QAA Level
5
Schedule Term
Term 4
Student Reference Number (SRN)
Report/Assignment Title
HRD Report on Care Homes
Date of Submission
(Please attach the confirmation of any extension received)
Declaration of Original Work:
I hereby declare that I have read and understood BPP’s regulations on plagiarism and that this is my original work, researched, undertaken, completed and submitted in accordance with the requirements of BPP Business School. The word count, excluding contents table, bibliography and appendices, is ___ words. Student Reference Number: xxxxxx Date: xx/xx/xxxx
By submitting this coursework you agree to all rules and regulations of BPP regarding assessments and awards for programmes. Please note, submission is your declaration you are fit to sit.
BPP University reserves the right to use all submitted work for educational purposes and may request that work be published for a wider audience.
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BSc (Hons) Business Management
Human Resource Development
Coursework Assessment Brief
Spring term 2017
Submission deadline:Tuesday 25th April 2017 @ 23.59pm
Submission mode: Turnitin online access
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1. General Assessment Guidance
? Your summative assessment for Human Resource Development is a Coursework submission. Submissions made after this time will not be marked.
? The deadline for submission is 23.59 on Tuesday 25th April@ 23.59pm
? You are required to submit your assessment via Turnitin online access. Only submissions made via the specified mode will be accepted and hard copies or any other digital form of submissions (like via email or pen drive etc.) will not be accepted.
? For coursework, the submission word limit is 2,500 words. You must comply with the word count guidelines. You may submit LESS than 2500 words but not more. Tables, diagrams, bibliography, appendices, annex and headings are NOT included within word count calculations. You must specify total word count on the front page of your report.
? For coursework, please use font size 12 for body text and the typeface (font) should be Arial or Times New Roman with minimum 1.5 spacing.
? For headers and titles, please use font size 14. Your submission must have standard margins and page numbers.
? Please use English (UK) as your language in the submission.
? Do not put your name or contact details anywhere on your submission. You should only put your student identification number (SRN) which will ensure your submission is recognised in the marking process.
? A total of 100 marks are available for this module assessment and you are required to achieve minimum 40% to pass this module.
? You are required to use only Harvard Referencing System in your submission. Any content which is already published by other author(s) and is not referenced will be considered as a case of plagiarism.
You can find further information on Harvard Referencing in the online library on the VLE. You can use the following link to access this information:
http://my.bpp.com/vle/mod/data/view.php?d=223&rid=596
? BPP University has a strict policy regarding plagiarism and in proven instances of plagiarism or collusion, severe punishment will be imposed on offenders. You are advised to read the rules and regulations regarding plagiarism and collusion in the GAR and MOPP which are available on VLE in the Academic registry section.
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? You should include a completed copy of the Assignment Cover sheet. Any submission without this completed Assignment Cover sheet will be considered invalid and not marked.
2. Assessment Brief
You are a newly appointed Human Resource Development Manager for a large company of private sector nursing homes in the UK. Whilst starting to plan for the challenges ahead, you receive an email from the Board of Directors with the following research article and the instruction: ‘urgent – please read and prepare a report with recommendations for actions’
NOTE: A Glossary of specialist terms is included at the end of the Case Study.
Research Article
Poor training of care home staff leaving residents at risk, investigation finds
‘Community Care research finds residential care staff are missing out on vital training in dementia care, safeguarding and the Mental Capacity Act’
Staff working in residential and nursing homes are not being provided with the training they need to support adults with complex needs, research by Community Care has found.
Dementia1 care is particularly falling short, with even specialist dementia homes failing to provide training on the topic to their staff. Safeguarding, the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (Dols) were the other most common gaps.
We found examples of where the lack of training had resulted in safeguarding concerns not being reported, residents being unlawfully deprived of their liberty, and people with dementia being treated with no empathy or understanding of their care needs.
Unison2 said the findings highlighted the “shocking lack of investment” in the residential care system.
The Care Quality Commission’s chief inspector for social care said it was worrying that gaps existed in areas that are fundamental to the protection of vulnerable people’s rights.
About the research
Community Care wanted to understand the training gaps among residential care workers. We analysed 300 inspection reports published by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) between 1 October 2014 and 31 August 2015. We looked at where training had been identified as an issue by inspectors and where the gaps were, in terms of topic area.
1 A definition is provided in the Glossary at the end of the case study
2 Unison is a Union
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The analysis of 125 ‘inadequate’ services, 125 ‘requires improvement’ and 50 ‘good’, showed:
? Training gaps were identified in 71% of care homes told to improve by the CQC.
