The Social Care Commitment, has been launched by the Department of Health, in partnership with the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS), the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and the Voluntary Organisations Disability Group (VODG).
The Social Care Commitment is an agreement between employers and employees, where both sides sign up to seven clear commitments to develop skills and knowledge within their workforce. It focuses on the real issues people have in the workplace, such as how to achieve effective communication, uphold dignity and protect an individual’s privacy.
By signing up, employers and their workers are pledging to continually deliver high quality care, making sure the public have confidence in the services provided. The Commitment is an example of how consultation with all parts of the sector can produce policy for the benefit of everyone.
The commitment involves employers promising to implement best practice in a number of areas relating to workforce values, attitudes, behaviours, skills and competence. This is something the majority of employers already do and employers in regulated services already have to demonstrate to the Care Quality Commission and commissioners.
However, this is the first time employees will be asked also to make a similar commitment, meaning the sector as a whole can pledge to work together to improve workforce quality.
Both the public and those needing care and support need evidence that employers and their employees recognise these issues and are dedicated to providing and improving quality. The Social Care Commitment is a key part of the Department of Health’s continued drive to achieve this in communities, and help raise public confidence in the sector.
From December 2013, people thinking about using care and support services will be able to visit the NHS Choices website to see which employers have signed up. There they will find useful information about the culture of organisations, to help them make better informed care choices.
150 employers had already signed up within a week of the launch, suggesting they have been quick to see the benefits, not only for their organisations but, more importantly, for the people they offer care and support to.
Whether you’re an employee or employer, find out more about the Social Care Commitment.
Information supplied by: Steve Bridge- social care workforce strategy manager.
2 comments
Comment by Alan Martin posted on
I must confess to being rather tired of more paperwork purporting to address issues in social care and health care. What does this add to the pre existing Code of conduct for social care employees and employers currently under the wing of SCIE, or the CQC essential standards, or local authority requirements or PCT - sorry, CCG now - requirements? In a similar vein, it would be amusing if it were not so outrageous that some MPs seem to think that the problem of inadequate nursing levels on hospital wards can be addressed by getting bureaucrats to count the number of nurses on each shift and pinning the results to notice boards! For pity's sake, stop the endless reorganisation and mad paper chase and fund social and health care properly so that we have enough people working at the sharp end and they feel properly remunerated and appreciated for the good job they do. For those who do not do a good job - managers who do not discipline poor staff properly and staff who do not care - get them out of the sector as soon as possible.
Comment by Steve Bridge: Social Care Workforce Strategy Manager posted on
Hi Alan, thanks for your comment.
The Social Care Commitment is the sector's promise to provide people who need care and support with safe, high-quality services. In order to make the commitment employers, individual employers, care workers and carers sign up to a series of seven statements that focus on values and behaviours and pledge to complete tasks that support the statements.
The commitment will have a key role to play in helping to improve public trust in the care sector.
From December 2013, once a Care Quality Commission (CQC) registered care provider has signed up to the commitment, the public will be able to see this on their NHS Choices profile. At the same time the public will be able to search the Social Care Commitment website and see which organisations have signed up, including any non CQC registered providers.