Hello to all Scottish clients,
I have recently joined Quality Compliance Systems and I am excited about working with you all, expanding the tools available, and ensuring they are reflective of the changes as they occur. I will be attending various events and conferences throughout 2018, the first being The Care Roadshow in Glasgow that QCS are sponsoring, so please do come and introduce yourselves, it would be lovely to meet you.
A Bit About Me
I have been a Registered Nurse (RMN and RGN) for 37 years and worked in various fields within the NHS and since 1998 in the private sector. Roles I have held were; Day Care Centre Manager, Home Manager, Regional Manager and worked in Quality and Regulation within large corporates. Further qualifications include a Diploma in Applied Social Science and BSc(Hons) in Healthcare from the Open University. I have also been involved in developing a Quality strategy for a large corporate, writing policies, procedures and audit tools.
I have been involved in contributing to various publications and studies with the Scottish Government and the Care Inspectorate such as:
- Development of Day Care Standards for Scotland
- Integrated Approach to Tissue Viability
- Facilitated the Infection Control Prevalence study with Healthcare Protection Scotland
- Falls and Fractures in Care Homes
- Model Policies Transmission-Based Precautions – Infection Control
- Oral Health for Adults in Care Homes
- Trialled various initiatives in care homes, results which were published – Benefits of the use of the Wii in Care Homes.
There are many changes planned within Health and Social Care in Scotland in 2018 and I plan to keep you informed of these developments. It is an exciting time to be involved in care and I can understand how it may be an anxious time for some whilst the new standards and frameworks are embedded. I recall being a Home Manager when the Care Commission replaced the joint regulators of Health Board and Social Services. My service was one of the first to be inspected and it was even in the first edition of the Care News telling all my experience, which was positive I may add.
Out with the Old, and in with the New!
Have your say on the new Care Inspectorates Quality Framework.
The consultation on the new quality framework for care homes for older people closes on 23rd February 2018. Read the proposal here, and have your say. It is important for providers to add their invaluable experience and contribute to the development of the framework as it will affect your service going forward. Your answers, alongside the evaluations of the pilot sites, will contribute to the published final quality framework for care homes for older people in April 2018. The key questions and quality indicators are underpinned by the new Health and Social Care Standards which have already been discussed in the expert insight https://www.qcs.co.uk/headline-outcome-involving-people-decisions-care/.
From April 2018, Care Homes for older people will no longer be inspected by using the Quality Themes and Statements and instead by the new Five Questions and Quality Indicators. We will look at what this means after the consultation and the final framework is announced.
At QCS we will be developing a new policy format for Scotland, all existing and new policies will be referenced to the key questions and quality indicators. Other quality assurance tools will be developed and be available to ensure you have robust evidence of consulting those who are included in service provision. Throughout 2018 the Regulator will develop further frameworks for other regulated services, keep watching…