? Dementia care, safeguarding and the Mental Capacity Act were the topic areas that fared worst.
? Almost half (49%) of the homes told to improve by the CQC were breaching regulations that require them to ensure a suitably trained and supported workforce.
The 300 care homes we looked at were inspected under the CQC’s new approach, provided residential and/or nursing care and supported adults over the age of 65 years.
Of the 250 homes told to improve by the CQC, 178 had gaps in training provision.
As would be expected, training issues were much rarer in homes rated ‘good’ by inspectors. Gaps were identified in only five of the 50 homes looked at, however, these gaps were also in the three topics specified above, suggesting a widespread issue with training in these areas.
Dementia care
Dementia care has been a government priority for the last five years. In March 2012, Prime Minister David Cameron set a ‘national challenge’ to drive major improvements in care, research and awareness by 2015. More recently, the challenge has been extended to 2020.
But our findings suggest this drive has yet to make an impact on some of the worst-performing care homes, with more than a quarter of those rated ‘inadequate’ or ‘requires improvement’ found to be lacking when it comes to providing training on the condition.
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(Excerpt from an inspection report of an ‘inadequate’ care home in Blackpool)
This is particularly worrying given that estimates published by the Alzheimer’s Society show 80% of people living in care homes have either dementia or severe memory problems.
Even more concerning is that of these 69 homes, 66 listed dementia as one of their specialisms on the CQC website, or supported residents living with the condition. In the worst cases, ‘specialist dementia homes’ were operating without providing any dementia training to staff.
(Excerpt from an inspection report of an ‘inadequate’ care home in Dorset)
Andrea Sutcliffe, chief inspector for social care at the CQC, said the findings were worrying due to the impact poor practice can have on people living with dementia.
“We know if people who are living with dementia are not supported in the appropriate way it can cause them additional confusion and distress.”
“It impacts on their wellbeing and it may impact on their behaviour, which actually makes the jobs of people working in the service even harder because they are potentially dealing with a manifestation of that distress and confusion,” she added.
George McNamara, head of policy at the Alzheimer’s Society, said there was a massive challenge ahead to ensure the health and social care workforces are equipped with the right skills to support people with dementia.
“Central government must provide adequate resources to local authorities to tackle the crisis in staffing levels in care homes and this must factor in time for dementia training to ensure a person-centred service is consistently provided,” he said.
Mandy’s story
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Mandy, a night worker, has worked at the same care home for the last ten years. The home supports older people, some of whom have dementia.
“I haven’t had dementia training for at least four or five years,” she told Community Care. “There are some staff who get to go on the training but the providers don’t send everybody.”
“It makes me feel frustrated because I liked to keep updated and extra training would help me to better support the people I’m caring for. I could find better solutions and understand more.”
Safeguarding
Our investigation also found gaps in safeguarding training, with a quarter of care homes told to improve by the CQC failing to provide adequate training in this area.
In some cases, care workers had not received any safeguarding training, despite being in post for more than 12 months. Other examples included staff not receiving regular refresher training, or not being able to demonstrate the learning from training in practice.
Safeguarding is a statutory responsibility for providers, but nearly a third (32%) of care homes rated ‘inadequate’ or ‘requires improvement’ were also found to be in breach of Regulation 13 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) 2014. This regulation requires providers to ensure service users are protected from abuse and improper treatment.
These findings correspond with concerns raised in the CQC’s latest State of Care report, which found one in 10 adult social care services falling short on standards of safety. The report cited safety as the greatest concern in the sector and identified a lack of adequately-skilled staff as one of the key factors driving ‘inadequate’ ratings in this area.
Mental Capacity Act
Gaps in training on the Mental Capacity Act were also particularly prevalent. Our research found 42% of care homes told to improve by the CQC had MCA training gaps. A further 29% had not delivered training on the associated Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards.
Under the MCA, care providers should ensure decisions about a person’s care are made with their consent. Where a person is assessed as lacking capacity to make a decision, the provider must make a decision in the person’s best interests in line with the MCA code of practice.
The Dols should be applied where a person assessed as lacking capacity to consent to their care arrangements is likely to be deprived of their liberty. Where care home staff suspect care arrangements could constitute a deprivation of liberty, they must refer the case to their local authority to have it authorised.
