WIREDGOV NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE

DWP:  Retirement – an ever more distant dream in the future? - The Government has launched a strategy - Building A Society For All Ages - to help Britain prepare for our ageing society.  It is intended to draw together action to help individuals, families, businesses, public services and communities respond to demographic change and it follows the Government’s reforms to respond to demographic change.

As part of helping the economy respond to an ageing society, a review of the Default Retirement Age (DRA) will be brought forward to take place next year.  Currently employers can require all staff to retire at 65 regardless of their circumstances. 1.3m people choose to work beyond state pension age and many more say they would work past 65 if their employer permitted it.

In addition, building on the National Insurance measures taken in the budget to help those caring for grandchildren, a summit will take place in the autumn to explore the changing role of grandparents more widely and what more we can do to support them in maintaining strong relationships with their grandchildren after parental separation and divorce.  The strategy consultation closes on Monday, 12 October 2009.
Press release ~ Building A Society For All Ages ~ Supporting information ~ BBC – Reforming the Pension system ~ Pension Service ~ UK Older People's Day ~ Full of Life government campaign ~  The Generation Factor ~ DWP – Aging Society ~ DWP – Aging Society ~ Consultation ~ Implementation Plan ~ Caring about Carers: A national strategy for carers ~ Don't Stop Me Now: Preparing for an ageing population ~ Empowering Engagement: A stronger voice for older people  - The Government response to John Elbourne’s review ~  (End of Life Care Strategy: Promoting high quality care for all adults at the end of life ~ Independent Review of Older People’s Engagement with Government ~ Lifetime Homes, Lifetime Neighbourhoods: A national strategy for housing in an ageing society ~ Living Well With Dementia: A national dementia strategy ~ Putting People First: A shared vision and commitment to the transformation of adult social care ~ Age Positive ~ Concessionary Bus Fares ~ Department for Work and Pensions: Pensions reform ~ Dignity in Care Campaign ~ Free Swimming Programme ~ Intergenerational Demonstrator Programme: Generations together ~ LinkAge Plus ~ Partnerships for Older People Projects

DH:  Prudent provision or just another stealth tax on savers? - Health Secretary, Andy Burnham, has claimed in the Green Paper: Shaping the Future of Care Together that ‘everyone in England will have access to a National Care Service that is fair, simple and affordable’.  More people need care because they are living longer – in 1948 life expectancy was 66 while today it is 78.  For the first time there are more people over the age of 65 than there are under the age of 18.

The National Care Service is supposed to ‘create a level playing field and end the postcode lottery of care services’.  The Big Care Debate (consultation closes 13 November 2009) will canvas the public’s and people who work in care & support services’ views on what the National Care Service should look like and how care should be paid for.  20% of people will need care costing less than £1,000 – but 20% will need care costing more than £50,000. 

Under the National Care Service, everyone will get SOME care for free, funded by 1 of 3 proposals:
* partnership – the responsibility for paying for care would be shared between the Government and the person who has care needs.  The Government provides 25 – 33% of the cost of care, more for people on a low income
* insurance – the same as ‘partnership’ but the Government could help people to prepare to meet the costs that they would have to pay, through an insurance-based approach.  Estimated cost: £20k - £25k
* comprehensive – everyone who can afford it would pay into a state insurance scheme meaning everyone who needs care will receive it free.  Estimated cost: £17k - £20k
Press release ~ Shaping the future of care together ~ Consultation ~ Carers UK ~ DH – Social care ~ Counsel and Care ~ DH – Older people ~ Future Demand for Social Care, 2005 To 2041: Projections of Demand for Social Care for Older People in England ~ Paying for Care in Wales ~ Royal Commission on Long Term Care for the Elderly ~ JRF: Financial care models in Scotland and the UK ~ National Evaluation of Partnerships for Older People Projects: Interim report of progress ~ Guide to making a strategic shift to prevention and early intervention ~ DH - Partnerships for Older People Projects (POPPs) ~ DH – Integrated Care ~ BBC: Social care thresholds - council breakdown ~ The Future of Care Funding: Time for a change ~ Caring Choices – Who will pay for long-term care ~ King’s Fund: Securing Good Care for Older People: Taking a long-term view ~ Paying for long-term Care: Moving forward ~ Lord Sutherland's independent review of Free Personal and Nursing Care policy ~ ScotGov – free personal care and nursing

CQC:  Have any lessons been learnt this time? - The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has urged NHS trusts to respond to the tragic death of Baby P by delivering major improvements in compliance with measures to safeguard children.  It is publishing a review of child safeguarding in the NHS, commissioned by the Secretary of State for Health as part of the response to the case of Baby P (now known as Peter).

