DRAFT

ACTION PLAN

/ Assynt House
BeechwoodPark
Inverness IV2 3BW
Tel: 01463 717123
Fax: 01463 235189
/
Adult Social Care Practice Forum /

19th May 2014 at 10am. Seminar Room, New Craigs Hospital, Inverness

Present:
Ian Thomson – Project Manager-Quality Assurance (IT) - CHAIR
Arlene Johnstone – Complex Case Planning Manager (AJ)
Ian Clayton – Resources Manager-Learning Disabilities (IC)
Kara McNaught – Social Worker (KM)
Graeme Mackinnon – Team Manager (GM)
Helen Robertson – Social Worker (HR)
Pamela McAllister – Care at Home Officer (PM)
Angela Longmate – Social Care Worker (AL)
Christina Mudditt – Senior Social Care Worker (CM)
James Bain – Resources & Performance Team Leader (JB)
Laura Maclean – Admin Assistant (LM) / In Attendance:
Laura Gillies (LG)
Liz Featherstone (LF)
SUBJECT / REPORT / ACTION
1. / APOLOGIES:
Sheilis Mackay – Manager of Advocacy Highland
Lyn Johnson – Manager of the Montrose Centre
Meg Shaw – Care at Home Officer
Janet Spence – Programme Manager-Quality Assurance
Graham Jepps – Day Centre Officer
1.1. / DECLARATIONS OF INTERESTS
None of the attendees has any interests to declare.
2. / MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING HELD ON 5TH NOVEMBER 2013
2.1 / The previous minutes were accepted as an accurate record.
2.2 / Items under matters arising.
IT explained that he had attended the most recent meeting of the Highland Health & Social Care Committee to represent the Forum. IT informed the group that where the Forum can come to a clear position on important issues it will be possible for the Chair to articulate to both the Committee and the operational managers who attend. This will be part of the Committee’s quality assurance role.
ACTION / None
3. / MAIN TOPICS & STANDING ITEMS
3.1 / Large Scale Investigation Protocol
The protocol was discussed at the last meeting of this group and it was agreed at that point that the initial draft was a good start.
LG flagged that the Scottish Government has released new guidelines regarding the protocol. She was keen to stress that the protocol needs to be signed off and implemented in the near future.
LG proceeded to show the group two PowerPoint presentations. The first of these was given to care home staff last week. LG stated that the presentation had been extremely well received and staff left feeling more confident about their role in relation to adult support and protection.
LG asked for comments on the presentations. IT suggested that procedural clarity was needed in terms of how investigations work; and there is also a need to establish what decision-making needs to be put in place to ensure investigations are triggered appropriately in the first instance. LF highlighted the need to consider the role of the Review Team in this respect.
LG talked about how legal processes were not always being followed because those who were subject to large scale ASP processes were not always fully informed of their choices. It was noted that a balance needs to be struck so that the protocol facilitates the support of management actions but that issues can be tackled at an individual level.
LG asked the group if they thought that people were likely to be subject to harm in a care home and what is this forum’s role in preventing harm. AJ talked about how with regards to learning disabilities, there is a perception that environments such as those offered at Camphill are safer but research has shown that this is not necessarily the case. LG informed the group that the Care Inspectorate has expressed a wish to become more involved in ASP Committees. LF was of the opinion that there has been an over-reliance on the Care Inspectorate going in to the units to carry out their inspections and that staff need to be more active in terms of using CareFirst to monitor reviewing activity. Helen advised that when she speaks to families about choosing a care home, she always suggests to them that they should speak directly to the Unit Manager in the first instance. CM talked about how colleagues have recently received training to help them understand what it’s like to live with dementia and it has helped them to change their attitude.
IC asked colleagues what could be done to help staff feel more valued. CM suggested giving staff Champion roles. JB flagged that there may be value in improving staff inductions and examining key performance measures.
All agreed that there needs to be a systematic review of the reviewing process.
GM told of how when he managed a care home, he encouraged resident’s families to approach him or his staff to voice any concerns. He added that care homes need to be encouraged to self-police in order to listen to concerns so that they don’t escalate.
In addition to reviewing resident’s needs regularly, IT highlighted the need to support management in care homes and ensure that in turn, the management is supporting staff adequately. LF suggested that private care providers need to be encouraged to seek help before a problem escalates.
It was agreed that the collation of reported concerns needs to be looked at in the Large Scale Investigation Protocol – and that there needs to be clear ”practice governance” around concerns re practice. LG suggested involving Marie Noble in her role of Practice Support Officer which she is due to start.
ACTION /
  • None

3.2 / Paper on the Role of the Social Worker
It was confirmed that this paper is still JS’s responsibility. LF suggested that it should also go to Bill Alexander in his role of Chief Social Work Officer.
LF stated that she thought this was a good document and that the context is correct. She added that it would be helpful to have as part of an induction and it could also help to explain the role of a Social Worker to health care colleagues. IC commented on the graph on page seven; he queried the suggestion that the Social Worker always has to be the Lead Professional.
LG suggested that the document could be strengthened by recognising that a holistic approach can also be taken.
IT flagged that the document doesn’t go into enough detail about how social work staff should work together with AHPs, nurses and other health professionals in the District setting; pointing, for example, to the thresholds for the “Lead Professional” in Children’s services.
LF asked if there is information available on GIRFEC which could be translated to be incorporated in to adult’s services. IT agreed to circulate the GIRFEC document to the rest of the group.
ACTION /
  • IT agreed to circulate the GIRFEC documents to the rest of the group.
/ IT
3.3 / Progress in developing a Personal Outcomes Planning approach
LF spoke of how this is a piece of work which has been on-going for a number of years. She stressed that there is an urgency attached to finalising the Personal Outcome Plan so that it can be signed off and distributed to the workforce to use. LF made reference to the phrase “Talking Not Ticking” as coined by SDS; this describes the approach which should be taken when completing the Personal Outcome Plan. JB flagged that the Personal Outcome Plan is a key building block for service delivery.
LF explained that Action Learning Sets have been taking place in the pilot areas to introduce the Personal Outcome Plan to staff who will be completing it; to date, it has not been possible to include hospital based nurses.
IT suggested that this item should remain on the agenda of future meetings.
ACTION /
  • None

4. / AOCB
4.1 / Any Other Competent Business – None
5. / FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS
5.1 / IT flagged that the Highland Health & Social Care Partnership has discussed care planning at a district level and that this related to an issue raised by Helen R. Kate Earnshaw and/or Joanna Hynd will be invited to assist to progress this discussion at the next meeting.
IT agreed to consider how best to structure a discussion about Reviewing for the next meeting: IT has written a paper on the review of the Adult Care Review Team which may be helpful in informing such a discussion. LF suggested that this paper could go to the next Leadership Group meeting.
LG agreed to bring the updated large-scale ASP procedures to a future meeting.
It was agreed that SDS should become a standing agenda item.
IT agreed to check with other groups if they have any topics they would like this group to comment on.
The Carer’s Strategy will also be discussed at a future meeting.
Agenda items for the August meeting – Review procedures, Care Planning (Kate Earnshaw) and an SDS update.
Agenda items for the October meeting – SDS, PoP and the Carer’s Strategy.
ACTION /
  • IT to seek items from other groups for discussion.

6. / DATE OF NEXT MEETING
Wednesday 20th August at 2pm (until 5pm). Seminar Room, New Craigs Hospital Inverness

The meeting closed at 12pm

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