Trading Company Seminars promoted by Community Care to be confirmed
March 21, 2011
Ersnt & Young in partnership with CHS will be holding two seminars for Senior Officers of Local Authorities and County Councils during May 2011 in London and Birmingham.
Provisonal dates which will be confirmed are the 18th May 2011 in Birmingham and the 24th May 2011 in London. Marketing and invitation details will be sent to all Councils shortly as well as promoted on the CHS website. These events follow a similiar set of seminars run by CHS 18 ago attended by some 60 Councils.
The partnership between Ernst & Young and CHS including the planned seminars have been highlighted by the Community Care Magazine ( www.communitycare.co.uk ) in their website published article ‘ Councils line up the transfer of care staff to trading companies’ and published on the 21st March 2011.
Finalised information on the planned seminars and the speakers will shortly appear on the home page of our website and through wider marketing of Local Authorities and County Councils.
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Southern Cross Healthcare – the tip of the ice berg?
March 20, 2011
The news this week in the national press relating to the threat of Southern Cross Healthcare going into administration must ring alarm bells in Government and within the numerous local authorities who fund many of the 31,000 residents placed with Southern Cross Healthcare. It is to be hoped that adminstration is avoided primarily for the residents and their families given the potential risks and stress that will be caused for individuals if this company is unable to continue to provide services.
It is well documented the increases in costs over the past decade to meet registration standards coupled to the pressures to recruit staff from a small pool of labour to work in care homes. The question that must be asked – is Southern Cross a unique case or are there other registered care providers who expanded in the 199os boom for property investments who are also struggling to remain solvent?
It is to be hoped the answer to this question is No as the potential consequences will be unthinkable.
Are Andrew Lansley’s Reablement Plans misguided?
March 20, 2011
The plans of the Health Minister Andrew Lansley to increase funding for the NHS in the management of the first 30 days post discharge are in danger of chaos. Despite the investment of Government over the next three years in developing established reablement models of delivery which focus on intensive short term intervention to achieve maximum independence for people discharged from hospital there is real danger of ‘throwing the baby out with the bathwater’.
Successful Social Care models of reablement have been developed across the country generating encouraging results in meeting the Department of Health 58% target of people seen moving towards increased independence. With the transfer of 30 day discharge arrangements to health commissioners and providers there is real danger in 2012 that the allocated reablement monies will be reallocated within the NHS to fund alternative models such as step down beds leading to the break up of established reablement services which are delivering proven results.
Rather than knocking down the so called ‘berlin wall’ between health and social care the policy of transferring 30 day discharge to health will lead to potential conflict and chaos as established reablement services are put at risk with the transfer of monies in 2012. What is needed is guidance from the Department of Health on integrating the best models of reablement with health.