Health

‘We are not for sale’ – Young people back plan to remove profit from care

Published

1 month ago

July 12, 2024

FOUR remarkable young people gave evidence to the Senedd’s health committee about their experiences of Wales’ social care system, supporting plans to stamp out profiteering.

Mark Drakeford asked the witnesses if they agreed with the principle of the health and social care bill, which would remove profit from the care of looked-after children.

Elliott James told the former first minister – who introduced the proposal while leading the Welsh Government – that for every £10 given for a child in care, £3 is taken away in profit.

He said one relatively standard residential placement can cost as much as £5,000 a week, with support workers paid a “shockingly” low amount.

Elliott stressed: “At the moment, companies are profiting off us and we are not for sale.”

Joanne Griffith similarly said: “We are not in the care system for people to profit off us – we don’t choose to go in the system, the system chooses us.

“Why should people be able to gain money … and spend it on whatever they want when in actual fact the money should be going to the young people, so that we can thrive?”

She added: “Put yourselves in our shoes, you probably wouldn’t want to be profited off.”

Rhian Thomas and Rowan Gray wholeheartedly agreed with the principle. But Rowan raised concerns for-profit providers “could end up packing up and going elsewhere”.

Elliott raised concerns about children being placed a long way from home, saying: It’s not just about the profit, it’s about the care of young people as a whole.

“A lot of young people are being let down currently.”

He said: “Moving a child hundreds of miles away isn’t always suitable….

“These placements can’t commit to contact, they can’t commit to free time so that leaves us not being able to see our family, not being able to go and see our friends.”

He warned that placements for children and young people with severe mental health problems are more than likely to break down because carers cannot cope.

Elliott said: “Unfortunately, the system thinks as soon as we enter care, all of our problems have been solved. They haven’t. We are still deeply traumatised young people who need care, love and support.”

While recognising the need for emergency placements, Elliot raised concerns about children moving from one to the next until a suitable placement is found.

He asked: “Why can’t we be placed into a suitable placement the first time around?”

Elliott told the Senedd some young people are “placement hoppers”, going to as many as 10 or 20 different placements in one week.

He said he was given only an hour-and-a-half notice before going into care and nobody was trained to really understand his autism.

“I was always left to suffer by myself because nobody knew how to help me,” he said, warning that symptoms of autism were treated as a behavioural issue.

Rhian stressed the importance of keeping siblings together and support for young people transitioning into care or adulthood.

She told Senedd members: “When you first come into care that’s the hardest part of it all.”

Rowan said it is vital to match the children going into care with the right foster carers.

“My last placement was with some people that were in their 60s,” he said. “When I was younger, I had a lot of energy and I was always wanting to do something.”

He told committee members the foster carers did the best they could but he wanted to build memories and they were sometimes not able to take part in activities he found fun.

Rowan was placed “out in the middle of nowhere” more than 10 miles from home.

“I didn’t have anyone around my own age who I could build friendships with,” he said.

Calling for more accountability, he told the Senedd: “If my local authority had actually done what they said they were going to do, I wouldn’t be sat here.

“I would be currently in Bristol living with my mother. Because there was no accountability … they went back on their word … and I ended up in long-term foster care.”

Joanne raised the importance of stability and continuity of care.

She told the committee: “It’s really important that we have a placement that we know we can stay in permanently and we’re not going to be moved within 24 hours … or a week.”

Joanne added: “We need a placement that we can call home.”

She called for compulsory training around mental health and disability, so “we know if we have an issue we can go to the foster carers and we’re not going to get stigmatised for it”.

Joanne also called for more unannounced visits to build up a more accurate picture.

The health committee is scrutinising the bill, aiming to report back to the Senedd in October, ahead a vote on the general principles with amending stages to follow.

Health

Circle Health Group signs international rugby star as leadership ambassador

Published

2 days ago

August 20, 2024

Tom Sinclair

CIRCLE HEALTH GROUP, which operates Werndale private hospital in Carmarthenshire, has announced that Dan Biggar has signed as the organisation’s first Executive Coach and Leadership Ambassador. Dan brings with him a wealth of experience leading rugby teams at domestic and international
level. His role will support a transformation in the way Circle approaches the development of it’s leaders, with Dan playing a pivotal role guiding, supporting and coaching leaders from hospital to board level.

