Welcome to our Summer 2019 edition of Hempsons’ Social Care Newsbrief.

The newsbrief is available in full here.

At the time of writing we are still awaiting the green paper on social care and social care colleagues fight tirelessly to try and bring social care to the top of the
political agenda. Brexit remains unresolved and those providers with overseas employees will be concerned to ensure their status is secure as well as ensuring supplies and medication will be readily available.

This edition of the Social Care Newsbrief, as ever, has some interesting and informative articles which we trust will assist you in whatever walk of social care you are involved with. CQC issues continue unabated, with evidence that CQC are using their teeth more than ever before with increasing numbers of prosecutions and issues being seen across a range of sectors, but they don’t always get it right and we would urge Providers to look at challenging CQC if you don’t agree with their approach.

Clare Flynn at Brightening Minds gives us excellent top tips on how to maximise your CQC experience and therefore your rating. Hempsons works frequently with Brightening Minds in supporting the bespoke training sessions they deliver to a range of social care providers. Clare’s tips are sometimes common sense and straightforward but her article is a good reminder of how to sell your service to CQC.

On the contractual side you are reminded to ensure the contracts you hold with your residents are fit for purpose, and also take the time to review your staffing arrangements and ensure you are employing the right people for the right job.

This issue’s Client Spotlight focuses on RDCP Care, a growing Provider who Hempsons have had the pleasure of working with and assisting in their expansion.

And finally the long awaited amendments to the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards – to be known as the Liberty Protection Safeguards – our resident Mental Health expert Stephen Evans analyses the likely impact on care homes.

We hope you find something of interest within the Newsbrief and if you have any queries or matters you would like us to cover in future issues or seminars, please do get in touch.

You will find a list of articles below:

• CQC update – a brave new world
• Top tips for preparing for a CQC inspection by Brightening Minds
• Clien Spotlight – RDCP Care
• Time to say goodbye? How settlement agreements can be used effectively in social care and how the tax position has changed
• For better or worse – an update on the liberty protection safeguards
• Are your resident contracts fit for purpose?