8th July 2011 - Making Our Voice Heard

It has been a very busy week yet again.

It started with the launch of the launch of the Dilnot Report. This is a report that is well worth reading. We are studying it and reflecting on the proposals and intend to issue a response by the end of August.

On Tuesday I spoke at a really successful event organised by Barclays at their headquarters in Docklands. The speakers that were there were from Barclays, a solicitor from Bristol, a speaker from CQC and myself and it was a well balanced afternoon.

I reminded the care providers there that the consultation on the Care Quality Commission Excellence Award closes on 1 August so it’s time to think about we are all going to say. National Care Association’s position is clear the proposal is “the wrong scheme at the wrong time”.

This is particularly true because providers of care will be expected to pay significant sums of money to be assessed for the award and we believe that there is already too much financial pressure on many providers. You can find the consultation papers at www.cqc.org.uk/yourviews/consultations/excellenceaward.cfm

On Wednesday we met Baroness Jill Pittkeithley at the House of Lords and briefed her about latest developments in the sector.

Yesterday we briefed two more Members of Parliament Mark Lancaster the MP for Milton Keynes South and Iain Stewart the MP for Milton Keynes North. We were very pleased when we were able to agree to organise a meeting for them in Milton Keynes to meet with Care Providers in October.

I have worked at National Care Association for a very long time now and I have never known such a fast moving agenda around social care. I think there is a real will to make the whole system work. It is really important that our voice is heard as well as the purchasers of care and the regulators of care.

Hope you all have a good weekend.

Sheila