independent care matters...shower, or horlicks at night rather than tea. •make sure you do what...

For the second year running ICG has not

been able to accept the fee rates offered

by CYC and NYCC. In spite of extensive ne-

gotiations, the fee rises allocated this year do

not come close to reflecting the true cost of

care. In recent years fee rates have fallen

well below the amount needed to maintain

and raise quality. In many cases relatives

now have to pay top-ups in order to keep care

services viable.

NYCC has awarded 3.9%. CYC has awarded

2.3% - with an offer of further talks following

the Council elections.

A disappointing year for fee increases for care

Inside this issue:

Dignity and privacy 2

Legal seminar on

MCA

3

Derek Law of NYCC

writes for ICM

4

ICG Membership 5

Your letters 6/7

Capital Grants 8

ICG working with Skills for Care

to gather workforce information

Independent Care Matters the newsletter for independent care providers in York

and North Yorkshire

Issue 10

Spring 2007

We must know more about the social care workforce so that

the right arrangements for training can be put in place.

Right now, statistics about the people who work in social care

are unknown and this weakens the case for getting the funding

for training help we need for our sector. ICG has agreed to

work with Skills for Care to ask care providers to supply the

information needed to make the picture clear.

What is the average age of the workforce?

Why do people leave?

How well qualified are they?

We need your help please to answer these questions and more.

In December, Skills for Care sent out the National Minimum

Dataset (NMDS) packs and so far—though our region is doing

well—we need far more replies to complete the picture. ICG will

be following this up offering encouragement and practical help

for people to complete the pack. In the meantime—Skills for

Care will not be able to give training grants to those who

have not completed the NMDS. ICG will work with providers to

gather this vital information. See also page 8.

CYC fee rates 2007-2008

Residential care: £349.94. EMI—£359.94

Nursing Care: £470.23. EMI—£480.23

NYCC fee rates 2007-2008

Residential care: £329.50. EMI—£359.50

Nursing care: Low £413; Med £460; High £512

NEW PCT—ICG has met with Janet

Soo Chung, Chief Executive of North

Yorkshire and York PCT and expressed a

wish for the independent care sector to

work more closely with the PCT at all

levels on a range of issues including free-

ing up hospital beds.

EYK0967 ICG:EYK0967 ICG 18/4/07 14:36

Independent Care Matters

lder people have identified the issues which are most important to them and this

has been built into the Dignity and Privacy campaign. It applies to all care set-

tings—statutory, private and voluntary.

Mike Padgham ICG Chair and Dignity Champion says ‘Many care providers already have

these quality issues embedded in the heart of their services—but the campaign provides a

good way for you to check that your services are in line with each of these expectations.’

High quality care services that respect people’s dignity should:

• Have zero tolerance for all kinds of abuse

• Support people with the same respect you would want for yourself or a member of

your family

• Treat each person as an individual by offering a personalised service

• Enable people to maintain the maximum level of independence, choice and control

• Listen and support people to express their needs and wants

• Respect people’s right to privacy

• Ensure people feel able to complain without fear of retribution

• Engage with family members and carers as care partners

• Assist people to maintain confidence and a positive self-esteem

• Act to alleviate people’s loneliness and isolation.

A new practice guide

The guide is aimed at people who use services, carers, care workers, managers and commis-

sioners to ensure that dignity and respect are integral to the services they provide. For

more information go to: http://www.scie.org.uk/publications/practiceguides/

practiceguide09/files/pg09.pdf

Sharing good practice—top tips for care homes

•Ask residents how they want to be addressed. Don't assume they want you to use their first name or

that they are happy to have their name abbreviated.

•Always knock before you enter someone's room. This is their home, and although you have a job to

do, you are still a guest.

•Everyone has a history and a biography. Take time to find out about people's experiences and inter-

ests. Make sure you know when it’s their birthday or an important date such as a wedding anniversary.

•Although you may get to know some residents very well, do not become complacent about their needs

nor take their wishes for granted. Check out regularly whether they still want a bath rather than a

shower, or Horlicks at night rather than tea.

