Search results for ‘Subject term:"access to services"’ Sort:
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Poor care for people with dementia
- Author:
- MANTHORPE Jill
- Journal article citation:
- Community Care, 30.08.07, 2007, p.32, 34.
- Publisher:
- Reed Business Information
A critical report from the National Audit Office describes dementia care in England as poor. The author looks at the evidence of varying services across the country and health and social care disparities.
The impact of COVID-19 on children’s social care in England
- Authors:
- BAGINSKY Mary, MANTHORPE Jill
- Journal article citation:
- Child Abuse and Neglect, 116, 2021, p.104739.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
Background: As a response to COVID-19 the population of England was asked to stay at home and work from there wherever possible. This included those working in children’s social care (CSC) who have responsibility for child protection and other safeguarding duties. Objective: The study was designed to understand how CSC made the transition from being an office-based agency to one where the majority of social workers were based at home and to understand how CSC perceived the impact on children and their families. Participants and setting Senior members of CSC staff in 15 local authorities took part in the research in June 2020. Methods: Nine interviews were conducted by video call, three by telephone, and three consisted of initial written responses that were then followed by telephone calls. Results: Service delivery had been maintained across all the authorities with most visits being made virtually after assessments of risk had been conducted on all cases. Multiagency working had improved, with greater involvement of general practitioners and paediatricians. Overall activity in CSC had been lower than normal but as lockdown eased this was changing. Concerns were expressed about how to manage the response that would be required to meet the expected level of harm that had occurred but been hidden. Conclusions: Responses to COVID-19 prompted widespread innovation and it will be an imperative to evaluate which initiatives have worked for children and families, as well as practitioners, and which should be discarded, sustained or reshaped. (Edited publisher abstract)
The diversity of befriending by, and of, older people
- Authors:
- MORIARTY Jo, MANTHORPE Jill
- Journal article citation:
- Working with Older People, 21(2), 2017, pp.63-71.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Purpose: There is increasing interest in befriending services that aim to combat loneliness among older people. The purpose of this paper is to use the Equality Act 2010 as a framework for considering why older people might need these services and why some groups are over and under represented among service users. Design/methodology/approach: Databases, websites and other resources were searched systematically for material on befriending. The final review consisted of 80 items, ranging from research articles, reports, and toolkits. Findings: Individual face to face befriending has been the mainstay of the type of befriending support for older people. The increasing diversity of the older population and reductions in funding has led to adaptations of this model for different groups living in different circumstances. Research limitations/implications: The resources and time available to conduct the review were limited. It is possible that some relevant material was not identified. Practical implications: Practitioners working with older people need to know about befriending schemes available in their area and consider the reasons why some groups of older people might be reluctant to use them or require specialist schemes. Originality/value: Existing research on befriending rarely reports the demographic characteristics of those using the service in detail or considers why some groups of older people might have greater needs for befriending services or be reluctant to use them. The Equality Act 2010 provides a structured framework for considering diversity in access to, and use of, services. (Publisher abstract)
Falls prevention: access and acceptability to all?
- Authors:
- MANTHORPE Jill, MORIARTY Jo
- Journal article citation:
- Working with Older People, 21(2), 2017, pp.72-81.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the equalities' dimension of falls prevention services in light of the Equality Act 2010 and its protected characteristics. Research and policy are discussed in light of the Act and public services’ duties to be aware of their responsibilities. Design/methodology/approach: An initial research review was undertaken in 2012 and updated in 2016. Findings: The research on falls prevention services does not always collect data on users of the service and services do not always collect data about their users that would enable them to build a picture of their users in line with the Equality Act 2010. Practical implications: Services and commissioners will need to be able to show that the services funded by the public purse are accessible, acceptable and appropriate to the UK’s increasingly diverse older population. This paper describes some of the existing resources and research papers that contain elements of attention to the protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010. Originality/value: This is an update on a research review undertaken in 2012. (Edited publisher abstract)
Diversity in older people and access to services: an evidence review
- Authors:
- MORIARTY Jo, MANTHORPE Jill
- Publisher:
- Age UK
- Publication year:
- 2012
- Pagination:
- 97p.
- Place of publication:
- London
Age UK commissioned this literature review to provide information on equality and diversity issues relevant to older people living in the United Kingdom in relation to the following areas: falls prevention, home from hospital services, practical support at home (e.g. handyperson services), befriending, and day opportunities. The review was structured around the experiences of older people in terms of their protected characteristics, as defined in the Equality Act 2010 (age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion and belief, sex and sexual orientation). The findings are discussed in terms of need, access, outcomes, user experiences and user engagement. While some of the services discussed are associated with use of health and social care services, others relate to wider elements of wellbeing, such as home repairs and modification, or a community support service and befriending that have roots in the voluntary sector. Many of the areas considered cross different sectors. The key conclusion of this scoping review is that, despite the longstanding nature of equalities legislation in terms of sex, race, and disability, the number of studies specifically designed to measure inequality in terms of these characteristics remains tiny.
Followers or leaders? What is the role for social care practitioners in annual health checks for adults with learning disabilities?
- Authors:
- MANTHORPE Jill, MARTINEAU Steven
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual Disabilities, 14(1), March 2010, pp.56-66.
- Publisher:
- Sage
- Place of publication:
- London
English government policy promotes health checks for adults with learning disabilities based on the need to address lack of access to healthcare services and poor health outcomes for this group of citizens. This paper highlights the findings of a scoping review of the literature carried out in 2009 to examine the implications of a national system of health checks for the work of practitioners in social care services. The review found little in the research literature relevant to social care practice and concluded that there is a need to consider the possible roles of social care staff in initiating health checks. The reviews also suggested the possible involvement of social care staff in decision making around issues of consent, social care practice in recording and implementing the recommendations of such checks. Finally, the review suggested that staff should consider their possible roles as escorts, chaperones and supporters with communications, and that the presence of regulatory scrutiny of their participation in this activity was required.
