compare data from national social care statistics on the living situations of people with learning disabilities across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Design/methodology/approach National social care statistics (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland) reporting the living situations of adults with learning disabilities (residential and nursing care, living with family, other forms of accommodation) were accessed, with data extracted on trends over time and rate of service use. Findings There were substantial differences in the statistics collected across the UK. Overall, there were higher reported rates of adults with learning disabilities in residential/nursing accommodation in England than Scotland or Wales, but much lower reported rates of adults living in other forms of unsupported and supported accommodation and much lower reported rates of adults living with their families. In all three countries, trends over time suggest that reductions in residential care towards more independent living options may be stalling. In Northern Ireland reductions in currently extensive residential and nursing care services are continuing, unlike other parts of the UK. Social implications Despite similar policy ambitions across the four parts of the UK, statistics on the living situations of adults with learning disabilities report substantial differences. Originality/value This paper is a first attempt to compare national social care statistics concerning the living situations of adults with learning disabilities across the UK. With increasing divergence of health and social service systems, further comparative analyses of services for people with learning disabilities are needed.

Mental health services for people with intellectual disability in the United Kingdom

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 91-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bhathika Perera ◽  
Ken Courtenay
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Intellectual Disabilities ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Community Support ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
People With Intellectual Disabilities ◽  
The Uk

Purpose Services for people with intellectual disabilities in the UK have evolved over the years from hospital-based care to more community provision. There are multiple reasons for these changes, however, often it was due to changes in social policy or following a scandal in provision. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach Providing services to meet the health and social care needs of people with intellectual disabilities is well-established in the four countries of the UK with support from legislation. There are often specialist mental health and social care teams. Dedicated professionals work with people with intellectual disabilities who experience mental health problems with a focus on support in the community. A range of services for children and adults and for offenders exist across the UK that often vary in composition and structure. Findings The challenges in providing mental health services for children and adults with intellectual disabilities in the future include recruitment and training of the workforce with the remit of enhancing community support and reduced in-patient care. Practical implications This paper helps the reader to understand how ID mental health services are organised in the UK. Originality/value This paper gives a summary of the ID mental health services in the UK. Even though there are various papers looking at different aspects of mental health services for people with ID in the UK, this paper brings all that information together to help reader get a better understanding of the mental health services for people with ID.

The personalisation challenge: personalisation for people with learning disabilities and behaviour described as challenging

2013 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-10
Author(s):  
Jayne M. Lingard ◽  
Vivien Cooper ◽  
Mick Connell
Keyword(s):  
Learning Disabilities ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Quality Care ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Project Team ◽  
Content Type ◽  
East Midlands ◽  
Recommendations For Action ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
Small Project

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report on a personalisation project run by the Challenging Behaviour Foundation (CBF) which aims to share the identified barriers and solutions to personalisation for people with severe learning disabilities and behaviour described as challenging. Design/methodology/approach – A small project team consisting of a project manager, housing specialist and positive behavioural support specialist worked as consultants with selected East Midlands local authority and NHS commissioners and with six families from other areas. Findings – The main barrier to personalisation was the volume of, and priority given to, safeguarding referrals by frontline commissioning social care workers. This reduced capacity for a proactive approach to support planning. Workers who participated in the project appreciated the expertise and support of the project team and the opportunity to reflect on their work. However, a major project limitation was a lack of time for commissioning workers and managers to engage with the project. Practical implications – The project report provided a series of recommendations for action for commissioners of health and social care support and for families. The Winterbourne View scandal broke as the project was established and its findings are helpful to anyone taking forward action plans to improve commissioning practices to avoid the continued commissioning of poor quality care. Originality/value – The project sought direct engagement in planning in “real time” with frontline commissioning staff and the families of people with severe learning disabilities and behaviour described as challenging. It is hoped that the value of the paper will be to influence NHS and LA commissioners to improve their response to people with severe learning disabilities.

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