WIREDGOV

In a national report published recently, CQC presented the findings from their comprehensive programme of adult social care inspections. 

This is the first time such focused analysis on a national scale has been possible, following the introduction of their new regulatory regime for adult social care in October 2014.

Since then, we've carried out more than 33,000 inspections of around 24,000 different services. These include residential homes, nursing homes, care in people’s own homes, Shared Lives schemes and Supported Living Services.  These are vital services for thousands of people, young & old, who may be living with a physical disability, learning disability, autism, dementia and/or mental health conditions.

CQC:  The state of adult social care services 2014 to 2017 report published

Shared lives schemes - Care & support guide - NHS Choices

Supported living services - Care & support guide - NHS Choices

Findings from CQC’s initial programme of comprehensive inspections in adult social

CQC:  Most services meet the ‘Mum Test’ but there is still too much poor care

CQC & the National Federation of Women's Institutes working together to help carers

LGA responds to CQC report on adult social care

NO:  Ombudsman supports CQC report

CQC to conduct 12 local system reviews of health & social care

DH:  Reducing delays for people moving from hospital to social care

NAO:  Investigation into NHS continuing healthcare funding

NHS England:  Principia vanguard reduces A&E attendances by 29% for care home residents

NICE:  NHS needs more advanced paramedics to ease A & E pressure

With medical staff costs continually rising, we need other alternatives

If NHS needs +£8bn, what do LA’s need for social care?

Some Councils seem to have forgotten their ‘Duty of Care’

Not all ‘incarceration’ is the result of criminal acts

Is the answer to raise taxes on everyone during their working life?

The problem is getting worse by the day

No excuse for not maintaining their dignity

Is joined-up care really about to happen?

We have ‘known’ about the problem for decades, but little ever seems to be achieved

The LGA, which represents more than 370 councils in England & Wales, says it is vital new parents are also signposted to support services if they need further specialist help.  Information could include midwives providing mums & dads with leaflets outlining symptoms of depression & anxiety to look out for, as well as where to go if any of these arise.   It could also include tips on how to stay mentally well.

This comes as the LGA launched a new report “Being mindful of mental health” which sets out the important role councils play in supporting the mental wellbeing of their communities.  It includes the LGA’s vision of what a “mentally healthy” place looks like, and highlights the need for better support for new & expectant parents.

Only 7% of pregnant women & new mums with mental health problems in the past 5 years were referred to specialist care, highlighting the urgent need to improve maternal mental health, a recent survey revealed.  One in five mothers during pregnancy or in their first year experience depression, anxiety or in extreme cases, post-birth psychosis.

LGA - New parents need mental health support before leaving hospital

To ensure healthy Mother & Baby

New Mums can have a tough time mentally

When Mother & baby are at their most vulnerable

The ‘damage’ will only be recognised in future years

Unite: ‘No controlling mind’ over community nurse workforce planning, as health visitors transferred to councils

Campaigners to protest against plans to slash Humber health visitors by 25%

The ICO has ruled the Royal Free NHS Foundation Trust failed to comply with the Data Protection Act when it provided patient details to Google DeepMind.  The Trust provided personal data of around 1.6m patients as part of a trial to test an alert, diagnosis and detection system for acute kidney injury.

But an ICO investigation found several shortcomings in how the data was handled, including that patients were not adequately informed that their data would be used as part of the test.

In a second press release the ICO said; But what about the rest of the sector?  As organisations increasingly look to unlock the huge potential that creative uses of data can have for patient care, what are the (4) lessons to be learned from this case?

*It’s not a choice between privacy or innovation

*Don’t dive in too quickly

*New cloud processing technologies mean you can, not that you always should

*Know the law, and follow it

ICO:  Royal Free - Google DeepMind trial failed to comply with data protection law

ICO:  Four lessons NHS Trusts can learn from the Royal Free case

National Data Guardian statement on ICO decision on Royal Free

Latest Research Paper: The Challenges of Public Sector Data Sharing

The ICO has published its first ever International Strategy to help it meet overseas data protection challenges, These include increased globalism, changing technology, GDPR and Brexit.

UK Government and public sector spend with SME’s is continually on the increase and by 2020, it is the stated intent of Cabinet Office that £1 of every £3 spent on government contracts goes to SME’s. The past 5 years have seen government make a priority of getting money through its supply chain into the hands of SMEs, by both setting targets and introducing new procurement mechanisms.

Against this backdrop, the WiredGov Supplier Locator service has been developed specifically to embrace the SME Agenda and provide the ideal platform for SME’s to promote their services, solutions, accreditation and success stories directly to our ever increasing audience across all government and public sector verticals and Tier 1 suppliers.