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(An ‘inadequate’ care home on the Isle of Wight)
Unsurprisingly, homes with an ‘inadequate’ rating were performing less well – more than a third had not provided adequate training in both the MCA and Dols. In the worst cases, staff spoken to by inspectors had ‘no understanding’ of how to ensure people’s rights and wishes are respected, and this had led to people being unlawfully deprived of their liberty.
One in 10 ‘inadequate’ homes were found to be depriving residents of their liberty unlawfully.
Andrea Sutcliffe said the findings supported those recorded by the Care Quality Commission in its annual Dols3 report – there isn’t a consistent understanding of the Act and the safeguards and that is “undoubtedly related” to the fact people are not getting appropriate training.
“It’s worrying that these are the places where we have the gaps because the MCA, Dols, and safeguarding are absolutely fundamental to people’s human rights being respected,” she said.
“What I’m bothered about is making sure people do something about it. Providers need to think about what they can do to address that deficit and how they can ensure the training they provide meets the needs of residents, is thorough and robust, and is not a one-off event.”
Why do training gaps exist?
The responsibility for ensuring staff are trained and supported rests primarily with care providers, but our findings suggest in many cases training is not being seen as a priority.
Sutcliffe said staffing issues and financial pressures were two factors driving the problem.
“If homes are operating at a level that means they cannot release people for training because there aren’t enough staff then that’s a problem,” she said.
3 An explanation of Dols is in the Glossary at the end of this case study.
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“Providers also see training as the area where they can cut the corners [when in financial difficulty] but it is a false economy. If you don’t train people and give them the capability and the confidence, they won’t be able to cope with the job and will leave.”
The increasing financial pressures the sector is facing have made the headlines recently, with significant cuts to council budgets, the increasing complexity of people’s needs and high vacancy rates all playing a part in providers’ ability to deliver care.
As part of this research, we also asked local authorities to provide their annual training budgets for the financial years 2013-14 and 2014-15, for staff working in the residential care services they commission. Only 30 councils were able to provide this information following a Freedom of Information request.
Of these, 60% of the councils had cut their budgets in 2014-15. In 2013-14, councils were spending an average of £55,000 on training for residential care workers, this reduced to an average of £43,000 in 14-15. The research added: “I do not believe that the erosion of monies for training from local authorities can be used as an excuse. However, it seems likely to have contributed to the worrying picture that emerges from this survey.”
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Glossary of Terms
Term Used
Meaning
Alzheimers .Alzheimers Disease
a common form of dementia, characterized by memory lapses, confusion, emotional instability, and progressive loss of mental ability.
Community Care
The name of the organisation who commissioned the research article
Dementia
Severe impairment or loss of intellectual capacity and personality integration, due to the loss of or damage to neurons in the brain.
Deprivation of Liberty Safeguarding (Dols)
Part of the MCA – a set of checks that aims to make sure that any care that restricts a person’s liberty is both appropriate and in their best interests.
Mental Capacity Act (MCA)
The Mental Capacity Act (MCA) is designed to protect and empower individuals who may lack the mental capacity to make their own decisions about their care and treatment. It is a law that applies to individuals aged 16 and over.
Quality Care Commission (CQC)
Monitor, inspect and regulate health and social care services. Making sure services meet fundamental standards that people have a right to expect whenever they receive care. They publish finding, including ratings of care standards.
Resident/s
person or persons who resides in a place.
Safeguarding
Safeguarding is protecting vulnerable adults or children from abuse or neglect. It means making sure people are supported to get good access to health care and stay well
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Article is based on the following Report:
Carter, R. (2015) Hertfordshire Community Care (online) Available at http://www.communitycare.co.uk/2015/10/28/training-deficit-among-care-home-staff-leaving-residents-risk-investigation-finds/ [accessed 23/01/2017]
END OF ARTICLE
2.1. Questions
Q1. Analyse the key role and three key practices of HRD within a care organisation such as those in the article. (total 25 marks)
Q2. Evaluate how HRD can contribute to the development of employees and organisations in this sector. (total 25 marks)
Q3. Identify and explain two ethical issues for HRD outlined in this article. Fully describe any consequences of unethical practice on people and organisations involved. (total 20 marks)
Q4. Apply the principles of Human Resource Development and make two HRD focused recommendations for any care home facing HRD business challenges in their organisation. (total 20 marks)
Use of relevant structure, introduction, contents tables and Harvard referencing (total 10 marks)
2.2. Assessment Submission Structure
? BPP cover sheet, fully completed.
