|
||||||||||||
Alone we can do so little; together we achieve so much! Welcome to the July issue of the Dignified Revolution update. The purpose is to ensure that the public are aware of what they should expect when admitted to hospital and to draw their attention to useful information and support mechanisms to help them when in the care system. It is also designed to keep professionals up to date with resources and information to support dignified care. NEW WEBSITE! We are pleased to announce that we now have a new website. There is a blog page will keep you up to date with our activity plus a news page. In addition, there will be a section which provides details of useful resources and publications plus links to support groups and like minded organisations. We would like to thank Ensuring that older people are being treated with dignity and respect Following on from the successful Master Class that was held at the Open University in Friday 7 November 2008 at Taff Housing Association, If you would like to book a place email us A report on the Master Class that Please continue to spread the word about A Dignified Revolution to work colleagues, family and friends. We want to keep dignified care at the forefront of everyone’s minds! GOOD NEWS CORNER A Dignified Revolution is now 6 months old – it seems that we have been going a lot longer! Understandably, the first six months have been focused on the issues and problems that older people face when in hospital. However, we know that there is a lot of exceptional care being provided by nursing and other caring professions. We would like to include more good news stories in our newsletter and on our website. So, if you have good news, please let us know and we will share it with our readers. We will keep the news anonymous if that is preferred. Our “pot of gold at the end of the rainbow” is a newsletter that contains only good news. A challenging target, but one that we are willing to strive for. What evidence is there that older people’s dignity and respect is being ignored in hospital? Over the past few months, when meeting with various groups, it has been suggested that the evidence that we present of the lack of dignity and respect afforded to older people in hospital is ‘anecdotal’. We have a growing number of cases studies that provide evidence, and this is supported by research and investigations. For example: The recent Healthcare Commission Spotlight on Complaints report also showed that 30% of complaints about hospitals concerned lapses in fundamental aspects of nursing care i.e. nutrition, privacy and dignity, and communication. 25% of cases referred to the Commission were concerned with nutrition. This included m a lack of help for patients who needed assistance with dietary needs m patients not being given appropriate food –for example, some patients were given pureed food for long periods of time without an appropriate assessment to determine whether they still needed this type of meal m patients being given food which they could not eat, only for it to be taken away untouched without alternatives being offered m patients only being fed when family members were there to help The third most frequent issue reported by the Commission was complaints handling. Older people need to be fully aware of how to make a complaint, the response that they can expect and the fact that making a complaint will in no way jeopardise the care that they receive in the future. Other evidence is provided by the Joint Committee on Human Rights which reported[1], in August 2007, that 21% of hospitals and care homes failed to meet minimum standards on dignity and privacy. The committee uncovered evidence of neglect, abuse, discrimination and unfair treatment of frail older people. The Committee Chairman, Andrew Dinsmore was reported as saying that: “the neglect and ill-treatment of the elderly is a severe abuse of human rights. It is a serious betrayal of trust by the people upon whom older people depend on for care. We must see a complete change of culture in the health and social care services” Finally, we should reflect on a comment that has been made on more than one occasion, and that is “even one case of inappropriate care (abuse), is one too many”. AN UPDATE ON ACTIVITY Measuring compassion The Government in We would also like to hear from you if you are aware of any mystery visitor schemes that are already in existence. We have been informed that the Community Health Council in north Socialist Health Association (SHA) meeting We participated in an SHA meeting that took place in Through the above SHA meeting we have made contact with a newly appointed Patient Safety Champion for Chief Nursing Officer’s Conference 19 June 2008 We gave a presentation at the above nursing conference. As a consequence of this we have been asked to write an article for the Nurse Management Journal about A Dignified Revolution and dignified care Welsh Assembly Government Dignity in Care National Coordinating Group We attended the first meeting of this group on 14 July 2008. The group has been convened to progress the dignity in care agenda in Advocare We have been contacted by an organisation called Advocare. It is a service that supports carers in OTHER ACTIVITIES We have been invited to: m meet with Advocacy officers at Age Concern Gwent m meet members of the Cardiff Older People’s Forum