•Make sure you do what you say you will do. If you have agreed to help someone to the telephone at

7 pm for when their daughter rings, don't let them down.

•Show respect for people's belongings. Put clothes away in the right place and check washing instruc-

tions before putting them in the laundry.

•You may be providing very intimate care for people. However busy you are, show proper respect for

their bodies and for their particular needs. Don't rush them.

For more information on this on-going campaign go to: www.dignityincare.org.uk.

See Page 8 for news on Capital Grants for improving the environment for older people

(part of Dignity in Care Campaign).

Ensuring a quality service -

Are you signed up to the Dignity Challenge?

EYK0967 ICG:EYK0967 ICG 18/4/07 14:36 Page 2

The ICG seminar on the Mental Capacity Act was well attended, in spite of dreadful weather on

the day. Andrew Parsons of RadcliffesLeBrasseur gave a comprehensive and very informa-

tive presentation on what people need to know about the new Act. He began with a reminder

that under the new Act, people must be assumed to have capacity unless they have been as-

sessed as lacking capacity. There is a duty to exhaust all practicable steps in helping the individual

make their own decision, before they are treated as lacking capacity. The seminar was arranged in

co-operation with CYC and NYCC. ICG has been sending full details of the introduction of the Act,

its content and implications to members. 96.9% judged the seminar to be Excellent or Good.

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ICG invites Derek Law to write for Independent Care Matters:

NYCC—Planning for the future: Strategic Commissioning for

Independence, Well-being and Choice

A

s we all know social

care services are vital

to many people across

North Yorkshire. To deliver

better outcomes requires ex-

cellent partnership working

between all those who can

contribute. The Government’s

White paper ‘Our Health, Our

Care, Our Say’ provides our

framework for the future and

we must focus more on whole

communities and not as in the

past on smaller numbers of

people with high level needs.

The challenge is for us all to

work in ways that prevents de-

pendency and maximises peo-

ple’s independence. This will

not only give people more ful-

filling lives but it will be better

value for money, and more

affordable for all. This is par-

ticularly important as we look

to the future and big popula-

tion changes ahead, such as

the 50% increase in people

over 65 in the County by 2020.

To meet the challenge a wider

group of partners will need to

be involved. Mainstream, uni-

versal services not normally

seen as contributing to social

care will have

to play their full

part e.g. hous-

ing, leisure,

transport etc.

To prepare for

this future we

have devel-

oped a long

term plan to respond to the

challenge. Working with the De-

partment of Health and the In-

stitute of Public Care we are

one of the first local authorities

nationally to have such a plan.

The ICG along with the Volun-

tary Sector, the PCT and other

partners have also been in-

volved at various stages and I

have been appreciative of their

support.

The plan ‘Strategic Commis-

sioning for Independence, Well-

being, and Choice’ was formally

approved by the Council’s Ex-

ecutive on the 20th

March and is

available on the Council’s web

site or by contacting Cath

Doman at County Hall. We are

planning a formal launch with

a conference at the Pavilions

in Harrogate on the 27th

June

2007 with the ICG playing a key

part both in the launch and the

ongoing implementation.

Implementation will build on

existing areas of work such as

extra care housing and tele-

care whilst introducing new

ones such as individual budg-

ets and outcome based con-

tracting with providers. Money

has been set aside in the com-

ing year to make further pro-

gress with preventative ser-

vices and the lowering of our

eligibility criteria will increase

the volume of care provided.

I see the independent care

sector as a vital partner and

have already been engaged in

discussing new ways of work-

ing with the ICG. I am very

much looking forward to

strengthening our partnerships

to deliver what is both an excit-

ing and challenging future.

DEREK LAW

Corporate Director - Adult &

Community Services

ICG commends the Council for

lowering the eligibility criteria for

care from ‘critical’ to ‘substantial’.

DIARY DATE

NYCC Conference on Strategic

Commissioning

The conference will launch the

County Council’s vision and

approach to delivering services and

is open to all care providers.

