Search results

The paper describes the size, nature and trends in home care, including telemedicine and hospital at home, emphasising the independent sector's contribution and highlighting the importance of home care to health and social care. It identifies a funding and capacity crisis, outlines the likely impact of any further reduction and explores contributory recruitment, training and commissioning practice issues.

Shortcomings in the health and social care workforce threaten the achievement of the NHS Plan. Government's recognition of the need to build workforce capacity has led to new strategies for recruiting and retaining staff and for providing the education and training required by both professional and non‐professional staff groups. The new focus on workforce issues has also opened up new opportunities to tackle inequalities regarding race, disability, gender and age. But employers face great challenges, requiring new ways of thinking and working in order to achieve change in the short and longer term.

Existing contract currencies often carry a disincentive to community care and are demotivating for staff. This Case Study describes the opportunities to develop a more sensible approach and an initiative to develop contracts based on outcomes.

This paper presents the findings from an evaluation of a direct payment pilot project for parents of disabled children in Staffordshire. The study found that, for a variety of reasons, parents accessing direct payments did not report any greater benefits than those using traditional services.