? Title Page.
? Table of Contents.
? Introduction (brief)
? Q1. Analyse the role and key practices of HRD
? Q2. Evaluate the contribution of the HRD function
? Q3. Identify & explain two ethical HRD issues
? Q4. Make two HRD recommendations
? Conclusion (brief)
? References
? Appendices (if required and necessary)
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2.3. Assessment Marking Scheme (Student Version)
The assignment is marked out of 100. The following table shows the mark allocation and the approach required. Assignment Part Mark Approach
Q1. Analyse the key role and three key practices of HRD within a care organisation such as those in the article.
25
Analyse the role of HRD in an organization such as those in the article. What is working well and what is not working so well in care home’s in the UK according to the article? (10 marks)
Analyse three key practices delivered by HRD as per the article and your module content which covers all key practices. (5 marks for each area – total 15 marks)
Students should try to link this back to business success or failure. Higher marks awarded for a deeper level of analysis for all areas discussed.
Q2. Evaluate how HRD can contribute to the development of employees and organisations in this sector.
25
From the above analysis, evaluate how HRD can contribute to developing employees, including all levels of staff and managers, newer members and existing employees. (15 marks)
Then link this to the development of a care home organization and explain how HRD contribute to business success? (10 marks)
Higher marks are awarded for supporting your evaluation with examples of HRD best practice from the wider world of business
Q3. Identify and explain two ethical issues for HRD practice outlined in this article. Fully describe any consequences of unethical practice on people and organisations involved.
20
Using the information from the article, identify and fully explain, two ethical issues (10 marks for each) that a HRD practitioner might face. Fully describe any consequences of unethical practice on people and organisations involved.
Higher marks are awarded for application of ethical theories to support your findings.
Q4. Apply the principles of Human Resource Development and make two HRD focused
20
Based on your analysis so far, make two HRD focused recommendations to address 2 key issues that will improve the quality of care being provided. (10 marks for each, total 20 marks)
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recommendations for any care home facing HRD business challenges in their organisation.
Recommendations need to be fully justified, practical and deliverable given the constraints highlighted in the research article.
Higher marks awarded for realistic and meaningful recommendations based on the case study.
Use of relevant structure, introduction, contents tables and Harvard referencing
10
For an excellent mark, students will use correct Harvard referencing and clearly structure their paper, with appropriate titles, subtitles and a reference page.
Introductions and conclusions should be brief, focus is on the main body of the report.
The language used should be appropriate to the academic context and business communication as outlined, avoiding colloquialisms informal terms and jargon.
Total
100
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Appendix A – Level 5 Assessment Criteria
PASS FAIL Criterion 80-100% 70-79% 60-69% 50-59% 40-49% 30-39% 0-29%
Knowledge & Understanding
a)Systematic Understanding
b) Emerging Thought
(a) Deep knowledge of the topic, explicitly related to comprehensive knowledge of the discipline(s).
(b) Excellent usage of recent emerging thought and/or practices from a range of appropriate disciplines
(a) Thorough, explicit knowledge & understanding of the topic. Clear understanding of and explicit links to some aspects of a wider field.
(b) Some application of recent emerging thought or practices from the discipline
(a) Very good knowledge and understanding of central topic issues explicitly identified. Some appreciation of and explicit links to a wider field.
(b) Some clear evidence of the application of thoughts and practices at the forefront of the discipline
(a) Good, increasingly explicit knowledge and understanding of central topic issues. Some appreciation of a wider field.
(b) Clear evidence of an understanding of thoughts and practices at the forefront of the discipline
(a) Basic and often implicit knowledge of central topic issues. Partial understanding.
(b) Some evidence of the understanding and thoughts and practices related to the discipline indicated.
(a) Inadequate or poor knowledge or understanding of topic issues.
(b) Not a clear or precise understanding of the thoughts and practices related to the required discipline indicated.
(a) Very poor knowledge or understanding of topic issues.
(b)Significant gaps in the understanding of the practices related to the discipline indicated
Argument
a)Analysis, Synthesis & Evaluation
(a) High level of ability to analyse critically using a range of perspectives.
(a) Can present a coherent critical argument demonstrating the ability to
(a) Can present a coherent significant argument demonstrating
(a) Can decisively analyse a limited range of information within minimum
(a) Some evidence of essential awareness but much reliance on
(a) Work is descriptive and uncritical. Contains generalisations,
(a) Work wholly descriptive and uncritical.
