Thoughts on Leadership & Management

There has, of late, been a strong emphasis on leadership in social care but at yesterday’s SCA Conference (which I  followed avidly  on Twitter thanks to the tweets of @cpeanose) the issue of the importance of management was raised. So I thought it would be a  good opportunity to reflect  on Leadership and Management.

Leadership is about people skills. The good leader is one who sets out a vision and inspires and motivates their team to achieve that vision. The leader is the role model who sets the example for others to follow and leadership is about effective communication using the skills of listening and giving effective feedback.

Management, on the other hand, is about the tasks. The good manager organises workloads, ensures targets are set and outcomes are met. Effective management is about assessing, evaluating and planning.

Having laid that out it must be said the truly effective leader is one who is a good leader AND a good manager. In a previous blog (Social Care Leadership: Visions, Targets and Goals) I stated the importance of setting out a vision as one aspect of being a good leader. Yet equally important is achieving that vision through targets and goals and that is where effective management skills are required. The manger needs to take the vision and break it down into achievable steps, to set the goals that will achieve the final vision and assess what is needed to reach each step. The leader then needs to come back to the fore and  communicate those objectives to the team in a way that  motivates and inspires them to achievement. The manager returns to assess progress and evaluate what further action the ‘leadership’ side needs to take.

The important issue is the balance of leadership and management skills. By way of illustration I, back in the dim distant past when I left school, worked for a national menswear retailer where I had the opportunity to work with a number of branch managers. One I recall was a brilliant people person, he could sell snow to eskimos and he could inspire the staff to up their game. The problem was he was hopeless at managing, you needed to discreetly stay close to him to ensure that what he promised was actually delivered because he would be immediately forget that promise when the customer was out of sight. Another manager I worked with would, literally, hide from people. He would stay in his small office doing paperwork or live in the stockroom checking deliveries and his level of communication with the staff was minimal leaving it others to discuss how we stood in terms of targets etc.

A truly effective leader is a person who can completely balance those leadership and management skills, of course, in the real world such perfection is unlikely and this is where the real skill of leadership comes in.

The true skill of leadership is recognising the qualities and short comings in your own ability and organising your team to counter any deficiencies. Someone whose people oriented skills out balance the task oriented skills needs to acknowledge this and be prepared to delegate some of the management tasks to the team member most capable in that area. Similarly where the balance lies the other way it is important to identify the best communicator in the team and allow them to help motivate and inspire the team towards goals.

Leadership and management are not separate entities but are two sides of the same coin and to  achieve real success  those ‘in power’ must endeavour to achieve a balance between the two.

Social Care MUST be a Part of the Budget Debate

If past years are any guide the political agenda for the next week and a bit will focus on the Budget. There will be, and has already been, calls for changes at either end of the tax spectrum, we will see senior politicians  offer ‘expert’ insight  into what the Government should be doing (probably having already been briefed in what they are actually doing!) but, undoubtedly, the thing least likely to be on the agenda is social care.

Obviously the lives of the most vulnerable in society should be at the top of the agenda when it comes to talking about the nations finances and how we use the national income to provide for them first.

Yet most  politicians are too wrapped up in party ideologies   to focus on the real issue facing the country – an increasing elderly demographic that will require more social care services in the future.

Take, for example, last weekend’s LibDem spring conference where the call has been for lower tax for those on lower incomes and higher tax for the wealthy. Whilst lower tax would certainly benefit the large number of low paid social care workers taxation is an issue that does not immediately impact on the lives of social care users.

Many vulnerable adults do not pay tax, employment amongst those with learning disabilities, for instance, is incredibly low, and they are dependent on the State to be able to live day to day. Many of those who live in care settings only retain a personal expenses allowance of £22.60 (increasing to £23.25 in April) and many of those receiving social care services at home only have their pension or benefit payment to live on.

Many of us have benefitted from the historically low interest rates, which has allowed some of the increasing rate of inflation to be balanced out but, again, many of the most vulnerable in society are not home owners or have already paid the mortgage on their home or, indeed, had to sell it for care services.

