Search results

This article provides an introduction to seamlessUK from the perspective of a partner project called PINpoint. Medway PINpoint is establishing a local portal which will become part of seamlessUK, enabling one search to retrieve local and national information. seamlessUK is a New Opportunities Fund Digitisation project developing a citizens’ gateway delivered through local portals. seamlessUK will provide a single point of search and retrieval for selected local, regional and national data sources. Emphasis is on improving access to community information but it will also support lifelong learning, active citizenship and digital literacy. The project is a partnership of local authorities and data providers, headed by Essex County Council, supported by core partners Fretwell‐Downing Informatics (FDi) (technical developer) and MDR Partners (project management). seamlessUK builds on standards and takes account of e‐Government Interoperability Framework and e‐Government Metadata Schema. A thesaurus and geographical information system are being implemented to enhance search precision.

Serious case review was neither envisaged nor mandated in the original No Secrets (Department of Health, 2000) although individual authorities have issued protocols in the intervening period. Recognising that there would always be a need to look back and to learn from challenging cases, Kent was one of the first authorities to put in place a mechanism for referral and conduct of these reviews. In this paper, I summarise the way this process is set in train, and what we have learned from the reviews we have undertaken to date. I write as the independent chair of the Serious Case Review Panel, and as an occasional chair of one‐off inquiries for other authorities, which I also refer to for comparison.

This article reports on an analysis of local authority codes of practice for the protection of vulnerable adults. The research focused on three main areas of requirements and recommendations identified in No Secrets. The findings reveal emerging trends that indicate a strong commitment to some areas of good practice, but the many exceptions suggest there is no room for complacency.

This paper examines the road to current safeguarding management and practice in Medway. This has been influenced by organisational change with Medway Council, a separate unitary authority formed from the previous Medway and Swale Area of Kent County Council in the government's first wave of unitary authorities. Medway was a shadow authority in 1997 and became a full unitary council in 1998. Locally, this brought together Rochester upon Medway City Council with Gillingham Borough Council under one local government regime with singular political and management leadership. These changes brought particular challenges for adult protection; this paper maps out these demands and discusses the management and practice solutions adopted.

This paper describes the development of a multi‐agency model for adult protection training in Kent and Medway and sets this in the context of the evolution of wider adult protection policy and competence. The rationale for the planning and development of the model is outlined and the content and coverage of the different levels of training are described. Key issues include the progression of staff and managers and the implementation and operation of the model. These are explored in relation to the different demands on the safeguarding activities in Kent and Medway and the different agency and professional interests at stake. Future developments are also briefly mapped and discussed.

This paper profiles the Maidstone ‘Quality in Care’ project and makes suggestions for how it could be developed and implemented across residential and nursing care for older people and for social care more widely. ‘Quality in Care’ is a quality assurance model of support provided to residential care homes for older people where there are serious concerns about the risks of abuse and/or neglect and the quality of services and care provided. The aim of the intervention is to ensure that vulnerable adults are safeguarded and protected and that service standards are improved in key areas. The model has the potential to be transferred to all client groups and most service types although resource constraints currently limit the project to older people only.

This paper argues for a case management rationale in adult protection management and practice, drawing insights from a series of linked training initiatives and an evaluation of the role of the specialist adult protection co‐ordinator. An explicit case managed approach contrasts with much current practice for adult protection, where responsibilities often vary widely within, between and across agencies and professional and worker roles.

Clift and Morrison (2011) report that weekly singing over eight months for people with enduring mental health issues led to clinically important reductions in mental distress. The purpose of this paper is to test the robustness of the earlier findings.

Four community singing groups for people with mental health issues ran weekly from November 2014 to the end of 2015. Evaluation place over a six-month period using two validated questionnaires: the short Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation (CORE-10) questionnaire, and the Warwick Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS).

In all, 26 participants completed baseline and follow-up questionnaires. CORE-10 scores were significantly reduced, and WEMWBS scores significantly increased. Comparisons with the earlier study found a similar pattern of improvements on CORE items that are part of the “problems” sub-scale in the full CORE questionnaire. There was also evidence from both studies of participants showing clinically important improvements in CORE-10 scores.

The main limitations of the study are a small sample size and the lack of a randomised control group.

No attempts have been made previously to directly test the transferability of a singing for health model to a new geographical area and to evaluate outcomes using the same validated measure.