To join us online, please visit us at http://www.embrace-learning.co.uk and follow the links below to join our discussions:
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/embracelearnuk
Sunday 30 November 2014
George Osborne and Ed Balls discuss the funding proposals set out by Osborne on the Andrew Marr show – that he will put an additional £2bn into frontline health services. He described it as a “down payment” which he was able to commit to because of the economy being strong. What are your thoughts about this? Have you heard confirmation that the economy is currently strong? You can watch the video here:
Just
outside Basingstoke town centre, Dome cafe is giving people with learning
disabilities the opportunity to learn new skills in a real working environment.
You can watch a video about this inspiring venture here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-30179446
How people with learning disabilities are improving
housing and mental health services
Kitty Vicious,
Client Quality Co-Ordinator in the Service User Involvement Team at Southdown,
reports on the projects she works on with people with learning disabilities.
She explains how she enjoys “helping
people become more independent and confident”.
The Buddy effect: improving mental health treatment, one pet at a time
Visits by an adorable dog are just one of a myriad of practical, low-cost changes that Marion Janner and her Star Wards charity are bringing to mental health facilities across the UK.
We should not dismiss people’s delusions and
hallucinations as merely symptoms of a malaise. A new report by the British
Psychological Society argues that they can be understood as much as can other
conditions like anxiety and depression. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, and
other treatments, should be made available for people with psychosis and
bipolar disorder.
Thursday 27 November 2014
Carers UK and Embrace-learning have joined forces to provide you with all the information you need to know about the new Care Act:
A dedicated website: http://thecareact.co.uk and an e-learning course, The Care Act Unpacked. You can view a free demo here: http://thecareact.co.uk/the_course.php
A report by Sir Stephen Bubbs into the serious shortcomings in support for those with learning difficulties has been published. It recommends a charter of rights, more community-based support, and the closure of inappropriate facilities.
Sir Stephen said: "We urge immediate action, to close all Winterbourne-style institutions and ramp up community provision."
Tuesday 25 November 2014
A fascinating article written by Saba Salman in the
Guardian on 19th November discusses the longest-running research
project into people with Down’s syndrome. The study, carried out by Dr Janet
Carr, now 87, has been running for 50 years. It began with 54 babies who were born
with the condition in 1964.
Mary O’Hara reports on the Learning Disability Alliance England (LDA), which has been set up to increase awareness of issues that affect people with learning disabilities. For example, austerity cuts, hate crime, and mistreatment in institutions.
The message is obvious and, as I’m sure you’ll agree, long overdue: that if we want to improve the lives of people with learning disabilities, we need to listen to what they have to say and involve them in decision-making processes about the support they need.
Today in London at a forum about the global depression
crisis, former UN secretary general Kofi Annan called for the tackling of
depression to be made a global priority. Issues raised at the forum include:
- a widespread failure to recognise the scale of the
problem, and put in place resources to overcome it.
- The WHO estimate depression is already the leading
cause of disability worldwide - and set to rise.
- The NHS should be reorganised in such a way that
physical and mental health issues are treated concurrently, not separately as
they are now.
UK scientists have discovered that particular areas
of the brain are linked to both dementia and schizophrenia. These areas control
'high order' information from the senses. Interestingly these regions are both
the last to fully develop (during adolescence), and the first to degenerate
during ageing.
Professor Hugh Perry of the MRC commented,
"It
raises important issues about possible genetic and environmental factors that
may occur in early life and then have lifelong consequences. The more we can
find out about these very difficult disorders, the closer we will come to
helping sufferers and their families."
Sunday 23 November 2014
In response to CQC guidance on openness and transparency, Rob Webster, Chief Executive of the NHS Confederation, said: “The Duty of Candour guidance must be seen as an enabler in the development of a culture of openness when things go wrong and when reputations and lives are at risk.”
