Here you will find all the articles, Toolkit items and Q&As relating to Leadership and management.
Scroll down to see the articles, supporting Toolkit documents and Q&As in this section. You will find the most recent ones listed at the top.
Toolkit
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Handout – The emotional intelligence competence framework
To download the document click on the link:
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Questionnaire – Personal and professional boundaries assessment (all providers)
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Worked example – Antecedent Behaviour Consequence observation chart (all providers)
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Handout – Personal and professional boundaries (all providers)
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True or false Q&A – CQC five key questions (all providers)
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Form – Post-training reflection: learners (all providers)
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Form – Post-training evaluation: trainer (all providers)
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Worked example – Provider information request (PIR) (community services)
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Worked example – Provider information request (PIR) (residential services)
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Checklist – Framework for an emotional intelligence journal
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Form – Evaluating your provision for emotional health and well-being
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Policy – Business continuity (care homes and nursing homes)
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Table – Organisational action plan for resilience (all providers)
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Form – In-house training course evaluation (all providers)
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Table – Designing an in-house training system (all providers)
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Checklist – Identify future managers and deputies in your service (all providers)
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Checklist – Identify emerging talent in your service (all providers)
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Form – Learning Disabilities Core Skills Education and Training Framework: training needs analysis for Tier 2 training (support workers)
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Form – Build new networks to improve your service (all providers)
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Checklist - Framework for an emotional intelligence journal
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Form – Care deficit identification and intervention tool (all providers)
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Handout – Mindfulness through visualisation (all providers)
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Form – Identifying Type A and Type B personalities (all providers)
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Checklist – Safer recruitment checklist (all providers)
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Worked example – Action plan to support key lines of enquiry evidence prompts audit (care homes)
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Worked example – Action plan to support key lines of enquiry evidence prompts audit (domiciliary care)
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Checklist – Ratings characteristics for key question 4: Is the service responsive? (all providers)
Use the following item in the Toolkit to put the ideas in the article into practice:
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Checklist – Ratings characteristics for key question 2: Is the service effective? (all providers)
Use the following item in the Toolkit to put the ideas in the article into practice:
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Checklist – Audit against the CQC KLOEs for kindness, respect and compassion (all providers)
Use the following item in the Toolkit to put the ideas in the article into practice:
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Record – Staff declaration form for medicines policy (all providers)
Use the following item in the Toolkit to put the ideas in the article into practice:
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Record – GP or pharmacist medication administration request for information (all providers)
Use the following item in the Toolkit to put the ideas in the article into practice:
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Form – Well-being self-assessment for registered managers (all providers)
Use the following item in the Toolkit to put the ideas in the article into practice:
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Form - Mentoring: Pairing leadership style with capability
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Checklist - Hypnotherapy in dementia care (all providers)
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Form - Audit for compliance with fundamental standard Regulation 17 good governance (all providers)
To download this document click on the link:To download this document click on the link:
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Form - Job description: Registered manager (care homes and domiciliary care)
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Form - Audit for compliance with fundamental standard Regulation 20: Duty of candour
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Form - Audit for compliance with fundamental standard Regulation 17: good governance (all providers)
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Form - Audit for compliance with fundamental standard Regulation 5 fit and proper person directors
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Policy - Employing fit and proper persons (all providers)
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Articles
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Understanding and developing emotional intelligence
Anne Castle talks about the principles of emotional intelligence and how you can develop EQ skills to help you at work.
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The art of delegating
School business managers have a lot on their to-do lists, and it’s easy to become overwhelmed. In this article, Andrew Blench shines a light on the often underused skill of delegation, and outlines how to delegate effectively.
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Leadership: Creating a sense of urgency for change
Part of a leadership role is spotting when change is needed, and persuading others of that. This article looks at introducing change, the pitfalls and how to maintain progress.
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Getting to the root cause of high staff turnover
Yvonne Hardiman, HR consultant and trainer, gives some practical tips on improving employee engagement and retention.
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Developing future leaders in social care
Skills for Care’s Graduate Programme Manager, Tina Colley, reflects on the impact its programme has on the organisations hosting the next generation of sector leaders and managers.
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Team communication challenges and how to solve them
When communication breaks down in a school business team, the impact is felt across the school and recovery can be difficult. Steve Burnage looks at common communication challenges, and strategies to help resolve them.
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Free article: Supporting and developing managers
Georgina Turner, Director of Engagement at Skills for Care, looks at the value of continuing professional development (CPD) for managers and future leaders in social care.
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Free article: Leadership: Emotional intelligence
Thinking about leadership as a set of skills that can be developed, Kenny Wheeler writes about what emotional intelligence looks like, and why it is so important.
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Promoting staff well-being: seven ways to encourage employee health
In this article Steve Burnage shares seven ways in which organisations can support their staff in taking better care of themselves.
