I am really looking forward to my first National Children and Adult Services (NCAS) conference next week. As my responsibilities cover both adult social care and children’s health it is the one time in the year I will get to engage with both the adult and children’s services sides of local government at the same time. With speeches from our Secretary of State, Minister of State, as well as myself, DH will be there in force, showing the importance we attach to our partnership with local government in delivering our objectives.
Inevitably, I have some expectations as to the main themes that will dominate the event. Some are obvious – financial position, child protection, social care reform, homecare commissioning, the Integration Fund. But I hope that some other important topics will get a look in. High on my wish list would be discussions as to how we improve mental health services for children and young people, challenging whether we are truly changing commissioning practices post-Winterbourne View and seeking to advance the personalisation agenda. I will also be mindful of the work currently underway in reviewing the 2010 Autism Strategy and also the Carers’ Strategy. I would be interested to know what you are hoping to hear from us or indeed wish to raise with us.
In amongst all the debate, I know what I will enjoy most from the event is discovering examples of local best practice I didn’t even know existed. So if you are going to NCAS and have a spare 10 minutes, come and find us at the DH stand. And if you want to meet with me at the event to discuss any problems or barriers you are facing, or just to tell me about something great your authority is doing that we should know about, then please contact me via Twitter, @RouseJonDGDH, at any time.
See you in Harrogate.
1 comment
Comment by Flora palmerton-Taylor posted on
Hi Jon can I please point something out regarding the 15 min pop in calls given to Dom care service users this is not only a local council problem with the calls being given the outrageous time of 15 min but councils such as Stockport have logg in and out systems that the care providers abuse as well for instance Stockport council have told providers that staff must logg in and out at a SU property to show they have been and stayed for a MINIMUM period of time which I know on a 30 minutes call is 24 minutes minimum so providers when short staffed whih is very regularly tell staff to logg in and don't logg out because their is a fail safe on the system that if they forget to logg out it will logg tem out when they try and logg in on their next call. So the 15 minutes call in actual fact is not 15 minutes at all it's far far less hence why a lot of our elderly as disabled are being neglected far worse than anyone else is aware of the last company I worked for which I've done this job for 23 years an seen all the corner cutting there is to see They did this with staff and I left as I told them it was immoral to treat people like this. So it is not just the councils to blame here a lot of providers are to blame as well it's even worse when there is no logg in system because then a lot of calls are being totally missed and Diane of theses people are that grateful for the service they do get they won't complain in case they loose all the service with complaining the whole system needs to be re looked at and a system oubinplace where corners can not be cut and our elderly which face it we wouldn't haw half of what we have now if it hadn't of been for them and their hard work over the years we can get a better care service for them and their families