FROMTHE DIRECTORS
EVERY DECISION ABOUT CARE IS A DECISION ABOUT HOUSING
This month’s “From the Directors” comes from Lara Bywater, who is also Director of LDC Care Company in East Kent
Lara joined Care Talk's Roundtable event in The Supreme Court in London for discussions around dementia, the Casey review and research from UKC.
Housing with care plays a vital role in health and social care, making it important to continually assess how people can get the right support in settings that promote both independence and dignity.
This report takes a closer look at key discussions and viewpoints on housing with care, drawing from insights shared during the roundtable
Experts from across the sector came together to explore the challenges and opportunities in the field, covering topics like housing options, care quality, and how care services can be better integrated This paper highlights the main points from the discussion, aiming to spark further conversations and fresh ideas for the future of housing with care.
You can read the Housing with Care White Paper by clicking here:
UPCOMING EVENTS
As the countdown to Care Show London begins, we can't wait to share our sessions for our crowd pulling OS Learning Lounge.
Don't miss your chance to get FREE tickets today and plan in your day around the agenda. Click the image for tickets Microsoft Teams meeting:
Meeting ID: 393 285 053 338 Passcode: WncBqs
After another brilliant Quarterly Insights session with the Care Quality Commission’s Chris Day, we are delighted to let you know that you can now secure your tickets for the next one.
Date: Thursday 15 May Time: 13:00 – 14:00 Location: Microsoft Teams Click the image for tickets
Our Next VIVALDI Drop In Session is: Wednesday 7 May 2025 th
Join us for a 30-minute drop-in session where your team, residents, relatives, or visiting professionals can hear updates, ask questions about the project, and provide feedback.
Future sessions will recur every first Wednesday of the month from 13:00-13:30
Social care overhaul: What it means for your business
The government’s latest announcements on an overhaul of social care have certainly caught the sector’s attention. While the proposed changes bring potential improvements, they also introduce challenges and risks that care providers must navigate.
One key aspect of the overhaul is its timeline—implementation is targeted for 2028. With proposals on its long-term funding unlikely to be delivered before 2028 at the earliest. While the reforms promise enhanced integration and efficiency, this long horizon raises concerns for an already stretched sector. In this article we review some other aspects of the overhaul and the impact it could have on the insurance requirements of care providers.
Read the full blog by Howden’s Divisional Director - Head of Social Care, Richard Hearn by clicking here
Come & join: Spring social with Howden and the Care Workers’ Charity
Howden are hosting an event on Tuesday 15 July 2025 (rescheduled) to celebrate the incredible work that the Care Workers’ Charity provides for the care community. With a prize draw and complimentary bar and food, this is an event not to be missed. Attendance will be on a first come first served basis so don’t miss out! th
Event details
Date: Tuesday 15th July 2025
Time: 16:00 - 21:00
Complete the short form to reserve your place. Book my place
Skills for Care and NHS England have created free-to-access induction materials for anyone new to a role in health and social care.
Developed with over 2,000 staff and people who access care and support, the ‘National induction for health and social care’ brings together virtual learning modules and resources to equip new starters with a clear understanding of health and social care, helping to build a sense of belonging and support retention The following online courses are available to help inform a more consistent induction into the sector:
Your career in health and social care
What is special about what we do?
Equality, diversity and inclusion for all
The health and care landscape
Working together
Keeping safe
Thriving at work
All content is available online to use as part of your induction or as a refresher for existing staff. Users will need to register for a free account to access. The induction materials are intended to be used alongside organisation specific induction and doesn’t replace or duplicate the Care Certificate, Manager Induction Standards or formal qualifications.
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This April we’re once again #CelebratingSocialCare focusing on the amazing people who work in care, and we’d love you to join the celebrations.
Since 2022, Skills for Care have dedicated the month of April to #CelebratingSocialCare. Although we celebrate social care year-round, we use this month to celebrate a little bit louder and a little bit harder and we encourage everyone else to join in.
People who work in social care are highly skilled, passionate and hard-working and it’s important that we all take time to recognise the vital work they do Without our sector’s dedicated workforce many people would not be able to live fulfilling lives in the way they choose.
Join in #CelebratingSocialCare
Skills for Care are inviting everyone to get involved and show their support. We’re excited to see how you’ll take part!
1. Download and use the resource pack which includes selfie cards, social media images, email banners and blog templates.
2. Ways you can get involved:
Share your stories, shoutouts and celebrations
Post on social media
Host your own event or activity
The RCN Foundation currently has a ShinyMind community with 500 free licenses available for those working in non-NHS settings, including social care.
If you are working in England in a non-NHS setting, including social care, as a nurse, midwife, midwifery care assistant or healthcare support workers, and would like access to the ShinyMind app, please complete the form on the webpage.
If you’d like more details you can click the Shiny Mind logo above or visit: https://rcnfoundation.rcn.org.uk/Grants-and-funding/Hardship-grants/Shiny-Mind
The RCN Foundation has partnered with LV= to establish the RCN Foundation LV= Quality Improvement Project for nursing and midwifery staff.
This programme will fund opportunities for nursing and midwifery led QI projects that improve patient care and safety, help in addressing health inequalities and improve outcomes for nurses and midwives’ wellbeing.
You do not need to be a member of the RCN to apply. The deadline to apply is 5pm on Monday 28 April 2025.
