November 22, 2007
Thursday, 22th November 2007
Greetings from Angela Gifford, Proprietor of Able Community Care, and welcome to the Able Newsflash, published by email every Thursday morning.
If you enjoy reading it please forward it to any other person who may also find it of interest.
Alternatively, they can subscribe directly for their own copy each week from our website: http://www.uk-care.com
Care News
Carers UK have published research, the first of its kind since their last calculation in 2002, which shows that the value of unpaid support provided by carers has now reach £87 billion a year.
The new figure means that the average carer is saving the nation over £15,260 a year. For further information visit: http://www.carersuk.org
Approx 850 questionnaires have been sent out to care homes in Scotland in order that the existing levels of skills and qualifications of the care staff can be analysed. This will then lead the “Changing Lives Program” undertaken by Scottish Care (the not for profit organisation which represents three quarters of all care homes in Scotland) to determine both the current and future skill needs required by the care workers in residential care. It is hoped that once the skill requirements are known, appropriate training programs and funding can follow.
The General Social Care Council has suspended a social worker for two years for sexual misconduct against a vulnerable service user. For further details go to http://www.gscc.org.uk
Castlebank Insurance Brokers Ltd. are the company through which many hundreds of domiciliary care agencies and business, plus thousands of carers have arranged appropriate insurance through. They were mainly introduced to the world of domiciliary care in the late 1980’s via the UKHCA, who selected their services to recommend to their members. As a live-in care agency, with clients who use the Introducer care package scheme, we found them extremely helpful in the early days when we were having problems finding personal care insurance for our carers. In a letter this week we have been advised that the business has been sold to Smart and Cook Insurance Brokers. Smart and Cook are based in Harrogate. The title Castlebank will be retained as a trading name.
In-House News
A potential client has been visited in Norfolk.Reviews of care plans/monitoring visits have taken place in Norfolk and Hertfordshire.
New client posts have commenced in:
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Kent, an elderly, frail gentleman, salary £558.00pw inc. Care Manager Nick 01603 281915
A lady in her fifties living in Jersey suffering with MS. Salary £614.00pw inc. Care Manager Sue 01603 281914
Interesting Information
The NHS employs 1.3million people. This puts them in the top employers in the world, after the Chinese Army and the Indian Railway system.Question asked of Able staff in February 2004:
Question - I find that I am becoming increasingly hard of hearing and sometimes do not hear the doorbell ring. Do you know of any equipment that I can purchase to overcome this problem and any other suggestions that may help with other daily activities?
Answer - For people who are hard of hearing there are many devices that you can get to help. For your problem with the doorbell you can purchase a device that alerts you to a caller at the door by means of a flashing light when the bell rings. Instead of having a smoke alarm that emits a sound, you can have an alarm that flashes instead, similarly an alarm clock. If you contact the Royal National Institute for the Deaf, Tel 020 7296 8000 web site http://www.rnid.org.uk they have a wealth of information about aids and devices that can ensure that daily living is easier if you do have a hearing loss.
We hope you have enjoyed reading this and "see you next week".
Best Wishes,
Angela Gifford, Proprietor
Able Community Care.
Able Community Care is a nationwide provider of Live-in Care services.
Second Hand Disability Equipment - Buy it and sell it here.
Able Litigation Service is an Expert Witness Service provided to both the insurance industry and personal accident litigation solicitors.