Cheselden Continuing Care Ltd » CSSIW

Welsh Assembly meets to debate care report

ericstenson — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 19:19:54 +0000

The Welsh Assembly met on 26 January 2010 to debate the country’s latest care and social services report, which indicates that urgent action should be taken to improve falling standards. Issues raised in the Care & Social Services Inspectorate Wales (CSSIW) annual report include widespread inconsistency in the quality and availability of social care services across the country. Although some areas are showing improvement, Deputy Minister for Social Services, Gwenda Thomas, admitted in the debate that Welsh local authorities face considerable challenges in improving the services they offer. Conservative Assembly Member Jonathan Morgan called for an external review of the role and responsibilities of the CSSIW and questioned its ability to effectively inspect care homes. He comments: ‘Many of those now carrying out inspections within CSSIW were people who used to inspect social services. They may have years of experience of inspecting social services but they are not very good at inspecting care homes, where a lot of our vulnerable elderly people may be looked after. This simply isn’t good enough. We must ensure that the very best care providers in the sector are maintained and the worst and repeat offenders are weeded out and driven out of the market.’

You can watch the debate online at the BBC website.

Welsh social care report calls for a more consistent and modern service

Cheselden — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

The Care and Social Services Inspectorate for Wales (CSSIW) has published its annual report on the Welsh social care service. Although it acknowledges that service levels are improving, the report criticises the variations between Welsh regions in both quality of care and access to services. The CSSIW reports that service users are becoming increasingly involved in decisions about their care and, on the whole, are being treated with dignity. However, it urges local authorities to move more quickly to modernise services despite shrinking budgets. CSSIW chief inspector Imelda Richardson described on BBC Radio Wales how councils will benefit from ‘…better partnership arrangements with other authorities who are doing well, learning from those who are doing well so that you’re able to refocus, redesign your own services and also listening to what people themselves want because often they want quite simple services and not complex ones.’ The Care Forum for Wales has welcomed the report’s recommendations, calling them ‘…a challenge that all parties responsible for social services and social care must sign up to and face together.’ The report can be read in full at the Welsh Assembly Government website.

posted by Cheselden Continuing Care at
01:04

Welsh social services set for reform

Cheselden — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 00:00:00 +0000

The Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales (CSSIW) has announced that the social services review and inspection process in Wales is to be reformed further to extensive discussions with service providers and local councils. The new system will place overall responsibility for the quality and improvement of social services with the councils. The new process includes the following key elements:

Local authorities must implement and publicly report on the progress of an annual improvement plan for social services

This report will then be analysed by the CCSIW, which will also look at other evidence supporting the report

Each council will then receive its own Inspection and Review Plan and be subjected to both announced and unannounced quality control visits.

Rob Pickford, the Chief Inspector of CSSIW expects the changes to enable local authorities to focus their efforts on supporting service users and enhance their experience: ‘The new arrangement continues to focus on ensuring that some of the most vulnerable people in society receive the care and support they need. Therefore it continues to place an emphasis on safeguarding children and adults and to promote their welfare, development and independence.’

The new system will be implemented from April 2009. To find out more, visit the CCSIW website.

posted by Cheselden Continuing Care at
12:15