From April 2015, the CQC will take over the responsibility from the HSE for deciding whether regulatory action should be taken when health and safety incidents are reported which involve people who use health and adult social care services regulated by the CQC: http://www.cqc.org.uk/content/have-your-say-how-safety-incidents-will-be-acted-upon-next-april
The
findings of a study by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Scotland reveal that
the NHS in Scotland lost 64 mental health nurses from 2011 to 2014. The report
also highlighted a 17% decrease in the number of beds available in mental
health services since 2010 and a 6% drop in inpatient admissions. The RCN has therefore
expressed the need for "long-term sustainable investment in the future
mental health workforce".
Friday 21 November 2014
The commission has published 'intelligent monitoring reports' to aid its inspectors in deciding which of the NHS trusts (who provide mental health services) to prioritise. The new model considers 59 separate levels of evidence including bed occupancy, the NHS staff survey, the national health outpatient survey, together with concerns raised by trust staff. The model is augmented by local information from partners and the public.
Wednesday 19 November 2014
Are you or is someone you know looking to learn or develop skills which will open opportunities to work, or advance further in the health and social sector? To browse our wide range of e-learning courses, including those relating to disability and dementia awareness, guidance about the new #CareAct, and a range of qualifications essential for people who want to work in the sector, please visit: http://www.embrace-learning.co.uk/Website/Pages/Guest/courselist.php or give us a call on 0161 928 9987.
At Embrace-learning, our team of educationalists, designers and software developers are passionate about what they do. Our strength lies in how we work to provide our clients with e-learning that is cost-efficient, engaging and effective.
To join us online, please visit us at http://www.embrace-learning.co.uk
Monday 17 November 2014
A worrying account of a mental health charity worker's
experience at work. They fear for the future of the charity, and explain why.
http://www.theguardian.com/
The National Information Board has published a report into how digital technology will transform people's health, as well as the health of the NHS. The plans include:
- everyone being able to access their GP records online by 2015
- all other health records to follow by 2018
- a national digital standard for people at end of life
- the Personal Child Health Record (the red book) to be digitalised
- real time data to be available to paramedics, doctors, nurses and midwives
- digitalisation to play a vital role in contributing to the £22 billion efficiency savings target
Thursday 13 November 2014
A moving account of 11 year old Antonia-Rae Budgen Davis who has been caring for her mother on her own since she was six. She is one of the estimated 700,000 young carers in England.
From April next year, elements of the Care Act, together with the Children and Families Act, mean local authorities must take reasonable steps to identify young carers, assess their needs, and state what those needs are.
A commentary on Margaret Hodge's new role as implementer of Southwark's Better Care Fund, a project she has described as beset by "unacceptable incompetence". In this single London borough, she is tasked with making the council, NHS, police and the voluntary sector work together, with the stated aim, ultimately, to reduce demands on the NHS and prison service.
The Social Care Institute for Excellence's (SCIE) chief executive, Tony Hunter, on the Care Act's requirement for advocacy services. From next April, councils are obliged to provide these services for people who have "substantial difficulty" in being fully involved in decision making.
For commissioners who might find this new responsibility daunting, the institute has produced a new guide.
In conjunction with Carers UK, we've produced an e-learning course to help anyone working in the health and social care sector to understand all they/you need to know about the #CareAct http://goo.gl/Dfd3ZA
The government has published the Care Act's fundamental standards regulations. Two of these standards, the duty of candour, and the fit and proper person requirement, come into force on 27 November. The remaining 10 standards will be implemented next April. These are as follows:
- care and treatment must be appropriate and reflect service users' needs and preferences
- service users must be treated with dignity and respect
- care and treatment must only be provided with consent
- care and treatment must be provided in a safe way
- service users must be protected from abuse and improper treatment
- service users' nutritional and hydration needs must be met
- all premises and equipment used must be clean, secure, suitable and used properly
- complaints must be appropriately investigated and appropriate action taken in response
- systems and processes must be established to ensure compliance with the fundamental standards
- sufficient numbers of suitably qualified, competent, skilled and experienced staff must be deployed
Wednesday 12 November 2014
The campaign group Time to Change has published a report
on how television storylines are treating mental health issues. TV soaps and
dramas are portraying these issues in a more realistic way than five years ago,
and help viewers to understand them better.