Where: The Pavilions, Great York-

shire Showground Harrogate

When: Wednesday 27 June 2007

To be e-mailed a registration form

when it’s available go to:

[email protected]

FLU PANDEMIC—are you prepared?

Business Continuity training and Workshops

Most experts agree it’s not a question of whether there will be a flu

pandemic but when. ICG has been attending regional planning

meetings on behalf of the care sector for more than a year.

Now we have arranged Business Continuity Workshops for ICG

members to help them put plans in place.

Where: The Folk Hall, New Earswick, York

When: Wednesday 9th and Thursday 10th May 2007

Booking: If you are an ICG member make sure of your place by

calling Keren Wilson at ICG on 01423 816 582 or by e-mail at

[email protected]


This is the time of year to join us or renew your

ICG membership. We can’t promise to get you

the fee increases you deserve—but we do keep

up our efforts. So why join?

Keeping you up to date—information is vital

The care business is highly regulated and dynamic.

Changes occur across all aspects of care with fright-

ening frequency . ICG sends weekly e-mail updates

which bring you the latest national and local news.

Whether it’s local training opportunities or the latest

on national initiatives, whether it’s from CSCI or the

Food Standards Agency, or whether it’s the latest on

flu pandemic planning or adult protection, we send it

to you in bite size chunks.

Free legal helpline

ICG is proud of its association with highly regarded

law firm RadcliffesLeBrasseur. Membership of ICG

gives you the opportunity to speak to an expert on

any legal query connected to health and social care.

Personal support

The support of a full time officer who is willing to talk

through issues with you and provide support and in-

formation where needed. Whether its on dementia

initiatives or end of life care we are here to help. You

can call Keren Wilson at ICG on 01423 816 582.

Independent Care Matters—your newsletter

Time was when you could be isolated from much of

the activity taking place across the care sector

locally. Now ICG sends you Independent Care Mat-

ters—but please don’t be complacent, ICG cannot

exist without building its membership year on year.

If ICG disappears you would no longer get this news.

If you have a view—a problem or a piece of good

news then don’t be shy—send us a letter. Our

address is on the back page.

Annual Conference

ICG strives to help the care sector have the latest

information and a perspective on the future as it is

described by Government. Each year it invites all

ICG Membership—is it worth it?

care providers to get together and hear the national

issues delivered locally. The conference is a lot of

hard work but we know that most people find it both

interesting and enjoyable. There are reduced rates

for ICG members.

Local meetings

ICG organises local meetings for several reasons: to

listen to the views of care providers; to disseminate

information; and to give providers a chance to get

together and share interests and concerns. We are

extremely grateful to those members who provide

venues for the ICG meetings across our region.

Working on your behalf

Whether it’s pressing the case for fair fees or working

to find new ways of working with the PCT we promote

the value of independent sector in numerous settings.

ICG Website

As a professional organisation we are in the process

of developing our website. We hope to put more in-

formation onto it as funds become available. You can

download Membership details from our website:

www.independentcaregroup.co.uk

Networking

Wherever possible ICG can put you in touch with

other members or make enquiries for you on a

particular issue.

What is ICG about?

It’s about helping care providers to give the best pos-

sible service to the vulnerable people they care for—

and working in partnership with others to make this a

reality.

JOIN NOW: Mike Padgham ICG Chair says ‘We will

be sending you a Membership Application Form or a

Membership Renewal Form very soon. Please return

it as soon as possible and keep this collaborative and

dynamic network alive.

You can call Keren Wilson at ICG on 01423 816 518

if you have any queries.

HOORAY!

ICG Director Dickie Inman completes

Desert Marathon for charity

ICG Director (voluntary) Dickie Inman has

completed the gruelling desert marathon

endurance race—the Marathon Des Sables—

the equivalent of 5½ marathons run over 6

days while carrying equipment.

Dickie says ‘It was a tough race but I was in-

spired by Chris Moon—speaker at the recent

ICG conference. Self determination got me

through and I was motivated by raising funds

for a local charity—Harrogate Community

Trust Ltd— which was started by my late father.’

Dickie hopes his efforts will have raised more than £14,000.

