Building on the positives
Happy New Year! I hope every adult social care colleague, carer and those accessing care and support had a lovely Christmas and welcomed in 2026 with rest, reflection and renewed energy.
Deborah Sturdy
Deborah Sturdy is the Chief Nurse for Adult Social Care
Let’s Talk About the Flu Vaccine — Why It Matters More Than Ever
Winter is here. The days are short, the air is cold, and flu started circulating around 5 weeks earlier than usual this season, with a flu virus called H3N2 causing most of the cases so far. The H3N2 virus that …
Reaffirming Our Values in Adult Social Care
Our values remain fundamental in adult social care As we have been out and about across the country over the last months, we have heard how the experiences of people working in adult social care and people who draw on …
Adult Social Care Nurse Prescribing Pilot
Upskilling Adult Social Care Nurses DHSC has made £461,000 available for the Adult Social Care (ASC) Nurse Prescribing Pilot, to fund nurses across the country to undertake an Nursing and Midwifery Council (NCM) approved prescribing qualification. This will qualify them …
Help make social care better – share your thoughts
Posted by:
Oonagh Smyth and Deborah Sturdy, Posted on:
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Categories:
Care and support, Carers, Guest author, Uncategorised
As people working in care, we dedicate our time to supporting others. But we must also ensure that fellow care workers are valued in return. That means having the right working conditions, being fairly rewarded, sharing best practice, and building …
The 10 Year Health Plan and the role for social care
Posted by:
Deborah Sturdy, Posted on:
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Categories:
Care and support, Carers, Communities, Workforce
The social care sector welcomes the publication of the government’s 10 Year Health Plan for the health and care system, shaped in part by the ideas, concerns and lived experience of social cae colleagues. They have unique insights into community-based care and how it can help ease pressure on an overstretched system.
You care, you matter: understanding self-care for social care nurses
Looking after others often takes its toll on unpaid carers and professional care givers. Taking care of ourselves can sometimes feel like the thing we never get around to doing. Attending to our own mental health and wellbeing is important. If we are depleted and exhausted, we cannot give our best... at home or at …
Celebrating International Nurses Day 2025
Posted by:
Deborah Sturdy, Posted on:
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Categories:
Care and support, Communities, Diversity, Events, Leadership, Workforce
This week’s announcement, on International Nurses Day, that the title “nurse” will be protected in law is, in my view, long overdue. Finally, we can reassure residents, patients and colleagues they are dealing with registered practitioners across all relevant care settings.
Creating the adult social care workforce we need
Posted by:
Deborah Sturdy, Posted on:
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Categories:
Care and support, Carers, Digital skills and technologies, Technology and data, Workforce
More opportunities for career progression in adult social care Developing the social care workforce is paramount to success and delivering the ambition for change we want and need to see in adult social care. On 9 April, Secretary of State, …
National Apprenticeship Week
How often do we hear people refer to “I’m just a care worker” or “I’m just a care home nurse”. There is nothing “just” about anything in social care. Our profession has an incredible workforce full of talented, entrepreneurial people, …