Therefore, it  is important  that the Budget reflect the increasing pressure on the low incomes of the most vulnerable.

The actions of the Chancellor can impact on the costs faced by the population, where this may be offset by raising the income tax threshold the vulnerable, who pay no tax, are more vulnerable to increasing prices caused by the Governments actions.

Over recent years the services available for the vulnerable have been reduced or costs increased, the rising fuel costs have pushed up food prices and made the cost of care in the home more expensive, VAT has risen as has the general cost of living.

Social Care needs to be at the top of the agenda and this includes being at the top of the Chancellors agenda when delivering the budget.

The first aim of a civilised society should be to care for the most needy in that society and George Osborne should  take the responsibility  for ensuring that the most vulnerable are not disadvantaged by next weeks budget.

Dear MPs - Why Social Care IS Important

Anyone catching the Future of Social Care debate in the House of Commons yesterday must have been struck by the lack of MPs bothering to turn up to discuss on of the most important issues facing the country at the moment.

Perhaps every MP should look to their own constituency and take a real look at the demographics and data of those  they are paid to represent  in order to  realise the importance of social care  in their community.

I live in the district of Shepway and delving into the data makes startling reading. I would hasten to add that the local MP (Damian Collins – Folkestone & Hythe) did attend the debate and make a contribution through an intervention, but I think it is important to share some of the facts and figures to demonstrate why MPs need to look to their own constituency to  realise the importance  of focusing on social care.

Shepway has an estimated population of 101,200, not a major metropolis but it does have one of the largest care sectors in the county of Kent and, despite persistent rumours of affluence in the south east, is in the top 100 most deprived districts in the country.

Of that population 15% is over the age of 70 & 6% over the age of 80. Many of these will be recipients of some form of social care services either at home or in care home settings, of which there are 110 in Shepway (the same number as registered in Brighton & Hove despite the huge population difference). Obviously with a huge amount of care provision there is an equally large social care workforce, all of whom are affected by social care policy set out by Westminster and the policies of Westminster therefore have an impact on the local economy.

Naturally paid for social care provision is not the only aspect of social care. Data from 2001 suggests that around 10% of the districts population are providing unpaid care to family or friends, with 279 of these being under the age of 18. Again decisions made in Westminster have a direct impact on the lives of these people and on those people they care for.

Around 10% of the people who live in Shepway claim Disability benefits (2011 figs) the majority of whom have physical disabilities but it also includes 1365 people with learning disabilities and 1071 with mental health issues.

Social care should be about people not about facts and figures but it is important that those  we pay to represent us  are aware of the importance on social care and just how much social care impacts on the lives of their constituents.

There may be many demands on an MPs time and there may be many areas of policy the promote or prefer to be associated with but the bottom line is they  are paid to represent us  and they should especially be representing the most vulnerable section of the community they have been elected to represent.

There has been much emphasis on leadership in social care of late and one key element of leadership is acting as a role model. Members of Parliament need to act as role models in supporting the vulnerable in society, that means visibly showing active interest and that means turning up for debates in the House!

Whose Responsible - Unblurring the Boundaries Will Help Care Provision

Much of the debate surrounding social care at present focuses on funding issues, who pays, how much should individuals pay etc. yet there are significant other issues that need to be addressed.

One of these is how the interface between public services and private providers operates.

Yesterday’s report on healthcare in care homes published by the Care Quality Commission has, perhaps inadvertently, highlighted the issue of where responsibility lays at this interface.

The report states “some homes did not adequately demonstrate person-focused care planning” and “just over half of residents (55%) were aware that they had a care plan in place that sets out their needs.”

Yet contrast this with another recent CQC document entitled ‘What standards you have a right to expect from the regulation of your care home’ (see document here) which states that people who use services should “get the care that you and your social care professional agree will make a difference to your health and wellbeing.”

Comparing the two does raise the question – who has responsibility for care planning, the home or the social services professional? And who has the responsibility for ensuring that the person using the service is aware of that plan.