m talk to staff at St Tydfils Hospital, m talk to members of the NIFTY m talk at the Age Concern Torfaen conference that is being held in October m talk to care staff at a m meet with Age Alliance Wales m participate in a seminar being organised by Age Concern Ceredigion m participate in a workshop in Powys to develop and disseminate a training programme and awareness campaign to all staff - health, social care and independent sector m meet with the m invited to participate in training at Conwy & Derbyshire NHS Trust SPREADING THE WORD ABOUT DIGNIFIED CARE Age Concern Morgannwg is raising awareness of the issue of dignity and respect at every opportunity. From promoting A Dignified Revolution through their older people’s forums and professional networks we have received numerous enquiries for more information and requests to join the network and receive regular information. Later on in the newsletter you will find information about activity in Cwm Taf NHS Trust, which one of the staff at Age Concern Morgannwg provided after attending a public involvement forum meeting The Director of Age Concern Morgannwg attended a Joint Professional Forum Symposium where she had been invited to speak about the Voluntary Sector Contribution to End of Life Care Age Concern Morgannwg intends to write to the trust to check that staff receive POVA (Protection of Vulnerable Adult) training They have also developed a questionnaire to use with older people who have recently been discharged from hospital. The intention is to find out how satisfied they were with their experience of care Age Concern Ceredigion have updated us on their plans. Dignity in care is an issue they intend taking up in hospitals, residential/nursing homes and home care. They are planning a one day seminar for hospital staff and students. They are also interested in developing independent patient advocacy services to cover the three hospitals in Ceredigion and also WIDENING THE NET Information about A Dignified Revolution is being circulated widely. Thank you to all those who have taken the time to help spread the word. Your support is much appreciated. Individuals and organisations that we are aware of, which have promoted A Dignified Revolution include: m Ken Jarrold mentioned A Dignified Revolution in an article published in the Health Service Journal m The Socialist Health Association has included information on their website m The Parkinson’s Disease Society included information in their newsletter m OPAAL distributed our news update to its members and requested copies of our case studies to use for training purposes in their national benchmarking project m Powys LHB has included our newsletter and leaflet on its website m Age Concern North East Central included information in their newsletter m Age Concern As a result of this support we have received more supporters, new case studies and requests to receive copies of existing ones, and a report on the concerns about the level of older people’s mental health service provision HOSPITAL UPDATE Over the last month, and since raising awareness of the case studies that we have available, we have received a number of requests from trusts around Cwn Taf From attending the Public Involvement Forum at Cwm Taf NHS Trust Age Concern Morgannwg reported that the Director of Nursing intends to remove nursing stations from ward areas as they are seen as a United The trust is training staff as wellbeing champions. The training is a collaboration between staff in the clinical training department and the chaplaincy and it aims to help staff identify issues around wellbeing in their own areas and to examine their own attitudes and behaviour. The idea of the champions came from the trust’s senior and managing chaplain who had been looking at how the trust dealt with the religious and spiritual needs of dying patients. He found that staff members felt that they did meet these needs but the evidence suggested otherwise. His thinking soon expanded to cover all patients, rather than just those who were dying, and other aspects of their care. The training now covers aspects such as multi faith, cultural awareness, dignity, confidentiality and consent, communication, breaking bad news and helping patients cope with loss and change – not just bereavement but also changes in lifestyle and body image that illness can bring. The dignity challenge came out of the care of older people but the focus is now for all patients in the trusts care. Source: Health Service Journal 10 July 2008 FEEDBACK We continue to receive regular feedback from people who have become aware of A Dignified Revolution. Examples include: “It was great to meet you and to hear about the brilliant work being done by A Dignified Revolution - bit by bit things may start to change” “the newsletter was interesting and very useful” “I am now aged 78 and despite health problems over the last two years I have managed to gain an MA through part time study so I am still very mentally alert and still active as an old fashioned socialist! I should like to get involved” “I am working as part of a Local Involvement Network support team and we have started up some working groups looking at health and social care issues on particular topics. One that I am leading on is about older age across health and social care services. With this in mind, I wonder if you are able to send me copies of the case studies which you discuss in your newsletter, as it may be good to have these to help members of the working group when deciding some of the issues that they will work on” FORTHCOMING EVENTS Carers information event The Cardiff & 10th National Advocacy Conference 4 and 5 November 2008, For more information email louise.hughes@accymru.org.uk Ensuring that older people are being treated with dignity and respect Friday 7 November 2008 Taff Housing Association, If you would like to book a place email us USEFUL RESOURCES Fundamentals of care – what you should expect This booklet, entitled Fundamentals of Care provides guidance on the quality of care that you should expect from health and social care providers in Mental health guide for older people Directions – a guide to older people’s mental health in Cardiff & Your human rights: a guide for older people This guide provides practical information about human rights, and their relevance to older people. It is written directly for older people. The guide is also useful for people working with older people or those wanting to learn more about the impact of human rights on older people Community Health Councils (CHC) The CHC can provide you with free confidential help if you have a problem or complaint with NHS services Dementia services development centre This is a useful website for professionals and members of the public A special interest in older people The Physical Activity and Nutrition Network for Nursing & Midwifery Council Nurses have a duty of care to protect their patients. There is a booklet available from the Nursing & Midwifery Council that provides information what to do if you are unhappy about the way that a registered nurse has treated you or cared for you MRSA Support MRSA Support is a support group for sufferers and dependents. For