MAKING AN OBJECTIVE ASSESSMENT
NOTICE BOARD
Personal independence payments (PIP) replaced disability living allowance from April 2013, with companies Capita and Atos carrying out assessments in England and Wales on behalf of the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP). Nurses play a key role in PIP assessments. DWP-approved PIP disability assessor and Capita team manager Julie Chorlton says: ‘I joined Capita in 2013 and now manage a team of disability assessors in the east of England. ‘The opportunity to help people with disabilities and play a role in the introduction of a new benefit appealed to me. Assessors look objectively at how someone’s disability affects them and submit a report that is used by the DWP to make its decision. Knowing that I am producing
TIM GEORGE
When it comes to assessing people for personal independence payments, nurses have an important role to play. Petra Kendall-Raynor reports
fair and reliable reports gives me great career satisfaction.’ Assessors must meet DWP requirements and be trained to Capita’s own standards, which takes about a month. ‘I was one of the first disability assessors to undergo a mix of face-to-face, home and online training while being supported by tutors and mentors,’ Ms Chorlton explains. One of the most valuable parts of the training is shadowing experienced disability assessors with actors pretending to be claimants in mock assessments.
Community nurses The Queen’s Nursing Institute has launched two online resources to help school nurses and practice nurses support carers. The resources contain case studies and hypothetical scenarios to aid learning, as well as e-workbooks for nurses to record their learning. Subjects covered include safeguarding, referral, burden of care and personal and professional development. www.qni.org.uk/supporting_carers Increased resilience New guidance to improve the resilience of hospice staff and support them in delivering excellent care has been devised by national charity Hospice UK, together with the Point of Care Foundation. Resilience: a framework supporting hospice staff to
Julie Chorlton (left): ‘We want claimants to feel they have been listened to’
Debbie Basdeo: ‘PIP claimants are largely positive about the assessments’
‘It gives assessors guidance on how to approach assessments objectively, which is one of the most difficult things for assessors who may be more used to offering clinical advice,’ she says. ‘Before each of three daily assessments, I read up on supporting medical evidence. Assessments take around one hour, during which I review objectively how someone’s disability affects their life. I make notes while ensuring the claimant is comfortable with my findings. ‘Afterwards, I will write up and submit the report from home.’ Although the new system is designed to be more efficient, claimants have complained about backlogs and delays. In answer to critics, Ms Chorlton says anything new will always face some level of criticism. ‘There have been delays, which has been difficult, but we want claimants to feel they have been listened to.’ Atos Healthcare PIP clinical delivery manager Debbie Basdeo has six years’ experience as a specialist disability analyst. ‘My role
flourish in stressful times is designed to encourage hospice leaders to develop a strategic approach to supporting their workforce. It encourages them to identify in good time whether staff are stressed and, if so, introduce measures that will reduce this, increase resilience and promote wellbeing in the workplace. tiny.cc/resilience_hospice Honouring achievement Know someone whose work is deserving of wider attention? The honours system recognises people who have improved life for other people. They may have made achievements in public life and/ or committed themselves to making a difference to their community or field of work. Nominations can be made by anyone at any time. www.gov.uk/honours/overview
64 april 8 :: vol from 29 noRCNi.com 32 :: 2015 STANDARD Downloaded by ${individualUser.displayName} on Nov 24, 2015. For personal use only. NoNURSING other uses without permission. Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
CAREERS
is to ensure the work of our assessors is conducted in line with DWP requirements,’ she says. Ms Basdeo explains that all nurse assessors must have at least two years’ post-registration experience. Their assessor training involves: A week of e-learning about the key concepts of disability assessment and PIP. An overview of the clinical and functional effects of medical conditions. Practical exercises. Practice in communication and interpersonal skills. Supported assessments with an experienced mentor, including report and feedback. Once approved, assessors receive regular audit and feedback, and an annual CPD programme. ‘PIP claimants are largely positive about the assessments. They say they appreciate the time taken to discuss how their disability affects their lives and the professional approach of our assessors.’ To deal with a backlog of cases, Atos is opening new consultation centres to increase capacity. Ms Basdeo says: ‘We have more than quadrupled the number of assessments each week since January 2014’ NS Petra Kendall-Raynor is a freelance journalist
The first in a series on clinical quality by Nicola Davies