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Free article: How Bluebird Care Cherwell became an ‘outstanding’ home care provider
Suzzanne Elgar, Director of Bluebird Care Cherwell, discusses how the care provider came to be rated ‘outstanding’ and how you can best prepare for a CQC inspection.
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Delivering an in-house training session
In the last issue, Tim Dallinger looked at designing an in-house training session. In this issue, he looks at how to deliver the training session.
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Developing staff resilience
Karen Morse, national lead for mental health at Skills for Care, looks at how adult social care managers can develop the resilience and well-being of their staff.
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CQC human rights update
Martin Hodgson looks at the CQC updated guidance on human rights and regulation.
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Designing an in-house training session
Tim Dallinger is an expert trainer who designs and delivers training courses. In this article, he talks about designing and delivering an in-house training session.
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Free article: Developing the next generation of leaders
Andy Tilden, CEO for Skills for Care, looks at why now is the time for adult social care providers to develop the next generation of leaders.
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Leadership: Emotional intelligence
Thinking about leadership as a set of skills that can be developed. Kenny Wheeler writes about what emotional intelligence looks like, and why it is so important.
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Understanding and managing workplace stress
Andrew Blench considers the different manifestations of stress, and the ways that different personalities can handle stress to ensure an efficient, productive workplace.
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Critically evaluating your staff training
Tim Dallinger provides advice on how to assess whether a training course is worth the investment involved.
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Safely employing someone with a criminal record
A criminal record shouldn’t be an automatic barrier to working in adult social care, explains Skills for Care’s Jeanine Willoughby.
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The use of new technology in adult social care
Martin Hodgson gives an overview of the new CQC resource on the use of technology in adult social care.
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Free article: Leadership: Developing your own style
In the second article of our series about leadership, Kenny Wheeler asks you what type of leader would you like to be, and what type of leader does your setting need?
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Free article: Leadership: Planning for the future
In the first article of a new series around ideas of leadership, Kenny Wheeler asks you to consider what impact leadership skills might have on your future.
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Free article: Balancing professional development with a demanding workload
With care managers focusing on attaining high standards of professionalism, the issue of continuing professional development is a concern. This article gives seven ways to successful engagement with organised training.
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Supervision and appraisal
Tim Dallinger clarifies the difference between supervision and appraisal and considers the features of effective supervision.
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Is staff training a burden or an investment?
Tim Dallinger argues the case that staff training is an investment in the quality of the service provided.
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Free article: Research into registered managers
Oliver French at Skills for Care looks at the evolving role of the registered manager, based on recent Skills for Care research.
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Free article: Investing in well-being shouldn’t be optional
Georgina Turner of Skills for Care explains why supporting registered managers to invest in their own well-being is no longer just a ‘nice to have’.
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Learning to lead: Developing your leadership skills
Recent research shows that often we confuse good leadership with good self-presentation, but introverted leaders can be equally effective. Louise Wingrove discusses the goals and skills which good leaders should strive for.
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Effective leadership: Building effective teams
Steve Burnage offers advice on motivating staff, getting the best from them and building effective teams.
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Leadership styles: What’s yours?
Louise Wingrove outlines different approaches to leadership and considers how and when they could be used.
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Experience shared: Working with a mentor
In this follow-up article to ‘Experience shared: Effective mentoring’, Steve Burnage explores the professional development potential of a productive and focused mentoring relationship from the perspective of the mentee.
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Experience shared: How to be an effective mentor
This article looks at how a productive and focused mentoring relationship can be used to develop and retain staff in the care sector.
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Free article: Making an impact: The signs of leadership
Louise Wingrove looks at the work involved in being a leader within the workplace.
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Free article: The art of influencing: Creating the best outcomes
Louise Wingrove looks at how being aware of your impact on others can help everybody get what they need.
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Free article: Crisis communications and management for care homes
Anokhi Madhavji at PLMR, talks about how care providers can achieve positive communications in a crisis.
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The General Data Protection Regulations
Quantum Care’s CEO, Maria Ball, gives her advice on how best to prepare for the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).
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Leadership and governance in social care
Tim Dallinger looks at common pitfalls in leadership and governance and how to avoid them.
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Free article: Leadership that drives continuous improvement
Tim Dallinger looks at CQC’s plans for inspecting the leadership of care organisations.
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Leadership style
Jim Thomas talks about how the leadership style of the care manager can influence the direction of the organisation, and can be a juggling act.
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Managing uncertainty
If you are struggling with a sense of uncertainty, be reassured: you are not alone. 2016 has been a year of upheaval, with the promise of big changes on the horizon. Louise Wingrove has some suggestions for how to cope while everything feels up in the air.
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Free article: Legal issues for the care sector
Neil Grant provides a round-up of the latest legal issues facing social care providers.