more information email info@mrsasupport.co.uk or write to C-diff support A support group to help and support families who have been affected by C Diff Advocare – Caring for Carers Advocare is a small group of carers and former carers who have been working for some years to help unpaid family caregivers and enable them to have a free voice. Run by carers for carers The Saga Respite for Carers Trust has been launched. The trust is all about rewarding people who care selflessly for their loved ones by giving them a well-earned holiday, while ensuring continuity of care Spirituality and medical practice: using the HOPE questions as a practical tool for spiritual assessment Studies suggest that many patients believe spirituality plays an important role in their lives, that there is a positive correlation between a patient SCIE Practice Guide 09: Dignity in Care Legislation SCIE has added a brief guide to Dignity in Care legislation to its website. The guide explains to practitioners how dignity is supported by several key pieces of legislation and how this affects peoples’ rights to high quality care LINks publication Stronger voice, better care - Local Involvement Networks (LINks) explained is aimed at better informing patients IN THE NEWS Speak out on elder abuse, says councillor Caerphilly recently joined a worldwide campaign to promote awareness of elder abuse through its newly formed Protection of Vulnerable Adults (POVA) team. Figures reveal that almost half of the abuse encountered by older people in Caerphilly county happen in their own home or that of a relative Report to highlight elder abuse in Flintshire An increase has been reported in the abuse of vulnerable adults in Flintshire. Among those being either physically, sexually, verbally or financially abused are older people Bullying nurse walks free after terrorising OAPS in her care A care home nurse who subjected defenceless pensioners to a horrifying reign of terror has escaped jail despite a string of sadistic attacks. The incidents only came to light when a trainee bravely blew the whistle, despite threats Nurses are too scared to blow the whistle on bullying colleagues A nurse was horrified at what he saw when working in a nursing home but after reporting his concerns he was reported to the Nursing & Midwifery Council for not protecting the patient The Commission welcomes new legislation to guarantee respect and dignity for people in care The Equality & Human Rights Commission welcomes new legislation that will secure protection for over 300,000 elderly and disabled adults in care homes. An amendment to the Health and Social Care Bill has been tabled in the House of Lords following intensive campaigning by the Commission to extend human rights protection to those in private care homes Performance review makes strong recommendations for improvements to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) The NMC is carrying out its statutory functions but fails to fulfil these to the standard of performance that the public has the right to expect of a regulator according to the Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence. The report identifies serious weaknesses in the NMC’s governance and culture, in the conduct of its Council, its ability to protect the interest of the public through the operation of fitness to practise processes and its ability to retain the confidence of key stakeholders. Download the full report here Nurses to be monitored on compassion Nurses are to be rated according to the levels of care and empathy they give to patients under government plans RCN launches dignity campaign The Royal College of Nursing has launched a new campaign - dignity at the heart of everything we do. The campaign will champion patient dignity by giving nurses practical tools to ensure compassionate care and challenge poor practice where it exists. New learning materials for the RCN’s online resource, The Learning Zone, have also been launched. The material will enable individuals to learn at their own pace and to reflect on their values and beliefs and how these might impact on care provision. Further resources will be launched in the autumn, including a practice support pack which includes an interactive DVD, a practice influencing pack and a series of workshops Tough action to improve ward cleanliness A package of new measures to improve hospital cleanliness and give nurses in Review of No Secrets The review of No Secrets was formally launched by Ivan Lewis in A practical guide to discharge planning launched Passing the Baton: a practical guide to discharge planning has been launched. If you would like more information please email CAT@nliah.wales.nhs.uk Care services sign up to Dignity in Care Charter for older people Care providers across the It is about ‘dignity and respect’ Hospitals are failing to ensure people are kept in single sex accommodation despite the efforts of government, figures obtained by the Tories show. But what does this mean to patients? See the person, not the age A Government campaign to stamp out age-related discrimination is urging Scots to See the Person, not the Age. The £640,000 anti-ageism campaign will feature television, radio, online and press advertising and encourage Scots to think past stereotypes based on age ‘Drinking club’ improves health Health campaigners are calling for care homes across the UK to have stronger guidelines on hydration, after a care home in Suffolk set up a water AND FINALLY…………… We welcome you comments and suggestions. If you have any information that you would like to share with others please let us know and we will be happy to circulate it in the next newsletter. If you are reading a copy of this email forwarded to you by a colleague we may not have your contact details. If you would like to guarantee a regular monthly copy of the mailing send your details to info@dignifiedrevolution.org.uk A Dignified Revolution Britannia House Cowbridge CF71 7AD Tel: 07811 159800 Email: info@dignifiedrevolution.org.uk [1] Joint Committee On Human Rights - Eighteenth Report (2007) http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/jt200607/jtselect/jtrights/156/15603.htm (accessed 29 August 2007) |
||||||||||||
Text size:    |
||||||||||||
| Administrators' Login | ||||||||||||
