The Care Act’s local authority responsibilities have changed since the Health and Care bill passed in 2022. Local authorities will soon be under the supervision and scrutiny of the CQC, including the use of CQC inspection of local authorities. With that, many of the responsibilities which local authorities have under the Care Act have been discussed consistently including both market shaping and market oversight.
You may be wondering what these responsibilities mean for your local community and how by ensuring you are delivering these duties, you can you have a better provision of care.
At the Access Group we are aware of the challenges local authorities are facing currently which can impede you delivering the duties under the Care Act. We understand the issues with discharge delays, contract management, and managing longer term care plans to name a few.
Housing compliance is slowly becoming one of the biggest issues in the housing sector. The demand for social and temporary housing keeps rapidly increasing but the availability of compliant homes is decreasing.
Currently, housing is one of the top wider social determinants of health that individuals across the UK must face every day. It is believed that many housing crises are happening currently, but one of the biggest we are facing is the availability of fully compliant social and temporary housing.
In the last year alone over 100,000 households were living in temporary accommodation including over 120,000 children. Currently, 68% of families have been living in temporary accommodation for over a year. The housing charity Shelter has argued that due to the housing issues and risks we are currently facing, temporary housing is slowly becoming the new social housing. The 2023 Homelessness Monitor has reported that 85% of councils across England are facing an increase in people experiencing homelessness.
What is causing this increase in demand for social and temporary housing and why is compliant housing so difficult to find and use?
At Access Adam Housing, we know how important it is for local authorities and councils to seek fully compliant housing to place individuals and families in and help them get back on their feet.
This article will explain what housing compliance is, and why it is important, as well as highlight the housing risks when homes are not fully compliant or when compliance housing isn’t taken seriously.
This article will also address what the government has put in place to overcome the challenges of housing compliance and how our housing management software offers a unique solution to make these housing issues more manageable and ensure you only ever work with 100% compliant housing providers from now on.
A successful work-life balance is so important in whatever role you are in, being a care worker is known for being very rewarding, but also emotionally and physically demanding.
Many carers go ‘above and beyond’ what might be expected of them. While this is admirable it is important to maintain a balance. Not having that respite could result in social care losing some of its best people.
Staff retention in social care is extremely important when it comes to ensuring consistent high-quality care and maintaining the well-being of both caregivers and service users. Caring for vulnerable people is an enormously demanding job that can lead to staff burnout and high turnover rates if care staff aren’t receiving a sufficient amount of support in their role. Losing members of the team can have a detrimental effect on the overall performance of a care service and the comfort of their service users.
By investing in the wellbeing of your workforce, your care service will be best placed to deliver continuous exceptional care which will boost the overall success and rating of the business. We at The Access Group have been working with care services for over 30 years, helping them adapt to a digital way of life, and have seen how different care services are able to better retain staff than others. This article explores the effective strategies to retain care staff, why it’s important to do so and how digitisation can help.
ICB and PCN funding opportunities present significant chances to develop and digitally transform primary care networks and services. When leveraged correctly, these new funding opportunities can bring about widespread benefits. These funding streams facilitate necessary changes to transform care and support services across primary care settings, enabling a better response to the challenges across the health and social care market and your local community.
One of the most exciting aspects of new primary care funding opportunities is the encouragement of greater collaboration and co-production between ICBs and PCNs. This collaborative approach helps to better address community needs whilst achieving regional, national, and long-term goals to recover access to primary care.
Despite the cancellation of the £300 million digital pathways framework due to delays from legal challenges, NHS England has enhanced its national support offer. This includes a £48 million reimbursement fund derived from the Primary Care Access Recovery Plan (PCARP) with the aims of supporting Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) and Primary Care Networks (PCNs) to improve patient access, streamline care navigation, and enhance overall healthcare delivery through advanced digital solutions.
But what exactly is this fund? How does the new funding work? And most importantly, how can it be used, and how long will it last?