Contains many generalisations,
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PASS FAIL Criterion 80-100% 70-79% 60-69% 50-59% 40-49% 30-39% 0-29%
b)Numerical Analysis
c) Argumentation
Excellent synthesis of elements of the argument including contrary views.
(b) Numeric analysis that is complete and free from errors with application of methods that may be insightful or original
(c) Extremely strong and consistent argument making a convincing whole with evidence of originality. Impressive ability
synthesise concepts, theories and practice in a critical argument.
(b) Numeric analysis that is complete and mostly free from errors with fluent and appropriate application of methods.
(c) Extremely strong and consistent argument that convincingly addresses issues including uncertainties and conflicts. Excellent use of information
the ability to form a defendable judgement. Some use of contrasting perspectives.
(b) Numeric analysis that is complete and mostly free from errors with relevant and effective application of methods.
(c) Evidence of an argument that is generally convincing with a good internal consistency and addresses most issues. Very good use of
guidance. Can select analytical methods appropriate to the task
(b) Numeric analysis that is complete and mostly free from significant or critical errors with appropriate application of methods.
(c) Evidence of an overall convincing argument but may have weaknesses, gaps or inconsistencies. Clear use of information gathered but may
description and some assumption.
May be some difficulty in balancing and substantiating points.
(b) Numeric analysis that is mostly complete but contains errors with significant effect, or methods that are applied inappropriately
(c) Evidence of a consistent argument but may have weaknesses, significant gaps or be unconvincing.
unsubstantiated assertion and exaggeration.
(b) Numeric analysis that is incomplete or contains errors which have critical effect, or methods that are applied inappropriately
(c) Lack of consistency or structure in the argument.
unsubstantiated assertions and exaggeration.
(b) Numeric analysis is almost non-existent and also incorrect
c) Totally lack of consistency or structure in the argument. Very serious weaknesses in the integration of evidence and no awareness of the limitations or weaknesses of the research
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PASS FAIL Criterion 80-100% 70-79% 60-69% 50-59% 40-49% 30-39% 0-29%
d) Independent Research
in the use of information gathered to support the argument.
(d) Evidence of an innovative or original use of extensive personal research which has been thoroughly evaluated conceptually
gathered which to support and further the argument
(d) Substantial research and evidence of an innovative use of a wide range of personal research with clear and consistent conceptual evaluation
information gathered to support the argument.
(d) Clear evidence of considerable personal research and the use of a diverse range of appropriate sources but may contain problems with consistency in the conceptual evaluation
have some weaknesses in the integration into the argument.
(d) Appropriate use of a wide range of personal research which is critically evaluated for key conceptual issues although this may not be consistent throughout
Clear use of information gathered but may not be sufficient to sustain the argument.
(d) Evidence of a consistent argument but may have weaknesses or be unconvincing. Clear use of information gathered but may not be sufficient to sustain
d) Over reliance on very restricted range of personal or secondary research much of which may not be evaluated and may not be directly related to the question
d) Generally only a very restricted range of personal research which is not evaluated and is not directly related to the question
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PASS FAIL Criterion 80-100% 70-79% 60-69% 50-59% 40-49% 30-39% 0-29%
Presentation
a) Structure
b) Referencing
c) Use of Language
(a) Excellent structure and presentation
(b) Precise, full and appropriate references and notes
(c) Subtle use of language expressing a high degree of thought with clarity and precision to a level appropriate for submission for publication.
(a) Excellent structure and presentation
(b) Precise, full and appropriate references and notes.
(c) Precise use of language expressing complex thought with clarity, accuracy and precision which furthers and enhances the argument
(a) Good structure and presentation
(b) Full and appropriate references and notes with minor or insignificant errors
(c) Clear and precise use of language allowing a complex argument to be easily understood and followed
(a) Adequate structure and presentation
(b) Good references and notes with minor or insignificant errors or omissions
(c) Generally clear use of language sufficient for arguments to be readily understood and followed
(a) Adequate structure and presentation
(b) Competent references and notes but may contain inconsistencies, errors or omissions
(c) Generally understandable use of language but significant errors in expression affecting overall clarity
(a) Poor structure and presentation
(b) Poor references and notes with multiple inconsistencies, errors or omissions
(c) Serious errors in the use of language which makes meaning unclear or imprecise
(a) Extremely poor structure and presentation
(b) Very limited or nil referencing with numerous errors and omissions
(c) Extreme errors in use of language and an extreme lack of clarity