Click here to find out more and view this week’s new arrivals to the SME Supplier Locator service. 

Earlier this year, two Court of Appeal judgments clarified that data controllers can take into account difficulties which occur throughout the process of complying with a request, including difficulties in finding the requested information.

That doesn’t mean organisations should try to avoid replying to subject access requests.  The burden of proof is on you as data controller to show that you have taken all reasonable steps to comply with the SAR, and that it would be disproportionate in all the circumstances of the case for you to take further steps.

ICO:  Subject access policy updated after court rulings on disproportionate effort

A NEW law will make it easier to prosecute people who share intimate images without consent in Scotland.

From last week, those convicted of the new offence of ‘disclosing, or threatening to disclose, an intimate photograph or film’ could face up to 5 years imprisonment under the Abusive Behaviour and Sexual Harm (Scotland) Act 2016.

A public awareness campaign will drive home the serious consequences of sharing intimate images or films of a current or former partner without their permission.  The campaign has been developed in partnership with Scottish Women’s Aid, Rape Crisis Scotland, Zero Tolerance, Police Scotland and the Crown Office, all of whom are involved in dealing with the crime and its consequences.

ScotGov:  Sharing images without consent

They know ‘How to’, but many lack judgement/knowledge of the risk & dangers

CLG:  Independent Recovery Taskforce for Kensington & Chelsea council

CLG:  Expert panel on safety meets for the first time

DCMS:  Protection from prosecution for unlawful subletting at Grenfell Tower

CLG:  Update on Grenfell Tower fire and fire safety

CLG:  Grenfell rehousing

CLG:  Expert panel recommends further tests on cladding & insulation

DH:  Public health advice following the Grenfell Tower fire

MoJ:  Grenfell Tower disaster: David Lidington statement

WAG:  Residents’ safety & peace of mind is my priority, says Carl Sargeant

NHS England:  NHS patients with rare bone disease to benefit from potentially life-transforming drug due to “first of a kind” agreement between NHS England and the manufacturer

Calon Cardio-Technology is preparing the UK’s first artificial heart pump for a 50-patient clinical trial in 2018.

The pioneering medical technology spin-out from Swansea University, based in the Institute of Life Science, has developed a miniaturised ventricular assist device (VAD) to be implanted directly into the left ventricle of a failing heart.  Up to 60,000 new cases of advanced chronic heart failure are diagnosed every year in the UK, and 40% of those diagnosed die within 12 months.

Innovate UK:  Miniature pump for failing heart to be trialled with 50 patients

Parents are being reminded this summer to encourage their 18 year old children to get vaccinated against deadly meningitis and septicaemia.  Those who are due to leave school this summer, or aged 17 to 18 and are not in school (born between 1 September 1998 and 31 August 1999) are now eligible.

The MenACWY jab protects against 4 strains of meningococcal disease which cause meningitis & septicaemia, known as strains A, C, W and Y.  MenW is one of the most aggressive and life threatening forms and meningococcal disease can be fatal.

Many survivors are left with life changing disabilities, including brain damage and loss of limbs.   Young people are particularly at risk as they are carriers of the disease.  Being in confined environments with close contact, such as university halls, hostels when travelling, or attending festivals, increase the chances of infection if unprotected.

New entrants to higher education (university ‘freshers’) are also eligible.  Anyone who is eligible and has missed vaccination in previous years remains eligible up to their 25th birthday and is urged to have the MenACWY vaccine.

DH:  Parents urged to remind teenagers to get MenACWY vaccine

Maloff Protect anti-malarial tablets will shortly be available to buy from pharmacies, after previously only being available to purchase with a prescription.

Maloff Protect will be sold at pharmacies after a discussion with the pharmacist.  They will be made available to adults aged over 18, weighing more than 40kg, travelling to areas affected by malaria and where the malaria parasite is not resistant to the Maloff Protect ingredients.

MHRA:  Maloff Protect antimalarial tablets to be available to buy from pharmacies

The NCSC has come up with 4 simple & free measures for government departments to improve basic cyber security, which are ready to be implemented immediately by departments & their arm’s-length bodies.  None of them require additional money to implement.  Nor are they overly technically complex to implement.

The 4 measures in lay person’s terms are:

*Blocking bad stuff from being accessed from government systems (Protected DNS)

*Blocking bad emails pretending to be from government (DMARC anti-spoofing)

*Helping public bodies fix bad things on their website (WebCheck)

NCSC rolls out free and easy steps to improve public sector cyber security

Let us hope that they act proactively this time

techUK:  British Retail Consortium launches cyber security toolkit

The Hacker Hardened Public Sector Enterprise: Practical Steps to Real Cyber Security

One-Click Website Vulnerability Healthcheck: How Safe & Secure is Your Website?