ICG Local Meetings

Care provider meetings have been held

recently in Scarborough, York, Harrogate,

Leeming and Skipton.

As well as hearing all the news and hav-

ing the opportunity to network and raise

issues of concern, providers heard pres-

entations from Skills for Care and CSCI.

ICG is very grateful to all the homes

which provided venues and refreshments

for the meetings.

ICG care providers’ meeting at Skipton


Your letters ...


Dear ICG

NYCC changed its format for 4 weekly bed returns last year. The

old system, where we had a pro forma that we completed and

sent in by a due date, we found worked very well. The new

system where they send a form to us with our confirming the

information, has never worked well at all. Invariably we are

receiving the form late due to any number of reasons and leading to delay in making

returns? Why was this new system brought in – it must be most costly to

administer.

Tim Bower

Omega Oak Barn

Geoff Wall—NYCC Assistant Director Resources replies:

The previous system was based on a proforma that providers were expected to complete and

return to the Directorate. Whilst many did this, a significant number failed to return the form. A

common reason given was the large amount of information that had to be entered onto the form,

particularly for homes with many NYCC funded residents.

Following some audit work, a small number of cases were identified where payments were being

made in respect of residents who had died at some point in the past. This information had not

been reflected in payment systems, in some cases because the provider had not notified the Di-

rectorate. This led to overpayments.

The outcome of this audit was a need to tighten up the system of bed returns, including monitor-

ing systems to pick up missing returns, and hence ensure no gaps in information. This was re-

lated to a new clause in the standard contract reserving the right to suspend payments if two con-

secutive returns are missed.

The new system of providing pre-populated bed returns was implemented to assist providers in

administration of prompt returns. It is accepted that there have been some delays in issuing

these returns in recent months. The system has been reviewed to ensure these will be issued in

a timely way in future.

Dear ICG

I am writing to let you know that we did not receive any information from NYCC to say

that we could apply for the Capital Grant for improving the care homeenvironment for older people. Under the criteria set by the council our nursing home

was eligible because we do care for patients funded by NYCC. I am grateful to ICG for

keeping us informed and sending all the necessary paper work at an early enough stage

for me to put in a bid for funding. Had we not been members of ICG we would have

missed this opportunity. Thank you.

Val Sedgewick,

Ingleborough Nursing Home


Dear ICG

We have had literature from the Motion

Picture Licensing Company (MPLC) re:

the legal use of copyrighted home videos

& DVDs. It states that the annual cost of

the licence is based on £6.00 per bed for a

Care Home. Could you please tell me –

do we have to pay this? We have not

been asked for it before.

Dee Price

A 12 bed care home

Dear Dee

The MPLC has been sending letters to care homes

(seemingly at random) over the past year. When this first

began I asked Trading Standards to investigate for us and

the reply came back that this organisation is bona fide and

entitled to ask for copyright payment.

In certain areas ICG members have told me that MPLC

targets a home and telephones repeatedly, speaking to

different members of staff asking if videos or DVDs are

played in the public areas.

If you are contacted by MPLC you are obliged to pay the

copyright fee if you play videos and/or DVDs to your resi-

dents collectively—other than in residents’ own rooms.

Many people have argued that an exception should be

made because a care home is the residents’ home—but so

far MPLC has been deaf to such arguments. I am sorry to

have to confirm this as an extra cost.

Keren Wilson

ICG

Dear ICG

By way of information, we have just completed the final stage payments of the

residential fee rate for Northumberland to the True Cost of Care and it comes

to a payment figure of £409.40. Newcastle is just finalising their re-run of the

Model and Gateshead are on the same track.

North and South Tyneside have both completed their Models recently and with-

out being too optimistic, within the next year or two, the whole of the Northern

Area from Durham to the Scottish Border will be being paid on the basis of the

True Cost of Care Models. Redcar and Cleveland are also moving in that di-

rection with the Model completed (see below) as is Stockton and Middlesbrough

are just about to commence.