Making his Circle debut at the organisation’s annual Rise Awards in London on Thursday 11th July, Dan was on hand to present the leader of the year award and spoke to the 550 attendees about his commitment to supporting Circle’s leaders at every level.

The Welsh international who currently plays for French Top 14 side Toulon, captained the Welsh national team for their 2022 Six Nations campaign and since 2017 has been a regular in The British and Irish Lion’s touring side. Dan joins Circle with the knowledge
and experience of what it takes to lead on the international stage and plans to begin working leaders across the business from September 2024.

The new role, the first of its kind for Circle Health Group, will focus on developing leaders at every level of the organisation. From team leaders on wards or in theatres, through to hospital directors and the board, Circle’s vision is to bring in key individuals
who have achieved excellence in their field. Consistently recognised as a top performing organisation by the Sunday Times, Best Companies and others, Circle is confident that the decision to sign Dan into this unique role will ensure that leaders across the
organisation are supported by the best.

Commenting on the appointment, David Cooper, Chief People Officer at Circle Health Group, said:

“I am delighted that Dan decided to sign with us in this unique role at Circle. He has an international reputation for excellence on the field and knows what it takes to motivate, inspire and lead high-performing teams at the top-level in his sport. His
role represents a renewed commitment to our people and their development with us. His appointment is an exciting new chapter in Circle’s story.”

In the coming months Dan will begin getting to know the organisation touring Circle’s 52 hospitals from Aberdeen to Dorset, launching his
“Excellence in your team” programme for staff across the UK. The launch of this programme is a commitment by Circle to continuous improvement in the fields of leadership and learning.

When asked what the appointment meant to him, Dan Biggar, said:

“It’s an honour to be representing an organisation of Circle Health Group’s calibre. Like me, Circle is committed to achieving excellence in its field and I see the potential this role has to offer. I’ve led at the highest levels and representing my country
in the game I love, was one of the proudest moments of my life. I see the passion this organisation has for its people and patients. I cannot wait to share what I’ve learnt with Circle’s leaders and drive excellence in every aspect of our game.”

Health

Improving the health of the nation must be part of First Minister’s ‘listening exercise’

Published

2 days ago

August 20, 2024

Tom Sinclair

THE NEW First Minister of Wales must prioritise improving the future health of the population, and how we transform services to meet changing needs, as part of her ‘listening exercise’ with the public to determine the Welsh Government’s priorities for the next 18 months – that is the view of Welsh NHS Confederation.

Last September saw 32 Welsh organisations from a range of sectors come together to call for a cross-government, cross-sector public conversation on the future of health and care services and the population’s health and wellbeing.

As a nation, Wales faces a significant number of population health challenges that reduce life expectancy and widen inequalities. Improving population health and wellbeing requires an integrated approach across all public services and all sectors. Collectively we need to create the economic, social and natural environment in Wales to support good health and wellbeing throughout the life-course.

We need to move towards adequately and sustainably funded public services, taking care and prevention to people and their communities and empowering and enabling people to take charge of their own health and wider wellbeing. This must be based on an ambitious and honest partnership between the government, all sectors and the public.

Unless we move away from siloes and short-termism and move towards a collaborative, long-term planning approach, demand on health and care services will continue to grow unsustainably. It is not an option to continue on the current trajectory.

Director of the Welsh NHS Confederation, Darren Hughes, said: “We know the number one issue that will come out of any conversations with the public on health or the NHS will be waiting times and access to services. NHS leaders know there is much more to be done to improve health and care services; something they strive to do every day. However, health doesn’t hold all the levers to tackle health inequalities and keep people well – access to NHS services accounts for less than 20 per cent of a population’s health, with the rest shaped by socio-economic factors.