If you would like more information and to see the full eligibility criteria click here
Join our FIRST EVER Social Care Nursing Lounge at Care Show London, 30th April1st May 2025 in collaboration with SCNACs, FoNs, Skills for Care, Qicn, The University of Salford and the RCN Foundation.
Meet the Co-Chairs of your SCNAC area and ask any questions you might have, network with other social care nurses, share your thoughts and ideas on the future of social care and find out about opportunities in your area.
Click the Care Show logo to get your FREE tickets and join us!
The next QiCN Infection Prevention and Control Champion Network meeting is taking place on Thursday 17th April 2025, 14:00-16:00.
You can visit the Infection Prevention and Control Champion Network Event page to view the summary documents from our previous meetings.
The Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Champion Network aims to help maintain and continuously improve infection control standards across the care sector. The network is aiming to develop and support champions within the role of infection control, thus providing excellence in care for patients.
Click the image above to reserve your spot
Camascope’s next webinar is on Thursday, 8th May at 11am.
This is 45-minute demo of the Camascope eMAR platform, with time for questions. During the webinar, we’ll explore the key benefits of our eMAR software, including offline mode for safety and efficiency, scanning administration to reduce errors, a user-friendly interface, group dashboards, GP proxy ordering, complex dose scheduling, and detailed reports to improve compliance.
Don’t miss out secure your spot today by clicking the image above.
The Out Standing Diversity Forum (OSDF) is the first ever cross-sector diversity forum to support and serve the adult social care sector. Representing a workforce of 1 6-1 8 million people, the sector’s enormity and scale can make it feel massive, completely solitary and alienating all at the same time.
The OSDF is Proudly sponsored by
Watch the video by clicking the image above.
The University of Salford in partnership with NIHR, NIHR ARC Wessex, and NHS England are undertaking a priority setting exercise to identify, prioritise and articulate key areas for research and innovation in adult social care nursing. We are inviting participation from front line nurses, people who use adult social care nursing services, researchers, academics and policy makers to support these discussions. The priority setting process will support rapid identification of key areas of interest or evidence gaps and find out what research needs to happen to make adult social care nursing even better.
Their first event is on the 28th April and during this session we will ask for your opinions and views about the most pressing topics, what you see as gaps in evidence for adult social care nursing and the questions that might be most important to answer in your experience
A follow up event will be advertised separately for the 4th August to share what we have found with you.
Please see below to book your place. We would be grateful if you could share this information with your key partners and networks.
Setting the research agenda for adult social care nursing session 1
Monday, April 28 · 10:30am - 12pm
Setting the research agenda for adult social care nursing Session 2
Monday, August 4 2:00 - 3:30pm
The Health & Social Care team at RWK Goodman is a recognised market leader, with indepth knowledge and experience in the social care sector. Based across London, Thames Valley and the South West, our team of lawyers are fully immersed in social care, which enables us to cut to the heart of urgent matters quickly, and help you plan for what may lie ahead.
Our aim is to get to know your business and become the strategic advisors you trust to provide insightful, pragmatic solutions. Our clients include nursing and residential homes, hospices, homecare agencies, supported living, specialist colleges and children’s services and our advice covers many areas.
Join Nourish in London on 30th April and 1st May for the largest care show this spring.
This free to attend two-day conference and exhibition event offers invaluable knowledgesharing, face-to-face networking, and innovation opportunities for those working in the social care sector Boost your care quality with tangible takeaways from the comprehensive conference programme, whilst finding your perfect solution providers amongst the broad range of exhibitors all under one roof.
Nourish will be on-hand at stand E30 to show you their digital care management platform and answer any questions you have. You can book an appointment at the show with one of their experts by emailing: hello@nourishcare.com
Click the image below to find out more and nominate
Click the image below to find out more and nominate
FIRE WALK EXPERIENCE
Date: 24th April 2025 Time: From 4pm Venue: The Oaks Care Home, 150 Rubery Lane, Rubery , B45 9AY
Join us for an exhilarating evening of Firewalking and Lego
Walking to support The Care Workers’ Charity. Challenge yourself for a great cause!
Walk across hot coals and feel the rush of accomplishment!
Fundraising Target: £300
All proceeds go to support The Care Workers’ Charity, helping those who care for us. Sign up today and be part of an unforgettable experience!
For more information and to register, visit: https://www.thecareworkerscharity.org.uk/event/the-careworkers-charity-fire-experience-2025/
If you missed our CRED Talk on 5 March you can catch up by clicking the image below. th
Chaired by Zoe Fry, Speakers included Professor Laura Shallcross, Lauren Hague, Mike Slator, Lucy Knight and Lianne Ford.
CRED Talks: Care and Research Education and Debate.
On Thursday, 13 March 2025, the Care England Conference & Exhibition took place at Church House Conference Centre in Westminster, London. This annual event, themed ‘Game Changer’, brought together professionals from the care sector for a day of insightful discussions, seminars, and networking opportunities.
The VIVALDI Social Care Team were delighted to attend and share information about the project with all delegates.
If you’d like to know more about the conference you can here: Care England Conference 25
Thank you to our partners who we work closely with in developing our strategy
Thank you for reading. See you for our next issue in May when Care Show London is over and we all catch our breath again. Click the button below to register for FREE membership, receive event notifications and best practices updates
Please feel free to share with your team to spread the opportunities.