That being said, they still found instances of 'simplistic
portrayals' and of misinformation.
A Scottish government-commissioned study has found that
stigma still exists around the issues of mental health. The study reveals,
- more than a quarter of Scots have suffered a mental
health problem (mainly depression)
- almost 40% of respondents had received negative social
impact because of their health problems
- more people (than in 2008) would not want anyone to know
of their condition.
Tuesday 11 November 2014
The government has been embarrassed by the findings of its own financial watchdog, the National Audit Office. The £2 billion Better Care Fund, designed to reduce hospital admissions, is judged to be founded "on optimism rather than evidence”.
Integrated care is seen as unlikely to deliver the hoped for 3.5% reduction per year in hospital admissions, particularly as they've been increasing at the rate of 47% over the last 15 years.
The main consequence of the new initiative, it is forecast, will be to create a £700 million black hole in NHS funding.
Monday 10 November 2014
Why are children with mental health issues being thrown in
police cells? Often crisis intervention teams won't accept children, and the
Children and Adolescents' Mental Health Services (Camhs) is chronically underfunded
and fragmentary. It is suggested that the Care Commission's chief inspector of
mental health should spend a night in a police cell to see how it measures up.
To browse our wide range of e-learning courses,
including those relating to mental health awareness, please visit: http://www.embrace-learning.co.uk/Website/Pages/Guest/courselist.php.
Our team of
educationalists, designers and software developers are passionate about what
they do. Our strength lies in how we work to provide our clients with e-learning
that is cost-efficient, engaging and effective.
Friday 7 November 2014
To join us online, please visit us at http://www.embrace-learning.co.uk and don’t forget to follow the links below to join our discussions:
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/embracelearnuk
Thursday 6 November 2014
Are you or is someone you know looking to learn or develop skills which will open opportunities to work, or advance further in the health and social sector? To browse our wide range of e-learning courses, including those relating to disability and dementia awareness, guidance about the new #CareAct, and a range of qualifications essential for people who want to work in the sector, please visit: http://www.embrace-learning.co.uk/Website/Pages/Guest/courselist.php or give us a call on 0161 928 9987.
To find out about our range of disability and mental health awareness
e-learning courses and packages, including a module on Safeguarding Children http://goo.gl/yRvam6, please visit: http://goo.gl/lHKd01, or give us a call on 0161
928 9987.
Health correspondent Denis Campbell on the ongoing
increase (25-30% a year) of children and young people seeking treatment for
mental health. The emerging digital culture has been cited as a potential cause
of this worrying trend. In particular:-
- cyberbullying
- websites advocating anorexia and self-harm
- violent video games
- the sharing of indecent images
are all posing a threat to the mental wellbeing of under
18's. Whilst the Commons Health Select Committee could not find evidence that
digital media was a principal cause of the increase, it is calling for a
government inquiry into its effects.
Chair of the committee, Sarah Wollaston, commented:
"In the past if you were bullied it might just be in
the classroom. Now it follows [you] way beyond the walk home from school.
Voluntary bodies have not suggested stopping young people using the internet.
But for some young people it's clearly a new source of stress."
Wednesday 5 November 2014
We round up daily news, reports, and announcements relating to health and social care on our Tumblr blog. Click http://embrace-learning-blog.tumblr.com to follow us and post your comments!
Tuesday 4 November 2014
Of those renewing, 2.5% will be subject to an audit. Those selected for audit will be required to send in a profile demonstrating how their professional development meets the council's standards. This profile should include:
- a summary of your practice history over the last two years (up to 500 words)
- a statement of how you’ve met the standards of continuing professional development
- evidence to support your statement.
The best form of evidence would be a certificate demonstrating that you have received the latest training in your field.
For information about our e-learning courses for people working in health and social care, please click here: http://goo.gl/m9Ad9Z
Monday 3 November 2014
Care Rocks C.I.C is an award winning social enterprise promoting meaningful activity for older people in care homes across the UK. http://www.carerocks.co.uk/about-2/
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