At Access Elemental Social Prescribing, we understand the importance of securing multiple-funding stream sources to ensure the sustainability of support services. We know that maximising the benefits of the funding received is equally crucial to achieving the best outcomes for patients, communities, and the workforce.
In this article you will learn all about the new PCN and ICB fund that is available and the best ways to use it to improve patient outcomes by managing demand and capacity more effectively.
A fall risk assessment should be considered for anyone who is elderly or suffering from a disability. The risk assessment is conducted by a physiotherapist, occupational therapist, or exercise therapist, and involves using a risk assessment tool that considers a person’s individual risk factors.
While fall risk assessments tend to be focused on the elderly, falls can affect all age groups including the young and middle-aged. Irrespective of age, falls can lead to injury and loss of confidence, to the detriment of a person’s wellbeing, confidence, and quality of life.
In this article we will explain what falls risk assessments involve, compare different types of falls risk assessments, and examine the best falls risk assessment tools. Finally we will have a look at how technology enabled care (TEC) can offer a solution for people assessed as having a high falls risk.
By onboarding the best EHR system, a healthcare provider can ensure that their clinicians are able to provide care to the best of their ability thanks to high quality solutions supporting their actions. Knowing which solution to choose and which software provider to partner with though… that’s another challenge.
For the uninitiated, we have an introductory article titled electronic health records explained, which explains the EHR systems meaning but also how to use EHR systems, the role of integrated EHR systems, and the distinction between standard health records and mental health EHR systems.
In this article we move beyond providing a foundational education regards electronic health records and EHR systems and on to the action part; deciding which EHR system is best for you. We discuss the implementation process, the distinction between web-based EHR systems and other iterations, and the costs typically involved. We round out by talking about selection; a look at well known providers that you can trust, as well as ways of better ascertaining which providers are most suited to your wants and needs.
Social prescribing in Wales is not new but has evolved significantly over the years as limitations of traditional healthcare approaches have been acknowledged.
Following multiple pilots and projects proving the outcomes for social prescribing in Wales, this person-centred approach has continuously been encouraged by being embedded in general policies of health and wellbeing in Wales.
But what is it? How does it work? And what examples of good practices are there to help facilitate and develop your service to grow successfully and be sustainable in the future?
At Access Elemental Social Prescribing, we know the challenges that can happen when trying to co-produce social prescribing services and we want you to gain the best knowledge and advice to overcome these challenges.
By the end of this article, you will know all there is to know about how the National Framework for Social Prescribing in Wales was developed and how it has helped individuals in Wales have better access to support to improve their mental health and wellbeing in Wales.
By explaining the benefits of digital social prescribing, this article will also summarise how Welsh social prescribing can be more sustainable to best secure future funding.
Last week we had the pleasure of attending the Digital Healthcare Show at the Excel, London. We met hundreds of individuals as passionate about the healthcare sector as we are, and we also had the chance to attend some fascinating, insightful talks from industry pioneers who have spent their fair share of time on the frontlines.
Fall prevention is best tackled with a multifaceted approach. This includes traditional methods such as promoting healthy lifestyles, strengthening family and social networks, and facilitating functional exercise programmes. Looking forward, fall detection technology is progressing rapidly and offers new and innovative devices for preventing falls.
While falls are a major concern for the elderly, they can affect people of all ages. There are a number of risk factors that make falls more likely. These include underlying medical conditions, side effects of medication, poor mobility, low blood pressure, and dehydration.
But are falls preventable?
The answer is a resounding yes. Falls are not a normal part of ageing, and they can be prevented using interventions that are proven and evidence based. A study of randomised trials in fall prevention found a variety of effective interventions including strength training, Tai Chi, home modification, and withdrawal of psychotropic medications.
This article discusses the most effective strategies regarding falls and fall prevention and concludes with a look at the latest fall prevention solutions, including technology enabled care (TEC).
