Can social media improve service quality? #NCF2014

Last week I had the absolute pleasure to attend #NCF2014, the annual conference of the National Care Forum. This year’s conference saw a room full of Chief Execs, Trustees and colleagues from care provider organisations debating the eternal question of how best to focus on Bringing Quality to Life. The conference opened with this film, made […]

Mama lions, pain, privilege and justice

The more observant among you will have noticed I’ve been tweeting a bit about #JusticeforLB lately. I kind of figure that if you read this blog, or my tweets, you’re fairly used to me irritating you or over-sharing on things like death and dying. I know that’s not easy for everyone but as I’ve blogged […]

Discrepancies, blatant misses and gaping holes

Not a very jazzy blog title but I’m altogether out of inspiration as I sit here incredulous at the report into the death of Connor Sparrowhawk, or as he’s known LB (an abbreviation for Laughing Boy). If you don’t know about LB or the amazing fight by his family, led by @SaraSiobhan, then please take […]

Any innovative uses of Direct Payments for Carers?

Context I’ve been following the work of the Social Care Evidence in Practice project at LSE for some time now. Established with a focus of getting researchers and practitioners to work closer together, to break down barriers and explore how each other’s roles are complimentary to the work, recently they have agreed to fund a […]

When time is limited

When someone is told (or they decide) that their time is limited, at somewhere or something, I’ve observed an almost primal attempt to do more, fit more in, go further or faster, squeeze maximum effort into the remaining time; that or an almost instantaneous acceptance that time is limited so there’s not much point trying […]

My mum – a post for #carersweek

Ma and Pa – Jan 2011 This post is dedicated to my mum. She is one of the 6million people in the UK who are carers, although it is only recently that she has come to consider herself as such. My mum lives next door to my grandparents who are both in their 90s, they live […]