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Free article: Getting the best from your team
Kate Hinchliffe gives a personal viewpoint on successful management and what it looks like.
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Free article: Getting the best out of your people
Jim Thomas of Skills for Care explains how their People Performance Management Toolkit can help improve staff performance.
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What makes a service well-led?
Tim Dallinger looks at actions that should be taken to demonstrate to inspectors that a service is well-led.
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Protecting your staff from abuse
Find out how to safeguard your staff and avoid costly legal action.
Q&A
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Q. We have become aware that some of our care staff have been ‘gossiping’ with service users about other service users. Often it is the service user who initiates the conversation.
We have told our staff that this gossiping is not acceptable, but they say that they are just chatting about what the service user wishes to chat about. How can we manage this situation?
A. This is an issue that is prevalent in both care homes and home care and it is fuelled by natural human curiosity and the ‘need to know’. However, situations such as this can cause problems for care providers and care staff, as there is the potential for breach of confidentiality and safeguarding referrals.
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Q. We have heard that the CQC expects us to record different types of medication recording errors. What are the different types of recording errors?
A. In the new annual PIR, which was introduced in September 2019, the CQC requires care providers to record data on the number of medicine errors that have occurred in the 12 months up to the date of the PIR return.
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Q. We have appointed a deputy manager for our care service and we have their Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) first check back. Can they start work before the enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check comes back?
A. The CQC provides detailed guidance on the subject of DBS checks. It says that care providers may employ someone in advance of the enhanced DBS check being received, as long as the provider can demonstrate a justifiable reason for this and the provider has completed a robust risk assessment before beginning employment. A justifiable reason would be something like a serious staff shortage and if the staff member was not employed then the well-being of service users would be affected.
The risk assessment must cover the prospective employee’s employment history and information obtained from all previous employers in the health and social care sector. Control measures may include full-time supervision of the employee by a senior member of staff until the enhanced DBS check is received.
These days DBS checks are processed within a few days or weeks. If a DBS check takes longer, this may indicate that it contains information. In the case of a deputy manager, it would be a challenge to justify beginning employment before the enhanced DBS is received, and the supervision arrangements would be impractical. However, as the CQC says, it is for the provider to make the decision who to employ and when.
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Q. What training should home care workers have?
A. There is no definitive list of what training care workers should have. Many years ago, there was a mythical list of ‘mandatory’ training, but this does not seem to be enshrined in law or guidance. Often the specifications that accompany local authority con-tracts refer to a list of required training. NICE NG21 recommends that home care workers have training that includes: common conditions, such as dementia, diabetes, mental health; neurological conditions; physical and learning disabilities and sensory loss; common care needs, such as nutrition, hydration and issues related to overall skin integrity; common support needs, such as dealing with bereavement and end‑of‑life; and deterioration in someone's health or circumstances.
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Q. How should we regard the recent CQC publication Smiling matters: oral health care in care homes? Is it a legal requirement to follow this guidance?
A. The CQC published this guidance in June 2019 (https://tinyurl.com/CQCSmiling), following a review of the state of oral health care in care homes in England.
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Q. I have read in the inspection report for another care provider that they have a medication lead. Is this a requirement, and if so, what is the role of the medication lead?
A. While is it not an explicit requirement to have a medication lead, it is hard to justify not having someone with control and over-sight of medication management in a care service. NICE NG67: Managing medicines for adults receiving social care in the community (https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng67) and NICE SC1: Managing medicines in care homes (www.nice.org.uk/guidance/sc1) both state that social care providers should ensure that local governance arrangements make sure it is clear who is accountable and responsible for providing medicines support.
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Q. How can I find out the demand for the type of service we offer in our local area? We require this information for our business plan.
A. There are two easily accessible sources of information. The first is the market position statement published by the local authority.
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Q. Who should pay for a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check?
A. The government guidance on DBS checks does not state who should pay for the check. This is an often contentious issue that care providers and those who work in the care sector face.
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Q. We are a care home provider. What action should we take in response to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) advice on our consumer law obligations?
A. Care homes may need to change their contract terms and business practices as a result of the advice from the CMA contained in UK care home providers for older people – advice on consumer law: helping care homes comply with their consumer law obligations.
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Q. I was alerted to the CQC’s ‘Learning from safety incidents’ resources the other day. Some of these situations would be applicable in our service. How can we show that we have responded to this information?
A. There are currently seven safety incidents that the CQC has provided information on.
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Q. The revised KLOEs require us to have a clear vision and credible strategy to deliver high-quality care and support. What does this mean in practice?
A. The ‘Is it well-led’ prompt W1 asks ‘Is there a clear vision and credible strategy to deliver high-quality care and support, and promote a positive culture that is person-centred, open, inclusive and empowering, which achieves good outcomes for people?’.