“The wider determinants of health – fair work, housing, transport, access to green spaces, leisure and the arts – are all essential to our health. In such economically challenging times, budgets impacting the wider determinants of health become more squeezed. However, unless we reverse these spending cuts, this will lead to greater costs and unmet need in the long-term.

“We are therefore calling for the First Minister’s listening exercise to include a conversation on what every individual, organisation, sector and government department can do to improve our chances of living healthier lives. All sectors and government departments must work together to co-produce the transformation of health and care services and engage with the public as part of this. It’s simply not an option to stay as we are, we need to think about the future now.”

Health

Health Board launches ‘My Health, My Choice’ engagement exercise

Published

5 days ago

August 17, 2024

Tom Sinclair

HYWEL DDA University Health Board is inviting people to attend events across Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire this September (2024) to find out more about Primary and Community-based healthcare services.

The ‘My Health, My Choice’ engagement exercise includes showcase events in different locations and online, with web pages to provide more information. The Health Board is also asking people to share their experiences on healthcare services and ideas for the future.

The engagement exercise, being held from 2 September to 11 October 2024, is focused on planning how best to deliver Primary Care and Community-based services, which cover most NHS-provided health and care services outside of hospitals.

These services include Community Pharmacies, (sometimes called Chemists), Optometric practices, (sometimes called Opticians) NHS Dental services, and GP surgeries. Community based services provide outreach teams, district nursing, community clinics, end of life care and more.

Jill Paterson, Director of Primary Care, Hywel Dda University Health Board said: “Our shared vision is to provide safe, sustainable, and accessible health and care services as close to your home as possible, in line with our Healthier Mid and West Wales Strategy.

“We believe that by engaging with our Communities directly, we can better understand their needs and preferences, and try to ensure that our services meet those needs wherever possible.”

“We would like to hear about how you currently use these health and care services, and what you would need to maintain your well-being. We would like you to share your experiences, what matters most to you, and your vision for the future of healthcare in your Community.”

There are many ways to take part.

Attend the Health and Well-being Showcase Events

By attending one of the events, you can learn more about the services available in your community and share your views. Events will be taking place in Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire. Please see the details of times, dates and venues below or visit our website for more information: https://hduhb.nhs.wales/primary-care-and-community-plan

5 September 2024, 2pm-6:30pm, Bancyfelin Village Hall, Bancyfelin, SA33 5ND
11 September 2024, 2pm-6:30pm, Regency Hall, Saundersfoot, SA69 9NG
12 September 2024, 2pm-7pm, Pontyberem Memorial Hall, Pontyberem, SA15 5HU
19 September 2024, 2pm-7pm, Tysul Hall, Llandysul, SA44 4QL
24 September 2024, 2pm-7pm, The Hub, Penparcau Community Centre, Aberystwyth, SY23 1RU
25 September 2024, 10am-5pm, HaverHub, The Old Post Office, Quay Street, Haverfordwest, SA61 1BG
26 September 2024, 2pm-7pm, Ffwrnes Fach, Arts, Health & Wellbeing Hub, Llanelli, SA15 3YE

Join an online event

You can also join our online events from the comfort of your own home:

10 September 2024, 11am
16 September 2024, 6pm
A link to complete a registration form to attend an online event can be found here: https://forms.office.com/e/V579Vk6g3D

Complete a questionnaire
Visit our online engagement pages at: https://www.haveyoursay.hduhb.wales.nhs.uk/ to complete questionnaires from the 2 September to the 11 October 2024

If you cannot attend an event, you can still share your views:

Email us at [email protected]

Call us at 0300 303 8322 (choose option 5) for direct communication at local call rates
Post your feedback to FREEPOST HYWEL DDA HEALTH BOARD
Sion James, Deputy Medical Director – Primary Care and Community Services, Hywel Dda University Health board stated: “We want to work alongside our patients and communities, our staff, and contractors who provide services with us, and partners. By listening to you and considering your views and ideas, we think we can provide Services that best meet the needs in our area.

“Your views and ideas will help shape the future of Primary Care and Community-based services. We will keep you informed and give you further opportunities to share your views as we progress. We look forward to meeting you online or in-person at one of our events.”