National Care Association Annual Conference 2011

We had an incredible Conference last week in London Docklands and the following is the first half of an article that we have prepared for the press, which I hope you find of interest.

If you do, come back to my blog tomorrow, I'll be adding the second part then!

NCA 2011 Conference

How ironic to be discussing the effects of the credit crunch on the Care Sector in the shadow of London’s Canary Wharf; symbolic icon of the World’s leading financiers.

The unseasonably hot weather certainly mirrored the temperature inside the conference venue with many delegates I spoke to getting hot under the collar about a number of issues. In particular, the unrealistic expectations to keep delivering a service operating to the highest standards whilst having to cope with crippling across-the-board cost rises and below inflation fee increases.

This year’s two-day conference at London’s Docklands Britannia Hotel, brought together an incredible array of top draw speakers from across social care and Government. On the first day, following opening speeches from Lord Popat and NCA Chairman Nadra Ahmed and Dept of Health Social Care Director General David Behan, Conference divided into three different work streams; Dementia Care; Learning Disability Care and Nursing Care. Delegates were spoilt for choice with such a rich variety of expert speakers covering such a diverse range of subjects.

In opening Conference Lord Dolar Popat remarked that having been elevated to what he called ‘the best day care home in the country’ disguised the fact that his is an important appointment for the care sector and a sign that the contribution made by care home providers would now receive greater recognition.

Jeremy Hughes, Chief Executive of the Alzheimer’s Society focused on the growing, important challenge posed by Dementia Care, highlighting far too many cases of loss of dignity and respect. The RNIB’s Julia Barrand, speaking on Dementia and Sight Loss, widened the debate by showing how loss of sight for older people can impact on their wellbeing and coordination.

An exclusive announcement of an NCA programme to improve the quality of life of service users with Dementia was made by National Care Association Chairman Nadra Ahmed OBE and Chief Executive Sheila Scott OBE.
The NCA programme, which is currently in development, will have seven principles underpinning it; Personalisation, Prevention, Protection, Partnership, Plurality, Productivity and People. The programme will instigate a culture change and training system in care putting service users and their families at the heart of the delivery of care.

Prof Alistair Burns, Dept of Health Clinical Director for Dementia and a practising psychiatrist, delivered an excellent overview of facts about dementia; Dementia dwarfs other diseases such as heart disease, cancer and strokes, yet research budgets are not comparable; 25% of hospital beds are occupied by dementia patients, while in the last 2 years people using memory clinics have increased by 56%!

The conference’s second day started where day one left off… with a broad side from Nadra Ahmed, who did not pull any punches when pointing out the crippling hike in costs to care homes, an undisguised cri de cœur aimed at the CQC’s inspection charge increases, CRB checks, the minimum wage, and fuel rises. This was not whingeing, she said, but justifiable concern at being told to deliver a quality care service for less. Under such duress, something had to give!

She reported that it was concerns about funding that had led to National Care Association launching a political campaign to bring those concerns to the attention of MPs and Peers. Concerns about CQC had also become part of the campaign. There had been external issues too such as Southern Cross and Winterbourne View which had bought social care to the top of the political agenda and lately opposition to the CQC Excellence Award Scheme.

CQC Chair, Dame Jo Williams CBE’ promised that significant responsive changes would be made to the regulatory model. Dame Jo Williams also said that she saw no prospect of the Excellence Award scheme going ahead after it had received a “universal thumbs down” by provider bodies and organisations such as the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services during the recent consultation exercise but she stressed that the final decision would be made by the Minister. Dame Jo also made a commitment to working more closely with the National Care Association.