Editor Jim Kennedy looks at a recent DH publication. The Department for Health in England, has published a guide , for a non-medical audience, on the latest scientific evidence about the health-related harms of emerging and established licit and illicit drugs commonly used in the UK. Given its source, we suppose it’s formally targeted on an English [...]

Editor Jim Kennedy looks at a study published by IRISS, which examines the relevance of social media to the development of personalised social care in general, and to self-directed support in particular. This week’s highlights contain two publications linked through their interest in the internet. I’ve blogged separately on one that looks at the way [...]

Editor Jim Kennedy looks at the recent survey of Personal Budgets. What the Think Local, Act Personal Partnership says is the biggest survey yet of people’s experiences of personal budgets was published this week. Undertaken for the Partnership by In Control and the Centre for Disability Research at Lancaster University, the survey aimed to identify the [...]

It was the very first in our Friday Focus lecture series last week, and it was my pleasure to chair the lecture, which was given by Frances Patterson QC. She gave the audience a comprehensive run through the major issues related to the recent Law Commission report. Watch a video of her presentation, and download [...]

Editor Jim Kennedy looks at a new British Geriatrics Society report. The British Geriatrics Society has just published a report on the standard of NHS care for people living in care homes. It makes for fairly depressing reading, with major concerns highlighted about levels of unmet need, unacceptable service variation and often poor quality care. Coming [...]

Editor Jim Kennedy looks at the planned Self-Directed Support Bill in Scotland. Scottish Government has pursued a two-stage strategy in its consultations on the planned Self-directed Support Bill. The first was carried out in relation to outline proposals, between March and June of 2010. The second, on a draft Bill, was undertaken between December 2010 [...]

Jim Kennedy looks at the latest in the long-running saga of NHS reform. As we all know, the government ran into extreme difficulties in driving through its root-and-branch reform of the NHS. A ‘pause’ in its implementation was announced and a ‘futures forum’ set up to consult widely on the original proposals for change. The [...]

Jim Kennedy looks at the Skills for Care/Skills for Health ‘Common core principles for supporting people with dementia’. This week’s guide ( click to download ), from Skills for Care, provides a principles-based guide to dementia care training for the social care and health workforce. The guide is intended to cover any member of staff, in any [...]

I spoke to Tom Clarke, Associate Director of Nursing at South West London and St. George’s NHS Trust recently as part of our new project on Co-Production. He was one of the movers behind setting up the BigSmallWorld project, and he talked about his personal journey from the old model of the voluntary sector having [...]

Editor Jim Kennedy looks at the state of social care after a busy week. This has been a busy week for major insights into the state of social care for adults in England. From Panorama’s revelations, to the Audit Commission’s ideas about achieving best value and Age UK’s concerns about the growing resources gap, there’s [...]

In this week’s editorial blog, Jim Kennedy looks at the new DH statement on safeguarding. This week’s ‘policy statement’ from DH (a href=” http://www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/documents/digitalasset/dh_126770.pdf” taget=”_new”>link</a>) is something of a hybrid communication. It says it sets out the government’s policy on safeguarding adults. Having read the document two or three times, I think it is rather better seen [...]

In this week’s editorial blog, Jim Kennedy looks at the final report from The Munro Review… The Munro Review has been considering the evidence on the child protection system in England, since June of last year. The Review’s final report has now been published. This has been a further extensive and far-reaching analysis of problems [...]

I was at the Battersea Arts Centre on Lavender Hill last Friday, for a Volunteering, Training and Employment Fair. It was arranged by Lifetimes – previously the Wandsworth Voluntary Sector Development Agency, with whom we’re about to start an exciting co-production website. The event was very well-attended, both in terms of voluntary organisations with stalls at [...]

In this week’s editorial, Jim Kennedy looks at the recent Ofsted report on their assessment of children’s services. Ofsted has published its summary report on children’s services assessments carried out in 2010 ( click here to read it ). This is likely to be the penultimate year under the current assessment arrangements – the government has announced [...]

In this week’s CareKnowledge editorial, Jim Kennedly looks at the publication by Consumer magazine, Which? of results of its investigation into care homes ( click here to read it. ) For the investigation, three actors were asked to spend a week of their lives, posing as residents in four randomly chosen residential and nursing homes. Which? says [...]

CareKnowledge editor Jim Kennedy looks his week at the new Provider Blueprint under ‘Think Local, Act Personal’ Provider Blueprint The Putting People First policy has been replaced by a new national initiative, Think Local Act Personal, which is designed to support the continuing transformation of adult social care. The initiative is underpinned by a partnership [...]

In this week’s CareKnowledge editorial, Jim Kennedy looked at the recent King’s Fund report on integrating health and social care : The King’s Fund report, Integrating health and social care, where next? , is partly based on a short series of national seminars held towards the end of last year, but it actually provides a much more fully worked [...]

In this week’s editor’s blog on CareKnowledge, Jim Kennedy look at the new report on the results of the consultation on last November’s draft material outlining a new approach to quality and outcomes in adult social care, and the new framework that will apply in 2011/12. His blog is included below. Last November, government published [...]

In a sad reflection of the parlous state of local government finance, this year’s Social Services Research Group Annual Workshop was a one-day event, rather than the long-standing three-day format. But there was a lot packed in! The day started with Jeff Jerome, reflecting on what we need to know, and what information we need [...]

I, along with almost 200 other people, gave up last Saturday to attend UKGovCamp 2011 at Microsoft HQ near Victoria Station. I waxed lyrical about my first taste of an ‘unconference’ at UKGovCamp 2010 last year – a conference with no ‘experts’ dispensing wisdom, and no programme : just a group of enthusiastic people getting [...]