Obviously  it is important  that both work together  with the individual in preparing the plan but where does the ‘final’ responsibility actually lay? Implementing the plan of care naturally falls with the care provider but once a person enters a care home how much monitoring of that plan takes place by social service care management?

Added into this needs to be the role of healthcare professionals in care planning, the demographics of care provision have changed dramatically over the last 20 years, people are likely to be much older when needing care home provision and are likely to have much greater health needs, particularly due to the fact that dementia is not classed as nursing need despite being a disease, so many of those with dementia are in ‘residential’ rather than ‘nursing’ homes.

With older people in care age related medical conditions need addressing in care planning – who is responsible for ensuring that appropriate health professionals are involved in this? In addition there should also be some form of involvement by those health professionals in assessing the health care needs on a regular basis.

Quite rightly there is a drive to ensure personalisation and independence for all those who access care services but at the same time this should not diminish the responsibility of professionals to ensure effective care planning is in place. Unfortunately the current system has an interface between public service and private provision that blurs the boundaries of responsibility and the only people who lose out because of that are the people who use services.

As the debate on the future of social care moves forward we must look beyond the question of who pays and play closer attention to the issues and responsibilities that have a direct impact on the quality of care provided.

Why I Am Supporting #Twobby - End the Care Crisis

Back in 2008 I sat in the press conference where then Health Minister, Alan Johnson, announced that the Labour Government was launching a consultation on a social care Green Paper. Now a Green Paper is, in itself, a consultation document – so it was the announcement of a consultation on a consultation! This, effectively, meant that the then Labour Government would not have to tackle the issue of social care before a General Election, something that was raised by numerous journalists at the time.

Since May 2010 we have had a Conservative/LibDem  Government whose only action, so far, has been to launch yet another consultation – Dilnot – with the promise of a White Paper which appears to be delayed yet again, although reports last week suggested we will get a draft version which will be open for consultation!

Apart from the blatant prevarication by all parties there is also the issue of what the constant consultations involve and that is the issue of who pays what for social care.

Yet the issues go deeper than that, social care has been facing cuts since well before the recession actually kicked in with issues over less than inflation fee increases by local authorities going back to at least 2007.

So it is not only a case of who pays but also is enough actually being paid?

Principle in this question of how much is being paid is what we are paying social care staff. At the end of last year the BBC revealed that many care workers are actually getting less than the minimum wage http://news.bbc.co.uk/panorama/hi/front_page/newsid_9604000/9604221.stm

If we want to provide the best possible quality of care for the most vulnerable in society then we need the best possible workers to provide that care and support. Yet care workers have been described as ‘vulnerable workers’ by the TUC and there seems to be little political action on improving the image of care work to encourage more people into the sector.

In 2010/2011 there were around 1.5 million adults accessing Local Authority funded social care services and this does not include those ineligible for funding and who are having to pay for their own care. And the issue of social care will only become more pressing over time, more people will need care and support services as the population continues to live longer and WE WILL NEED more workers to provide that support.

Government should be about leadership yet ALL political parties seem to prefer to run and hide when it comes to dealing with social care.

I am supporting #Twobby because those who sit in Westminster need to STAND UP and take action on social care NOW rather than endlessly prevaricate in the hope that it will go away

Social Care Businesses: Welcome to the Real World

There is a general rule of thumb in customer service training that says if a customer receives bad service they will tell, on average, ten people. Yet if they receive exceptionally they are likely to only tell two or three people.

The advent of the internet has made the audience for peoples thoughts on a service much wider than just relatives, friends and acquaintances. Sites such as Trip Advisor offer people the chance to vent their frustrations publically and have become a first port of call for many planning a holiday. Would you choose to stay in a hotel that had consistently bad reviews?

With the creation of The Good Care Guide (http://www.goodcareguide.co.uk/) social care providers will need to be much more aware of customer service skills and the potential impact of giving bad service to care users and their relatives. It is not now just a matter of providing efficient care and support but the manner in which it is delivered also becomes important.