Inspection and improvement The mention of Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspections can strike anxiety into healthcare staff, but CQC national professional adviser Rona McCandlish says that the CQC is about ‘assisting and supporting quality improvement’. The commission has recently devised a new model of inspection that is less about blame, and more about ensuring problems are resolved through constant improvement. Ms McCandlish says the commission wants to get to the heart of patient concerns and look at the quality and safety of care provided, based on what matters to people. IS TO CK She explains that the CQC ‘checks whether the service is safe, effective, caring, responsive to people’s needs and well-led’. These are the five key indicators investigated by the commission. ‘Regulation of quality is too important to be left to regulators alone,’ Ms McCandlish said. ‘Clinicians, providers, boards, commissioners and consumers all need to be involved.’ The new CQC inspection teams comprise professional or clinical staff, experienced experts and service users. This ensures a variety of perspectives during inspection. According to Ms McCandlish, the CQC no longer focuses on regulatory compliance,
Disability research NHS Employers will host a disability summit in Leeds on May 13 to give NHS staff the opportunity to hear about the findings of research undertaken in partnership with Disability Rights UK. It coincides with NHS Equality, Diversity and Human Rights Week, which is May 11-15. The summit is an opportunity for staff with responsibility for, and an interest in, advancing workplace disability equality to help agree recommendations and next steps. tinyurl.com/NHSEDisabilitysummit Mental health Mind has been awarded funding by the UK government to develop the Blue Light Programme, which provides mental health support for emergency services staff and volunteers. The programme involves a bespoke mental health training package for managers and front line staff, a pilot project to improve the mental health of emergency
but on evidence-based judgement. ‘This new approach is about data collection, registration, inspection, feedback and continuous monitoring,’ she adds. Under the new system of inspection, the CQC recently rated Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey as outstanding. According to the hospital’s director of nursing, Nicola Ranger, good nursing and midwifery are essential in meeting or even exceeding expectations. ‘We are with the patients all day, every day,’ she said. ‘Other professions are vital, but nurses set the tone for care. I cannot offer perfection, but I want patients and staff to be safe, cared for and listened to. That is the focus for all good nursing care.’ Nurses are part of the quality system working together with the CQC and the organisation to ensure that patients receive the best care possible in terms of the five key indicators investigated by the CQC NS Nicola Davies is a health psychologist and writer RESOURCES CQC new inspection model tinyurl.com/CQCNewModel Participating in CQC inspection (closing date: July 29) tiny.cc/CQC_blog
services staff and an information helpline. The government funds were accrued from fines paid by banks involved in the Libor lending rate-fixing scandal. tinyurl.com/MindBlueLight Scholarships The Florence Nightingale Foundation provides scholarships for nurses and midwives to promote innovation in practice and extend their knowledge and skills to meet changing needs. Research scholarships of up to £5,000 are available to undertake a course in research methods, research modules or a dissertation/thesis as part of an academic course of study. The closing date is May 13. Travel scholarships of up to £5,000 enable study and/or practice in the UK and overseas to enhance patient and user care in the UK. The closing date is July 29. www.florence-nightingale-foundation.org.uk
NURSING aprilNo 8 other :: vol uses 29 no 32 :: permission. 2015 65 DownloadedSTANDARD from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Nov 24, 2015. For personal use only. without Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
NOTICE BOARD
Personal independence payments (PIP) replaced disability living allowance from April 2013, with companies Capita and Atos carrying out assessments in England and Wales on behalf of the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP). Nurses play a key role in PIP assessments. DWP-approved PIP disability assessor and Capita team manager Julie Chorlton says: ‘I joined Capita in 2013 and now manage a team of disability assessors in the east of England. ‘The opportunity to help people with disabilities and play a role in the introduction of a new benefit appealed to me. Assessors look objectively at how someone’s disability affects them and submit a report that is used by the DWP to make its decision. Knowing that I am producing
TIM GEORGE
When it comes to assessing people for personal independence payments, nurses have an important role to play. Petra Kendall-Raynor reports
fair and reliable reports gives me great career satisfaction.’ Assessors must meet DWP requirements and be trained to Capita’s own standards, which takes about a month. ‘I was one of the first disability assessors to undergo a mix of face-to-face, home and online training while being supported by tutors and mentors,’ Ms Chorlton explains. One of the most valuable parts of the training is shadowing experienced disability assessors with actors pretending to be claimants in mock assessments.