The National Cyber Security Centre is turning teenagers’ natural interest in technology into mainstream careers.  Long gone are the days when teenagers aspired to simply be footballers, film stars or fashion designers.  A new generation is growing up with far loftier dreams – to help the fight against the risks to our digital society, cyber crime.

NCSC nurturing tech-savvy teens to help fight against cyber crime

ICT security costs money, but lack of it costs even more

Many more than 23 Apprentices will be required to meet the UK’s need for cyber security experts

Channel their enthusiasm at a young age

4 people have been arrested as the result of 2 years of work from Microsoft & the City of London Police into the global problem of computer software service fraud.

The arrests have come about as a result of work by the City of London Police and forensic & investigative services provided by Microsoft analysing tens of thousands of Action Fraud reports and working with other affected organisations, such as BT and TalkTalk, to attempt to trace the source of the problem.  This analysis & enquiries undertaken by the City of London Police have shown that many of the calls originate in India and that the worldwide losses from victims are thought to be in the hundreds of £ms.

Action Fraud:  City of London Police collaborate with Microsoft to tackle computer software service fraud

Social Mobility Commission:  Government housing schemes have little impact on social mobility

Residents in the Cambridge, Milton Keynes, Northampton and Oxford Growth Corridor have the chance to create a vision for the future of their area, through a new competition launched recently

The FCO has published a new booklet which for the first time provides insight into one of the most controversial parts of its history - the ban on diplomats being homosexual which was only lifted in 1991.

People with claustrophobia or other anxiety conditions could find their journeys less stressful as TfL has launched a new map that shows which stations & sections of the TfL network are underground.  It shows them routes they can take to avoid areas with large stretches of tunnels.

Cancellation fees charged by airline companies may be assessed for ‘‘unfairness’.  In addition, the various items which make up the final price to be paid to the airline companies must be indicated separately.

Finance Secretary Mark Drakeford has kick-started a national debate about ideas for potential new Welsh taxes.  He is urging people & organisations to come forward with ideas which could be developed into new Welsh taxes.  He also suggested that taxation could be used to change behaviours or to discourage activity which has negative social impacts.

A NAO review looks at the Treasury’s processes & procedures for forecasting the economic impact of leaving the EU.

 More contributions to the Brexit process

Still a ‘hot topic’, with widely spread views, for those who put fingers to keyboard in order to ‘share their views’:

PC&PE:  Brexit: acquired rights report debated by Lords

PC&PE:  Report on EU Committee's work during 2016-17 published

NAO:  HM Treasury’s economic analysis in the lead-up to the referendum on EU membership

techUK:  Andrew Bailey, CEO of FCA, opines on Brexit

Open Europe:  Fishing might be one area where the Opposition won’t want to oppose Brexit

Open Europe:  Can the UK and Germany speak the same language on Brexit?

Open Europe:  “Ridiculous” spat between EC and Parliament shows where EU power lies

Open Europe:  What to expect when the Repeal Bill lands in the Commons next week

CBI: Stay in Single Market and a Customs Union until final EU deal in force

Too many public positions are still going to white men. This is the main takeaway from the recently-published annual survey of ministerial appointments and reappointments. No surprises there, then.
Progress feels glacial, but women, BAME and disabled people are gradually gaining positions on public bodies and advisory committees - albeit slow and patchy. Nearly half of new appointments (48.5% ) are women, including just over half of those appointed to advisory bodies and there are also positive trends on the appointment and reappointment of BAME candidates, now up to a new peak of 9.1%, writes Peter Riddell, commissioner for public appointments. Progress has also been made on appointments and reappointments of people declaring a disability, now at 6%, the second highest level in the past five years.
Riddell writes: "More needs to be done to publicise opportunities beyond the Centre for Public Appointments website by using social media and personal networks. A key argument is to persuade people that these roles are suitable for them and that the odds are not stacked against them."
If you're in a leadership position and have ideas about how we can work to make our public services more representative of the public they serve, we'd love to hear from you. Get in touch: kirstie.brewer@theguardian.com.

To prevent another Grenfell Tower, we must centralise public contracts
Expecting individual councils and housing associations to run their own construction procurement was asking for trouble, even before the tragic fire

The army dismissed me for being gay – now I'm an out and proud police officer
I lived a double life for years but now I try to be a role model. Pride is a reminder of how far we’ve come and why it’s important to keep going