Blog | The Latest in Care

It’s now five years since the Care Certificate was launched in England in April 2015. With the latest statistics showing that 68% of frontline health and social care staff have engaged with the Care Certificate, let’s refresh our minds as to what the Care Certificate is as well as answer some of the commonly asked questions from throughout the health and social sector. Read More

In October 2019, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) released their annual assessment of health care and social care in England. The document, aptly named ‘State of Care’ reported that, despite challenging times, most of the care given across England is good and, overall, the quality is improving slightly. However, they also reported that service users are not always having good experiences and sometimes people don’t get the care they need until it’s too late and things have seriously worsened for them. Read More

CQC published a report ‘Smiling Matters’ in June 2019 which details an in-depth review on the state of oral health care in care homes across England. Since October 2019, new questions to improve oral care in care homes have been added to the Care Quality Commission’s ‘effective’ key line of inspection inquiry. Read More

The Workforce Development Fund (WDF) is a funding opportunity for adult social care employers in England. It’s a finite pot of money which allows you to reclaim some of the costs incurred through the achievement of advertised qualifications and non-accredited learning programmes by your workforce on completion of the learning. The fund supports the continuing professional development of staff across the adult social care sector. Read More

Caring for others can take its toll on your body, mind and emotions. Yet, even though you may be an expert at looking after your patients, are you giving your own wellbeing the same attention? Read More

Fortunately, 21st century healthcare is gradually moving away from the out-dated ‘doctor knows best’ model to one which is more person-centred. For you, as a health care practitioner, this means working with your patients - exploring what they already know, educating and empowering them to live the best they can with their conditions. Read More

This past year has given us some extreme weather: who can forget the deluge of snow that the ‘Beast from the east’ brought us in March? And then, just a couple of months later we enjoyed unprecedented heat waves throughout the long summer. Unfortunately, we don’t have a crystal ball, so who knows what the next few months will bring weather-wise? However, what we do know is that, if you work in a care home, it’s not only the weather that you will be concerned about this winter. Read More

This past year has given us some extreme weather: who can forget the deluge of snow that the ‘Beast from the east’ brought us in March? And then, just a couple of months later we enjoyed unprecedented heat waves throughout the long summer. Unfortunately, we don’t have a crystal ball, so who knows what the next few months will bring weather-wise? However, what we do know is that, if you work in a care home, it’s not only the weather that you will be concerned about this winter. Read More

The weather has turned, the dark nights have settled in and winter is fast-approaching. For those of you involved in the annual influenza immunisation campaign it’s a busy time of year; you will have completed all your training, be familiar with this years’ schedule / PGDs, and now your ‘flu clinics will be in full swing. Read More

Whatever field of healthcare you work in, the ability to cope with change has become an important aspect of your role. Yet keeping abreast of clinical, organisational and administrative changes presents a logistical challenge for even the most dedicated professional Read More

Most people tend to think that dementia only affects older people. However, approximately 42,000 people in the UK are affected by what’s known as ‘young onset dementia’ each year. This short article aims to give a brief overview of early onset dementia. However, to fully support people, both through the initial stages after diagnosis and as the disease progresses, it is advisable to undertake specialist healthcare training to help patients deal with the inevitable grief and confusion. Read More

Both how much and what you eat and drink not only affects your weight but it impacts on your mood, concentration levels and how you feel. In essence, ‘good’ food and hydration are essential for general wellbeing. So, as a healthcare worker, ensuring that your patients receive adequate amounts of nutrition and hydration is a fundamental aspect of holistic care. Read More

Patients who receive PEG feeding will have a PEG tube (also known as a gastrostomy tube) inserted directly into their stomach. The tube allows all food, fluids and medications to pass directly into the digestive tract. Read More

After a while, the hospital or care home where you work becomes as familiar to you as your own home. But it’s important to remember that for patients and relatives these alien environments can often feel scary and add to the vulnerability they are feeling. You can help to minimise anxieties by providing dignified and compassionate care and this should be a fundamental part of training for all nurses and healthcare assistants. Read More

As you know, patients and their relatives can behave in a range of unpredictable and challenging ways - some can shout abuse at you, some may try to physically attack you, others may harm themselves. So, one of the key aspects of working in healthcare is the ability to deal with whatever behaviour comes your way. And this isn’t always easy. Read More

When working as a nurse or health care assistant in the adult care sector, care homes or hospital setting, you will be caring for adults with a range of physical and mental health conditions. Many of these adults are incredibly vulnerable and need the understanding of caring and professionally trained staff. It is vital that all care staff and nurses keep themselves up to date with all aspects of caring for vulnerable adults and those with mental health conditions and challenging behaviours. Read More

Person-centred care is a term used to describe care which is responsive to an individual’s personal circumstances, values, needs and preferences. By adhering to person-centred care principles, staff are empowered to cut through the processes and systems to provide care which is specific to the patient’s individual requirements. Read More

The Skills Platform has launched a toolkit to assist those responsible for delivering the Care Certificate to new employees as part of their induction, and for upskilling current employees. It has been created for a wide range of health and care staff, from small independent care homes to large organisations with experienced learning and development teams Read More

In July 2013 the Government commissioned The Cavendish Review** which identified significant weaknesses in the induction training for 1.3 million health care workers delivering the bulk of hands on care. As a result, The Care Certificate was introduced and now forms a crucial first stage of the Trailblazer Health Apprenticeships . Read More

In healthcare, the focus is often on brilliant surgeons, nurses or doctors (who, of course, we applaud). However, nurses and other medical professionals in the UK would not be able to do their job without the dedicated assistance of the support workforce. Read More

With thousands of people running through the Care Certificate standards since its launch a year ago, we interview one of its lead architects, Angelo Varetto to reflect on successes and lessons learned. Read More