Skills for Care’s Quality Assured Care Learning Service
Skills for Care’s Quality Assured Care Learning Service reviews course quality to ensure individual courses and qualifications provided by training providers in the adult social care sector are of high quality and meet the needs of the workforce and people who receive care. Funded by the Department of Health and Social Care and delivered by Skills for Care, the service includes courses funded through the Learning and Development Support Scheme.
New analysis reveals two-thirds of social care commissioning budgets are spent on working age and disabled adults
Research by the County Councils Network has revealed that the cost of providing care for working age and disabled adults is now far outpacing social care to the over 65s and absorbing two-thirds of adult social care commissioning budgets. The report warns increased complexity of individual needs, a substantial rise in placement costs, and ‘inappropriate and insufficient’ housing options could mean councils’ care and support spending top £17bn by 2030. More information.
DBS fees are changing in December
The Disclosure and Barring Service is increasing its fees from 2 December 2024 to meet the increased operational costs of delivering DBS’ safeguarding service. The new fees for DBS checks will be Update Service – £16 (per year), Basic DBS check – £21.50, Standard DBS check – £21.50, Enhanced DBS check – £49.50, and Enhanced DBS check with Barred List(s) – £49.50. More information.
Blue Light Card – Black Friday sale
Blue Light Card is planning to offer discounts across fashion, tech, beauty, electricals, gifting and more as Black Friday deals. There will be early access offers, and exclusive daily deals starting November 22, members can access 24-hour exclusive offers that change daily, with main sale dates from 29 November to December 2. More information. This includes how to sign up for a Blue Light Card (small fee payable), which provides those in the NHS, emergency services, social care sector and armed forces with discounts online and in-store.
Requests for support exceed 2 million
Statistics produced by NHS England show that in 2023-24 and for the second time there were over 2.0 million requests for support (2,085,720) from new clients received by local authorities. This is an increase of 83,670 (4.2%) compared with 2,002,055 requests for support in 2022-23. Source: Requests for Support - NHS England Digital.
The health and safety impacts of night working
Research by Sian Moore, Anglia Ruskin University and Ruth Ballardie, University of Greenwich, with trade unions, looks at the impact of night work on workers’ health. Night shifts are generally worked for financial reasons and for some, to fit with caring responsibilities. Overwhelmingly, workers reported that night shifts result in fragmented and split sleep and difficulties re-adjusting to normal sleep patterns. Fatigue is worse for older workers, and recovery time not always built into rosters.
Night Club night working initiative
More about night working at Night Club, an initiative of The Liminal Space, developed with Impact on Urban Health, Wellcome Trust, Oxford University's Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute and Co-op, which brings sleep experts into the workplace to help create a better and healthier experience of working at night.
Smoking ban introduced to protect children and the most vulnerable
The Tobacco and Vapes Bill, introduced in Parliament on 5 November 2024, includes measures to phase out the sale of tobacco products in the UK to anyone aged 15 or younger this year, along with creating new powers to restrict the sale, display and advertising on vapes. The government will be given powers to extend the indoor smoking ban to specific outdoor spaces: with children’s playgrounds, outside schools and hospitals all being considered, subject to consultation. Disposable vapes are also due to be banned from 1 June 2025 under separate environmental legislation. Government press release.