I have just seen the figure for the City of York 01 April 2007 which stands at

£349.94, but that is £60 below Northumberland. Yet I believe the labour costs

and the capital costs for the City of York in particular and North Yorkshire would

be higher if a Model exercise is completed in one of these localities. The City of

York should be at least £40 - £50, if not £60 above the Northumberland

rate. As a matter of interest the Redcar and Cleveland model, for a grade 1

Home with a full quality Star Rating, illustrates a figure of £447.18 today.It is completely wrong and against all the rules of natural justice, that the cli-

ents in York and North Yorkshire are having to top up to the extent of approxi-

mately £100 if they are going to get a bed.

When are Providers in Yorkshire prepared to take some pain, make some effort

and take risks to get the Cost of Care Models established and payment thereof

within a reasonable period of time? Everybody, but particularly the clients

(those in need) benefit from a proper payment.Simon Beckett

Chair of Care North EastMD of Wellburn Care Homes


Issue 10

The voice of independent care

providers in York and N Yorkshire

Phone: 01423 816 582

Mobile: 07766 714 157

E-mail: [email protected]

See our developing website at:

www. Independentcaregroup.co.uk

ICG represents independent care providers in

York and North Yorkshire including care home

providers for all client groups, domiciliary care

agencies, supported living and extra care housing

providers, and day centres in the private and

voluntary parts of the independent sector.

ICG contact address:

Keren Wilson

Development Director

Independent Care Group

5 Beechwood Grove

HARROGATE

HG2 8QP.

Independent Care Matters is sent currently to

all care providers in York and North Yorkshire,

all City Councillors, all County Councillors, Chief

Executives of the new PCT, Borough and District

Councils, NHS Trusts, to all local MPs and MEPs

and senior managers at NYCC & CYC.

Capital Grant for improving the care

home environment for older people

Applications for the Capital Grant money an-

nounced by the Government as part of the Dignity

Campaign have been considered by CYC and

NYCC. The allocations were: NYCC £835,000 and

CYC £220,000. Following representations, ICG was

invited to be on both panels. Applications for funds

totalling well in excess of the money available

were received by both Councils.

Applications were dealt with anonymously, and

every effort was made to achieve fairness.

The bids were considered on the basis of whether

they would benefit the maximum number of people

within the home, whether they fit the specified

criteria, whether they gave a clear indication of

costs and were received within the time deadline

given. If the residents (or their families) had been

consulted, this was taken into account – as, of

course, was the amount of money available to be

shared out. Each bid was reconsidered several

times to ensure fairness and to make sure that the

bids decided at the beginning were treated in the

same way as those at the end. Where decisions

were difficult the bids were separated and consid-

ered again, more than once. All the money was

allocated and was distributed as fairly as possible.

What happens now?

Each Council has to put in a return to the DH be-

fore the money is granted – giving details of the

agreed bids, who they are from, how much they

are for, and how they meet the criteria set out by

the DH. ICG has asked that the money is

distributed as soon as possible, once assurances

on the agreed projects have been obtained.

National Minimum Dataset (NMDS)

It is really important that you complete the

NMDS packs and return them.

Why should you complete

the NMDS?

Funding is one of the main

issues raised by employers.

Information about pay will enable us to do a

number of things:

• It will enable us to report on the real cost of care

• It will enable us to develop strategies to help the

sector with recruitment and retention issues

• It will enable us to define career pathways for

people interested in working in social care

• It will give us a national and regional picture of

pay differences

What will happen to your information?

The information about pay will be held securely by

Skills for Care and will not be shared with any other

agency.

All information will be collected and held in accor-

dance with the Data Protection Act. It will then be

entered into an information database where it will

be anonymised. Individual employers will be able to

access and use their own information. Apart from

this, information will only be available in aggregated

and anonymised form and individual staff will not

be identified.

If you have any queries please call Keren Wilson on

01423 816 582. All NMDS documents can be

obtained from: www.nmds-sc.org.uk or

www.skillsforcare.org.uk

EYK0967 ICG:EYK0967 ICG 18/4/07 14:36

independent care matters...shower, or horlicks at night rather than tea. •make sure you do what...

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