In one sense this new website means that social care providers are catching up with most other business sectors in the UK. Businesses will now have to ensure their ‘public facing’ image is as good as their image to the local authorities and care regulators who currently hold the balance of power over what is and what is not a good service. Care providing businesses are entering a phase of new opportunities to promote their company yet it is a phase that could be fraught with danger for those who choose to ignore the importance of this change.

Comment has been made that one malicious comment could ruin a business, that is certainly true however the issue has to be that providers will need to monitor the comments they are receiving and act accordingly. Business owners will need to be much more active in the image of their company and be prepared to make instant adjustments to their service delivery.

At some point it will be inevitable that Local Authority commissioning will also be influenced by the guide. It would be hard for any authority to justify using any care provider who constantly received critical reviews which will naturally mean a reduction in the number of referrals, by the same token anyone self-funding care will be unlikely to even consider visiting a poorly rated care provider.

The one question mark over the new web service is how the Care Quality Commission will use it and what happens if a provider is constantly criticised for its service yet it meets all the requirements of the essential standards of quality and safety.

That aside there will be an increasing need for social care businesses to look to increasing their focus on customer service and marketing skills in order to compete in this new environment.

Social Care businesses are entering into the real world of customer choice, customer service and marketing and those who will survive are those who adjust sooner rather than later.

Social Care Leadership: Visions, Targets & Goals

"Where there is no vision the people perish." — Proverbs 29:18

One of the hallmarks of leadership is vision. Vision encompasses everything that the leader wants to accomplish in the long term in order to achieve success in whichever field they are in. So in film, for example, the director has a vision of the completed film, in sport the athlete has the vision of winning major accolades, in business the CEO has the vision of successful business with high profitability etc. The leader’s vision becomes the focus of the whole team and marks the way forward to success.

One of the problems facing social care leaders may be defining that essential vision. The present system is a fragmented and diverse one which can lead to vision being eclipsed by the demands made on the service.

There is much ambiguity facing social care providers, those who receive frontline care services are not necessarily those who pay for it, therefore Local Authorities and the NHS are also customers (service users) as are families who pay for care services. In addition many of the terms of the service provided are dictated by Government policy and regulation, with all the bureaucratic involvement in social care it is easily forgotten that front line services are provided, in most cases, by the private and voluntary sector.

It is essential that, as businesses, social care providers have leadership and vision. Where do you want to be in five years time? What do you want your business to achieve? In the present climate of financial cuts and uncertainty about the future having a vision for the future is vitally important.

Vision inspires and motivates people. Vision allows businesses, teams and individuals to move forward. Vision brings success.

But a vision without action is little more than a dream or wishful thinking.

So how do you set out to achieve your vision, by setting targets and goals.

While a vision is the ultimate aim, targets and goals are the pathway that needs to be trodden to get there. Take your vision and ask yourself, what are the smaller things that need to be done in order to achieve this? This is, perhaps, the more difficult process but it is the essential part of good leadership skills. So, for example, if your vision was to be the best care provider in your district you would need to identify the elements that are preventing this from being true now, what actions you need to take improve those elements, how this can be done within budgets and limits on time etc.

From this you can begin to build a plan with targets and goals at key points in your timescale. You should always try to follow the S.M.A.R.T. principles when planning to ensure your plan is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Timely.

Once the leader has their plan in place they can roll it out to the team, yet one of the important aspects of leadership that is often overlooked is presenting the plan of targets and goals without also presenting the vision behind it. We all have a natural reluctance to have targets imposed on us but if those targets and goals are part of the wider vision then people are much more likely to feel a part of that vision and be motivated to achieve the steps needed to achieve it.

The other important thing about setting targets and goals is that it allows the leader to regularly assess the road to success. By reviewing the achievement of targets and goals it is possible to make any necessary adjustments sooner rather than later, after all it would be devastating to learn that you had failed in one area when you were close to the time you had set to achieve your vision. It would be much better to be able to tweak and adjust your plan on a regular basis to ensure success.

Vision is the key to success but only if that vision is backed up with action and marked along the way with targets and goals.

Social care is no different from other businesses in needing vision to achieve long term success and it is something that every leader in social care should take the time to think about.