National Care Service Bill published. 21 June 2022.

Part of  Health and social care, Law and order

New vision for the future of social care.

Legislation to establish a National Care Service for Scotland (NCS) will ensure the best possible outcomes for people accessing care and support and end the ‘postcode lottery’ of care.
The National Care Service Bill will make Scottish Ministers accountable for adult social care in Scotland – a change strongly   supported by those responding to the recent consultation on the plans.
The Bill provides the foundation for the NCS, and enables the fine detail of the new  service to be co-designed with people who have direct experience of social care services. Plans have also been published to explain how that collaboration will work.      The aims are to:  Read more

Health and Social Care Secretary NHS Confed Expo speech

Read here

Mental Health Act reform – draft legislation now
announced.

In the Queen’s Speech, it was announced that draft legislation would be brought forward to reform the Mental Health Act in England and Wales.
The purpose of the draft Bill is to:
Ensure patients suffering from mental health conditions have greater control over their treatment and receive the dignity and respect they deserve.
Make it easier for people with learning disabilities and    autism to be discharged from hospital. Read

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has come under fire for “ducking and diving” over the issue of discharges into care homes during COVID.

In a meeting of the Parliament she was challenged to accept the High Court in England ruling that the policy of discharging    positive & untested Covid patients into care homes was “unlawful”, unreasonable and “irrational”. Read

Regulation 28 report to Prevent future Deaths by HM Senior Coroner for Hertfordshire, Geoffrey Sullivan, on the 10th Feb 2022.

This relates to a Care home fire in 2017 resulting in two deaths.

Two matters of concern were raised.

The MATTERS OF CONCERN are as follows. – (1) That sprinkler systems are not a mandatory requirement for care homes whose occupants have either limited or no independent mobility and are therefore at higher risk from fire.

(2) That care homes whose occupants have either limited or no independent mobility, and are therefore at higher risk from fire, are not deemed to be ‘Higher Risk Buildings’ unless they are at least 18m in height or at least 7 storeys high
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