Adult Social Care Insights, Governance & Quality Improvement

This week’s Adult Social Care Briefing looks at the UK Covid-19 Inquiry’s findings on adult social care, updated NHS Continuing Healthcare documentation, recent CQC inspection findings and a funded Care Workforce Pathway support programme.

This week’s Adult Social Care Briefing looks at the latest Skills for Care workforce findings, delegated healthcare activities, a National Patient Safety Alert on blood ketone testing, and recent CQC findings on staffing, leadership and assurance.

Some of the people who make the biggest difference in a care home are not always the ones delivering direct care. This blog reflects on the everyday relationships built by kitchen, domestic, maintenance, laundry and reception teams, and why those ordinary human connections matter so much.

This week’s Adult Social Care Briefing covers new dementia research investment, Skills for Care workforce training, developments in AI regulation, telecare safety guidance and CQC inspection findings, with practical implications for adult social care providers.

How safe is safe enough? In Episode 3 of Beyond the Audit, I explore positive risk-taking in adult social care, the assumptions we make about people’s abilities, and how keeping people safe can quietly become stopping them living.

I once worked in a dementia service that had a workshop, with tools and practical activities. When we were going through the registration process, I was asked whether that was really safe considering the client group. I remember being so irritated by the question, because it seemed to start from the assumption that dementia somehow made the whole idea questionable! The person who asked me with real shock, did not know if the people who would use the space had been working wit

This week’s Adult Social Care Briefing covers the government’s plans for a National Care Service, new adult social care workforce measures, DHSC guidance on digital care and AI, delayed national data releases, and new MHRA clinical safety advice.

A service can improve quickly when everyone is watching. The harder test is whether those changes last once the extra scrutiny, support and pressure begin to step back. This is a reflection on what sustainable improvement really looks like and a lesson I learned the hard way.

This week’s Adult Social Care Briefing covers the 30 September Reasonable Adjustment Digital Flag deadline, the Independent Commission’s new Public Panel on Care, and forthcoming national adult social care activity and finance data. Practical updates for providers, with the key actions and dates leaders need to have on their radar.

Person-centred care is about far more than adding someone's name to a care plan. I look at what care records actually tell us about the person, their choices and independence, and why poor mental capacity assessments can undermine genuinely person-centred care.

This week’s Adult Social Care Briefing covers the new MHRA hoist and sling safety alert, adult social care transformation funding, the 2026 workforce survey and the latest ADASS funding position, with practical actions for providers.

Moving to digital care records can improve care planning, oversight and access to information, but technology won’t fix poor records or weak governance. Using real CQC findings, I look at what can go right, what can go wrong and what providers should check before and after go-live.

This week’s Adult Social Care Briefing covers the Health Bill’s move to the House of Lords, recent CQC inspection findings and the Government’s new AI Risk Management Toolkit, with practical actions for managers and senior leaders across older people’s services.

How does poor practice become “just how we do things here”? A look at how everyday pressures, shortcuts and workplace culture can gradually shape care, and why good governance needs to spot the patterns before they become the norm.

This week’s Adult Social Care Briefing covers the new UKHSA infection resource for adult social care, the next stage of the Fair Pay Agreement and the latest developments around hospital discharge. Practical actions and considerations for care home leaders.

Saying sorry after something has gone wrong does not necessarily mean admitting fault. This article explores Duty of Candour, why apologies cause so much uncertainty, and how we can balance regulation, professional judgement and the very human need to acknowledge what someone has experienced.

This week’s Adult Social Care Briefing looks at NICE’s new consultation on aggressive behaviour in people receiving NHS or social care, alongside CQC’s latest local authority assessments. Key themes include restrictive practice, risk management, safe transitions, system pressures and what these developments mean in practice for care-home leaders.

When too much knowledge, judgement and follow-through sits with one person, a service can look strong while still being surprisingly fragile. Succession planning is not just about who might take over next; it is about developing people, sharing judgement and building enough leadership depth before you actually need it.

This week’s Adult Social Care Briefing looks at the practical implications of hot weather for care home leaders, alongside forthcoming changes to NHS hospital discharge reporting. A concise update on resident risk, safe admissions and the key actions providers should be considering

What happens in the first 24 hours after a significant incident can shape everything that follows. This article explores leadership, governance, Duty of Candour and why good organisations put people first when it matters most.