Based on a detailed survey of 392 NHS trusts, the findings indicate that a majority of organisations had the right people & systems to help protect children.  But they highlight worrying shortfalls in the numbers of staff up to date with mandatory training, designed to help them identify & respond to concerns.
 
This was true for staff across the NHS, as well as those dealing with children routinely, such as GPs and those in A&E, paediatric and sexual health services.  In addition, 29 out of 152 primary care trusts (PCT) reported case loads of more than 500 children per health visitor, well above Lord Laming’s recommendation of 400.

Guidance issued by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health says all healthcare staff:
* should have basic training in child protection (level one)
* with regular contact with children & young people should have child protection training (level two at least).
Press release ~ Safeguarding Children - A review of arrangements in the NHS for safeguarding children ~ Review of the involvement and action taken by health bodies in relation to the case of Baby P ~ Care Quality Commission (CQC) – Safeguarding Children ~ DCSF – Safeguarding Vulnerable Children ~ Better Safe than Sorry ~ Learning Lessons: Taking Action ~ RCPCH & RCN response to the review ~ Safeguarding Children and Young People - Roles and Competencies for Health Care Staff

OS:  All reading from the same map at last - An event to mark the launch of the One Scotland Mapping Agreement, jointly hosted by the Scottish Government, the Improvement Service and Ordnance Survey, has been held in the Tolbooth, Stirling.  The new agreement, which covers 73 Central & LG, as well as some Scottish NHS organisations, provides easy access to a range of OS products to help deliver public services.

The Agreement is the first time that all public sector organisations in Scotland have licensed Ordnance Survey products under a single agreement.  The 4-year partnership replaces the local government Mapping Services Agreement and the Pan Government Agreement for central government and provides common terms for all the member organisations, therefore ensuring much greater opportunities for data sharing between those organisations who increasingly work in partnership with one another.

The agreement includes a broad range of OS products, including OS MasterMap Topography and Integrated Transport Network Layers, as well as almost all the supporting scales of contextual digital mapping.  These products will support a diverse range of services including land registration, grant & subsidy management, environmental protection, habitat mapping, emergency planning & response, community development initiatives, the digital television switch over and the provision of health & social care services.
Press release ~ One Scotland Mapping Agreement (OSMA) ~ Improvement Service

MoD:  Army & Navy ‘Centurions’ are combining for a ‘Barbarian stomp’ to raise funds for Help 4 Heroes and the Army Benevolent Charities – See ‘Charities / Voluntary Organisations / Third Sector’  section for more information.

Industry News:  Improved IT skills reduce risk of 'crashing' - Westminster's approach to running large IT projects is akin to "trying to avoid a car crash by looking in the rear-view mirror", a panel of chief civil servants and MPs concluded in March of this year.

In truth, many public sector IT projects overrun and exceed budget due to the staff or contractors employed not having the necessary skills and experience.

In the current economic climate, it is imperative to develop and deliver complex innovative and cost-efficient public sector IT solutions on time and on budget. To do this organisations need experienced and business aware IT professionals to plan, design, implement and operate these solutions to a recognised quality standard.

Open Group’s IT Architecture Certification (ITAC) and IT Specialist Certification (ITSC) programs have been created to help address the issues faced by both public sector organisations and individual IT professionals when it comes to delivering large IT projects.

Click here for further information, white papers on the programs and to receive a FREE copy of the ITAC Interactive Self Assessment Tool

For other Industry News please click HERE

For information on forthcoming public sector events please click HERE to visit the WGPlus Events Calendar

Click here for our latest papers and a free copy of our ITAC Interactive Self Assessment Tool image.
Please choose from the links below to view individual sections of interest: