The DSPT and Data Protection in General for Care Homes

Tools for Running a Successful Care Business Webinar - 9th May - last chance to book your place

WMCA Spring Conference hailed a great success!

Falls and the resulting harm caused by falls can significantly impact a person's well-being and mobility. Within care settings, older people are three times more likely to fall than older people living in their own homes with more serious consequences. In today's dynamic healthcare landscape, resident well-being is paramount and care homes are looking for innovative solutions to improve care outcomes. Here, Mike Hamilton from My Improvement Network (one of our Falls Based Prevention Suppliers), explains how their RITA system can help in care home settings. ******************** How can RITA help manage and reduce incidences of falls? The Daily Mail recently reported that 250,000 NHS Patients a year suffer a dangerous or even fatal fall estimated to cost £2.3 Billion pounds a year and if you take in to account falls in the community including in Care Homes, the issue is even greater. The sad reality is that a great deal of falls are preventable and some would argue that all of them are, but let's be realistic. It is commonly overlooked that many falls frequently occur as a result of behaviours that challenge. So, what causes behaviours that challenge and what can be done to prevent it? Many fallers in hospital are elderly and have complex conditions such as Dementia and other underlying cognitive issues. Hospitals are incredibly scary and daunting places; they are unfamiliar and full of unfamiliar faces. These patients become very confused, unsettled, bored and restless in hospital and their behaviours deteriorate and escalate as a result. This can lead to wandering with purpose that leads to falls and combative behaviour leading to other safeguarding incidents. Hospitals and care homes in general offer globally admired Clinical and Nursing interventions focussed on physical health; however, the Mental Health and Wellbeing of service users is sadly commonly overlooked and can be viewed as a 'nice to have', due to under resourcing, underfunding and a lack of awareness of the problem. Scotland are ahead of the game. Last year, I wrote to the UK Government, lobbying for more investment, resources and standards focused on enhanced therapeutic proactive and preventative care to be considered. I was delighted to receive an invitation to meet with Government officials and received a letter from Michael Matheson Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care. I was really reassured to hear that new reforms are being implemented, including a proactive and preventative care programme. So how does our RITA technology help to prevent falls and support the proactive and preventative care initiative? The answer is that it is not the RITA device specifically, that helps to prevent a fall, it is the proactive therapeutic use of the RITA technology with patients/service users that helps to prevent falls. Why? When staff use RITA as an alternative therapeutic intervention, they are ultimately proactively enhancing the care environment and service users Mental Health, Quality of life and wellbeing. By doing so, this helps to prevent behaviours that challenge (Common root cause) occurring in the first place which in turn contributes to prevention of incidences of falls that may occur otherwise. It is critical for other NHS leaders to follow Scotland's lead and to see the opportunity here. This is a prime example of an invest to save case. If falls are costing the NHS an estimated £2.3 Billion pounds a year, surely it is logical to invest in a proactive and preventative care agenda. Even if this approach were to help prevent just 10% of falls a year, we are talking a cost release saving to the NHS of £230M a year! Arguably, the biggest challenge of course, is changing mindsets and culture; and this can only be achieved by implementing new standards, procedures and quality monitoring assessments. ******************** My Improvement Network are offering a 30% discount on their RITA system to WMCA members . For more information, contact Mike Hamilton by email at: mike.hamilton@myimprovementnetwork.com You can find out more about My Improvement Network here . ******************** As part of Digital Transformation Fund (DTF) there is funding available for allocation to CQC registered homes to support Care Homes to introduce falls technologies to help identify and prevent falls and to engage in small pilots of other technology enabled care (TEC). If you are interested to learn about your eligibility, what funding is available, and how the WMCA can support you through the selection and purchasing process, please click here .

Health & Safety Compliance Quiz - helping you to understand your compliance status Quick quiz: how does your Health & Safety measure up? Navigating workplace Health & Safety can feel like a minefield. One wrong move and you could face the HSE's hefty £166 per hour intervention fee to fix any mistakes. Are you happy you're on the right track?  Our Partner, Citation, bring clarity to complex Health & Safety compliance. Their Health & Safety calculator has been specifically designed to provide you with a quick review of how your business is doing and pinpoint any areas for improvement. Why not take a moment to see where you stand? START QUIZ NOW : https://tinyurl.com/kpknfhsk And if you don’t get the score you’re hoping for? Don't worry—Citation is here to help. They’re ready to support with 24/7 expert guidance and solutions that actually work; their typical client is 75% less likely to experience a reportable accident*. If you’d like to chat about how Citation can help with the HR and Health & Safety side of your business, just fill in their call-back form , and they'll get right back to you. Remember to quote ‘West Midlands Care Association when enquiring to access preferential rates.

Have you thought about a Nurse Associate in your service? A Nursing Associate is a member of the care workforce who provides enhanced care for people in health and social care settings . The role has been created to bridge the skills gap between care assistants and registered nurses. This role is only being used and regulated in England. A nursing associate is not a substitute for a registered nurse. The intention is that by employing a nursing associate, who is registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) having completed an approved training course, it can free up the time of a registered nurse to work at the upper limits of their registration, focusing on more complex care needs and leadership. Nursing associates will have a foundation degree and pre-registration training typically involves two years of higher education, including placements to gain experience across the four fields of nursing – adult, child, learning disability, mental health and within a range of different health and care settings. The West Midlands Care Association is currently exploring whether this is something that would be of interest to our members, with the view of securing funding to support this. In order to help us with this decision, please complete this short expression of interest form . Thank you.

WMCA Continued Financial Support for International Recruitment

#GladtoCare Awareness Week Person Centred Software (PCS) are hosting Glad to Care Awareness week for it's 5th year from 20th to 24th May 2024 . #GladtoCare is designed to boost the profile of carers who work extremely hard with very little public recognition. The campaign seeks to demonstrate appreciation to carers. This year Person Centred Software's aims with #GladtoCare Awareness Week is to continue to shine a light on all the incredible work within the social care industry and to provide support on how best to choose a care home for loved ones. You can download your Glad to Care Toolkit courtesy of PCS in order to begin planning your activities for the week. A variety of fun activities are planned for the week from Motivation Monday to Feel Good Friday, all designed to get the entire care community and residents involved. For every registration, PCS will donate £2 to the Care Workers Charity . Find out more about #GladtoCare .