WIREDGOV NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE

DH:  We need a system that ‘protects them from public sector bean counters’ - Plans to strengthen the protection of vulnerable adults by making it a legal requirement for all local authorities to have a Safeguarding Adults Board were this week announced by Care Services Minister, Paul Burstow.

Safeguarding Adults Boards provide vital leadership to those involved in adult safeguarding work across the full range of safeguarding issues.  These range from serious incidents in hospitals and institutional abuse in care settings, to financial abuse & ‘scams’, bullying & victimisation.

Mr Burstow has also outlined the new Government guiding principles on safeguarding which seek to increase the protection for those most at risk in society.  

The principles outline the Government’s objective to prevent & reduce the risk of harm to vulnerable people and set out the key issues, which must inform local arrangements including:
* Empowerment – supporting people to make decisions and have a say in their care
* Protection – support & representation for those in greatest need
* Prevention – it is better to take action before harm occurs
* Proportionality – safeguarding must be built on proportionality and a consideration of people’s human rights
* Partnership – local solutions through services working with their communities
* Accountability – safeguarding practice & arrangements should be accountable & transparent
Press release & links ~ Statement of Government policy on adult safeguarding ~ Recent Law Commission’s report on Adult Social care ~ Public fears ‘shifting goalposts’ in long-term care funding ~  Safeguarding Adults: The role of health services ~ Clinical governance and adult safeguarding: an integrated process ~ A vision for adult social care: Capable communities and active citizens ~ Bringing Adult Social Care Workers into the Big Society ~ New Guidance to Improve Care for Vulnerable Patients ~ More cohesive care promised as councils back Health and Wellbeing Boards ~ Early implementers of health and wellbeing boards announced | Modernisation of health and care ~ The role of the NHS Commissioning Board | Modernisation of health and care ~ Care of older people under review ~ National Quality Board ~ Transparency in outcomes: a framework for quality in adult social care, response to consultation ~ LAC(DH)(2010)7: The Vision for Adult Social Care and supporting documents ~ The Government response to Law Commission consultation paper 192. Review of the law on adult social care ~ King’s Fund: Adult social care ~ Related DH press release ~ Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE): Social Work Practice Pilot Sites ~ Direct payments - arranging your own care and services ~ ScotGov: Self-directed Support Strategy ~ The Individual Budgets Pilot Projects: Impacts and Outcomes for Carers ~ Related recent previous item (Then scroll down to item: Newswire – CSJ:  Often ‘out of site & rarely protesting’ and therefore ‘out of the political mind’) ~ DH: Personal Health Budgets ~ Personal health budgets Learning Network ~ CQC press release ~ Patient Association response ~ Related CQC press release ~ Overview of adult social care ~ Adult social care market and quality of services ~ Quality of adult social care purchased by councils ~ Adult social care information ~ LGI&D: Adult Social care

MoD:  No other public service is asked to do so much for so little reward - The Government published the tri-Service Armed Forces Covenant and announced that, with an amendment to the Armed Forces Bill, its principles will be enshrined in law.  The covenant is a statement of the moral obligation which exists between the nation, the Government and the Armed Forces.

The core principles are that members of the Armed Forces Community do not suffer disadvantages as a result of their service and that they receive special treatment where appropriate.  The Armed Forces Bill will also require the Defence Secretary to report to Parliament every year on the progress of improvements to the covenant in key areas including healthcare, housing and education.
Press release ~ The Armed Forces Covenant ~ Report of the Task Force on the Military Covenant ~ Related LGA PR ~ Housing our Heroes ~ The Confederation of British Service and Ex-Service Organisations (COBSEO) ~ JCHR: Armed Forces Bill report published

Newswire - HPC:  Nowhere near the ‘a maximum of 20 times the lowest paid’ then? - The High Pay Commission has released its interim report entitled More For Less: what has happened to pay at the top and does it matter?  The report is an extensive audit of the current debate on top pay.  It reveals the dramatic growth in pay experienced by those at the top of the income distribution over the last 30 years and discusses the causes of this growth.

A new ICM poll shows that 72% of the public think high pay makes Britain grossly unequal whilst 73% have no faith in government or business to tackle excessive high pay.  The poll shows that, from a range of options, the majority of the public (57%) wants top pay linked clearly to company performance, while half (50%) want shareholders to have a direct say on senior pay and bonus packages.

Chair of the High Pay Commission, Deborah Hargreaves, said: “This is the clearest evidence so far that the gap between pay of the general public and the corporate elite is widening rapidly and is out of control.  Set against the tough spending measures and mixed company performance, we have to ask ourselves whether we are paying more and getting less.”

The High Pay Commission will now be commissioning additional research on the issue of high pay and developing policy proposals that could seek to mitigate or reduce this dramatic trend.  It will report finally in November 2011.
Press release & links ~ More For Less: what has happened to pay at the top and does it&n bsp;matter? ~ Comment from PwC ~ Hutton review of fair pay in the public sector ~ Despite fall in bonuses in 2010/11, growth in City workers’ pay packets continues to outpace the rest of the UK  ~ CIPD welcomes robust focus of Will Hutton’s fair pay report on the need for greater use of performance related pay in the public sector ~ Hutton review on fair pay is ‘missed golden opportunity’ says Unite ~ NAO: Managing staff costs in central government ~ CBI comment

Free Report: Vision, Action, Traction – Succeeding with Agile in Government ICT – This report responds to the recent Government ICT Strategy and the Institute for Government report that preceded it (‘System Error: Fixing the Flaws in Government IT, Institute for Government’). It outlines the lessons learnt and critical success factors identified by RADTAC in managing and supporting complex agile transformation programmes over nearly 15 years. It also proposes a framework to help ensure success and provide a healthy return on the investment that will be necessary if the ICT strategy is to be implemented effectively in the medium to long term.
 
RADTAC is a Consulting and Training company specialising in Lean and Agile methods. RADTAC’s PragmaticAgileTM framework aims to help organisations transform their software development practices in an evolutionary and pragmatic manner, rather than being revolutionary or prescriptive. Our public sector and government clients include the Home Office, the Metropolitan Police, the NHS and HM Customs and Excise.

Simply click here to receive your free copy of ‘Vision, Action, Traction: Succeeding with Agile in Government ICT’

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