Research into Practice
- Author:
- MANTHORPE Jill
- Journal article citation:
- Community Care, 20.11.03, 2003, p.50.
- Publisher:
- Reed Business Information
Reports on research studies which show that older refugees' needs vary across ethnic communities, but all suffer from a lack of knowledge of available services.
Managing through COVID-19: the experiences of children’s social care in 15 English local authorities
- Authors:
- BAGINSKY Mary, MANTHORPE Jill
- Publisher:
- King's College London
- Publication year:
- 2020
- Pagination:
- 63
- Place of publication:
- London
This study examines the arrangements put in place in children’s social care services during the period of the COVID-19 lockdown and considers what their impact and legacy might be. A modified Delphi methodology was adopted, gathering expert opinion from 15 representatives of English local authorities to through a series of iterative questionnaires, with a goal of coming to a group consensus. Findings cover a whole range of issues, including home and office working; referrals; working with families in a pandemic; foster care; care leavers and unaccompanied young people seeking asylum; residential homes; multi-agency working; recruitment; planning for the end of lockdown; and lessons for the future. The study found that the local authorities have responded to three interrelated imperatives: to keep social workers safe while promoting their health and wellbeing, to work with extremely vulnerable families and to use technology to undertake work with these families who may be technology poor. All authorities were conscious that soon they could be facing additional challenges as they dealt not only with the practicalities of social distancing and technology, but the increased number of referrals that they expected once other services returned to ‘more business as usual’ operations. There was concern about those families who had been exposed to the risks arising within their homes such as domestic abuse, coercive control, alcohol and substance misuse, with consequences for their mental and physical health. COVID-19 has also offered opportunities, leading children’s social care services to think afresh about how things work and speed up changes that would have taken years to introduce. Previous notions of how to conduct an assessment, engage in direct practice and offer student placements are amongst the many activities that have been tested and reshaped, at least temporarily. Similarly, virtual visits to families were reported to be effective in certain circumstances and be less intrusive for some families, although establishing face-to-face contact in the home will continue to be necessary. (Edited publisher abstract)
Managing through COVID-19: the experiences of children’s social care in 15 English local authorities: briefing paper
- Authors:
- BAGINSKY Mary, MANTHORPE Jill
- Publisher:
- King's College London
- Publication year:
- 2020
- Pagination:
- 9
- Place of publication:
- London
Summarises the finding of a study examining the arrangements put in place in children’s social care services in 15 local authorities during the period of the COVID-19 lockdown. Findings cover: the social work workforce; referrals to children’s social care; work with families; foster care; care leavers; unaccompanied young people seeking asylum; residential homes; multi-agency working; cross-authority work; students and placements; recruitment; support for local authorities through COVID-19; planning for the end of lockdown; and lessons for the future. Lessons include: the use of technology in contacting parents should be approached with caution, taking account of the family’s ability to access it and their confidence in working in this way, and the service’s capacity to provide support in doing so; a proportion of meetings and other interactions will continue to be conducted virtually but these should be monitored to determine what it is effective and efficient to do and in what particular circumstances; the potential of technology to improve social workers’ engagement with young people has been established, but it is important to recognise that it will not work for everyone and there will be those who do not wish to use it in some circumstances; it will be important to build on positive developments that have emerged such as those in relation to multi-agency working. (Edited publisher abstract)
Day centres for older people - attender characteristics, access routes and outcomes of regular attendance: findings of exploratory mixed methods case study research
- Authors:
- ORELLANA Katharine, MANTHORPE Jill, TINKER Anthea
- Journal article citation:
- BMC Geriatrics, 20(158), 2020, Online only
- Publisher:
- BioMed Central Ltd
Background: Social prescribing is encouraged to promote well-being, reduce isolation and loneliness. Traditional, generalist day centres for older people could be suggested by social prescribing, but little is known about their clientele or their outcomes. As part of a larger study of the role, outcomes and commissioning of generalist English day centres for older people, the characteristics of attenders at 4 day centres, their reasons for attendance and outcomes were explored. Methods: This mixed-methods study used qualitative interviews and standardised tools within an embedded multiple-case study design. Semi-structured interviews with older day centre attenders (n = 23, 62% of eligible attenders) of 4 day centres in south-east England, recruited purposively to reflect organisational differences, were analysed. Results: Participants reported non-elective withdrawal from socialisation following health or mobility decline, or losses. Apart from living arrangements and marital status, attenders’ profiles differed between centres. Access had been mostly facilitated by others. Day centre attendance enhanced quality of life for this group of socially isolated people with mobility restrictions and at risk of declining independence and wellbeing. The positive impact on attenders’ social participation and involvement and on meaningful occupation was significant (p-value < 0.001, 99% CI), with an average ASCOT gain score of 0.18. Ten outcome themes were identified. Conclusion: Outcomes of day centre attendance are those targeted by social care and health policy. Centres were communities that ‘enabled’ and offset loss or isolation, thus supporting ageing in place through wellbeing and contributed something unique to their attenders’ lives. By monitoring attenders’ health and wellbeing and providing practical support, information and facilitating access to other services, centres offered added value. Attendance needs to be set in the context of other social engagement and care provision which may not overlap or duplicate centre support. Professionals may wish to explore the benefits of social prescriptions to day centres but should map local centres’ provision, engage with their organisers, and seek information on attenders, who may differ from those in this study. (Edited publisher abstract)