Community nurses The Queen’s Nursing Institute has launched two online resources to help school nurses and practice nurses support carers. The resources contain case studies and hypothetical scenarios to aid learning, as well as e-workbooks for nurses to record their learning. Subjects covered include safeguarding, referral, burden of care and personal and professional development. www.qni.org.uk/supporting_carers Increased resilience New guidance to improve the resilience of hospice staff and support them in delivering excellent care has been devised by national charity Hospice UK, together with the Point of Care Foundation. Resilience: a framework supporting hospice staff to
Julie Chorlton (left): ‘We want claimants to feel they have been listened to’
Debbie Basdeo: ‘PIP claimants are largely positive about the assessments’
‘It gives assessors guidance on how to approach assessments objectively, which is one of the most difficult things for assessors who may be more used to offering clinical advice,’ she says. ‘Before each of three daily assessments, I read up on supporting medical evidence. Assessments take around one hour, during which I review objectively how someone’s disability affects their life. I make notes while ensuring the claimant is comfortable with my findings. ‘Afterwards, I will write up and submit the report from home.’ Although the new system is designed to be more efficient, claimants have complained about backlogs and delays. In answer to critics, Ms Chorlton says anything new will always face some level of criticism. ‘There have been delays, which has been difficult, but we want claimants to feel they have been listened to.’ Atos Healthcare PIP clinical delivery manager Debbie Basdeo has six years’ experience as a specialist disability analyst. ‘My role
flourish in stressful times is designed to encourage hospice leaders to develop a strategic approach to supporting their workforce. It encourages them to identify in good time whether staff are stressed and, if so, introduce measures that will reduce this, increase resilience and promote wellbeing in the workplace. tiny.cc/resilience_hospice Honouring achievement Know someone whose work is deserving of wider attention? The honours system recognises people who have improved life for other people. They may have made achievements in public life and/ or committed themselves to making a difference to their community or field of work. Nominations can be made by anyone at any time. www.gov.uk/honours/overview
64 april 8 :: vol from 29 noRCNi.com 32 :: 2015 STANDARD Downloaded by ${individualUser.displayName} on Nov 24, 2015. For personal use only. NoNURSING other uses without permission. Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
CAREERS
is to ensure the work of our assessors is conducted in line with DWP requirements,’ she says. Ms Basdeo explains that all nurse assessors must have at least two years’ post-registration experience. Their assessor training involves: A week of e-learning about the key concepts of disability assessment and PIP. An overview of the clinical and functional effects of medical conditions. Practical exercises. Practice in communication and interpersonal skills. Supported assessments with an experienced mentor, including report and feedback. Once approved, assessors receive regular audit and feedback, and an annual CPD programme. ‘PIP claimants are largely positive about the assessments. They say they appreciate the time taken to discuss how their disability affects their lives and the professional approach of our assessors.’ To deal with a backlog of cases, Atos is opening new consultation centres to increase capacity. Ms Basdeo says: ‘We have more than quadrupled the number of assessments each week since January 2014’ NS Petra Kendall-Raynor is a freelance journalist
The first in a series on clinical quality by Nicola Davies
Inspection and improvement The mention of Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspections can strike anxiety into healthcare staff, but CQC national professional adviser Rona McCandlish says that the CQC is about ‘assisting and supporting quality improvement’. The commission has recently devised a new model of inspection that is less about blame, and more about ensuring problems are resolved through constant improvement. Ms McCandlish says the commission wants to get to the heart of patient concerns and look at the quality and safety of care provided, based on what matters to people. IS TO CK She explains that the CQC ‘checks whether the service is safe, effective, caring, responsive to people’s needs and well-led’. These are the five key indicators investigated by the commission. ‘Regulation of quality is too important to be left to regulators alone,’ Ms McCandlish said. ‘Clinicians, providers, boards, commissioners and consumers all need to be involved.’ The new CQC inspection teams comprise professional or clinical staff, experienced experts and service users. This ensures a variety of perspectives during inspection. According to Ms McCandlish, the CQC no longer focuses on regulatory compliance,
Disability research NHS Employers will host a disability summit in Leeds on May 13 to give NHS staff the opportunity to hear about the findings of research undertaken in partnership with Disability Rights UK. It coincides with NHS Equality, Diversity and Human Rights Week, which is May 11-15. The summit is an opportunity for staff with responsibility for, and an interest in, advancing workplace disability equality to help agree recommendations and next steps. tinyurl.com/NHSEDisabilitysummit Mental health Mind has been awarded funding by the UK government to develop the Blue Light Programme, which provides mental health support for emergency services staff and volunteers. The programme involves a bespoke mental health training package for managers and front line staff, a pilot project to improve the mental health of emergency
but on evidence-based judgement. ‘This new approach is about data collection, registration, inspection, feedback and continuous monitoring,’ she adds. Under the new system of inspection, the CQC recently rated Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey as outstanding. According to the hospital’s director of nursing, Nicola Ranger, good nursing and midwifery are essential in meeting or even exceeding expectations. ‘We are with the patients all day, every day,’ she said. ‘Other professions are vital, but nurses set the tone for care. I cannot offer perfection, but I want patients and staff to be safe, cared for and listened to. That is the focus for all good nursing care.’ Nurses are part of the quality system working together with the CQC and the organisation to ensure that patients receive the best care possible in terms of the five key indicators investigated by the CQC NS Nicola Davies is a health psychologist and writer RESOURCES CQC new inspection model tinyurl.com/CQCNewModel Participating in CQC inspection (closing date: July 29) tiny.cc/CQC_blog
services staff and an information helpline. The government funds were accrued from fines paid by banks involved in the Libor lending rate-fixing scandal. tinyurl.com/MindBlueLight Scholarships The Florence Nightingale Foundation provides scholarships for nurses and midwives to promote innovation in practice and extend their knowledge and skills to meet changing needs. Research scholarships of up to £5,000 are available to undertake a course in research methods, research modules or a dissertation/thesis as part of an academic course of study. The closing date is May 13. Travel scholarships of up to £5,000 enable study and/or practice in the UK and overseas to enhance patient and user care in the UK. The closing date is July 29. www.florence-nightingale-foundation.org.uk
NURSING aprilNo 8 other :: vol uses 29 no 32 :: permission. 2015 65 DownloadedSTANDARD from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Nov 24, 2015. For personal use only. without Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
