Being part of the vibrant atmosphere among delegates and exhibitors at the Care Show in NEC Birmingham is truly exciting. The event features a wide array of talks, with many focusing on the home care sector and others offering insights relevant to all providers working in the sector. The topics covered range from cyber security and compliance to the latest innovations in home care.
Top talks from the Care Show
Regulatory Reflections: Continuous Improvement in Care Quality
My role at the show is to stay engaged with the latest innovations in home care and share my insights on the most intriguing highlights. So what’s been of interest on day one?
An enlightening and critical discussion kicked off with a thought-provoking presentation by Adam Purnell and Mark Topps from The Caring View. Their session titled ‘Regulatory Reflections: Continuous Improvement in Care Quality’ shed light on the perception that the CQC is presently inadequate. Nonetheless, Mark acknowledged the positive concepts underpinning the new Single Assessment Framework. While I concur with this viewpoint, I would add that, from my perspective, implementation may pose minor challenges for smaller home care providers, whereas adapting it for larger organisations appears to be presenting insurmountable difficulties.
Adam did not mince his words and told it exactly how it is! His advice was to follow the regulations, particularly regulations and in particular:
11 – Need for Consent
12 – Safe care and treatment
13 – Safeguarding service users from abuse and improper treatment
17 – Good governance
Cyber matters whatever your size: Cyber security for small providers
Chaired by Beverly Futtit this talk was thought provoking! My main takeaway from this discussion is the importance of treating potential cyber attacks with seriousness, irrespective of the scale of the operation. The panel emphasised the significant impact of cyber attacks on businesses. One provider shared a story of their business facing a crisis when their rostering system was targeted. The aftermath included a lengthy period for fixing the issue, compelling them to switch software.
The advice from Hiro Taylor, Cyber Protect Officer at the Thames Valley Police was:
ABC
- Accept nothing
- Believe no-one
- Confirm everything
Ensure that your business continuity plan incorporates policies and procedures that specifically address the prevention and response to cyber attacks. This is of paramount importance and something that should be seen as a priority.
