Jonathan Copely, Head of Care and Social Welfare at McClarrons
Over the last few months, partners of the McClarrons Care Network have been producing supportive content and resources to help social care providers get ready for the new Care Quality Commission (CQC) framework that launched in November.
McClarrons, an independent insurance brokers, who specialise in domiciliary care and care home insurance, proudly launched McClarrons Care Network in May, which was born out of a desire to provide added value to their existing Care & Social Welfare clients and charities. Head of Care & Social Welfare at McClarrons, Jonathan Copley, brought together a network of three specialist businesses that cater for the care sector, to help clients achieve their business goals by supporting them in making risk and service-related improvements within their organisations.
The network consists of award-winning care quality software and consulting company – Be Outstanding, full-service law firm – Brabners, care quality consultants – Care Improvement Associates, and, of course, McClarrons. Through the network, the partners are offering McClarrons’ clients and charities benefits or discounts that aren’t otherwise available.
The network’s latest activity was a recorded roundtable discussion on the various legal and audit-related issues that care organisations need to consider when preparing for the new CQC framework. With Nathan Barnard, Operations and Quality Director at Happy Futures Support Specialists, a home care service based in Scarborough, joining as guest compere and speaker, the network was able to discuss topical concerns about preparing for the anticipated challenges of the new CQC framework, providing advice on how to address those obstacles. Joining Nathan and Jonathan, the panel also included Senior Associate at Brabners – Matthew Coles, inputting with a legal standpoint on matters, CEO and Partner at Care Improvement Associates – Rachel Bryan, and Chief Executive Officer at Be Outstanding – Samuel Barrington, who both focused on the importance of proactive evidencing and the outcomes it can have on CQC audits.
The discussion covered various CQC-related topics, including, but not exhaustively:
- what the new framework looks like and what it means for care organisations
- how the Safe and Well-led categories tie together and how to tackle the CQC’s key lines of enquiry (KLOEs) for both together
- how recruitment and training-related issues tie in with providing a Caring and Effective service
- how quickly things can change if you are not responding to care needs, complaints, whistleblowing, equality and equity
- what worst-case scenarios could look like when things go wrong in a social care setting, and how to prepare for and prevent them
- how to creatively, easily, and proactively evidence care.
On the theme of taking proactive measures, Nathan also shared experiences, learnings, and practices that have worked well for Happy Futures, who have consistently received an Outstanding CQC rating since 2018 and been a national winner at the Great British Care Awards multiple times. By sharing Nathan’s insight along with those of the partners, the network’s aim was for viewers to take some ideas and guidance away that can be implemented immediately to help better their services.
Bitesize segments of the discussion, split into core topics of Safe and Well-led, Evidencing, Responsive, Caring and Effective, and If the Worst Happens, as well as the full recording, are publicly available via McClarrons’ LinkedIn and website so that all care providers, McClarrons client or not, can watch and benefit from the conversation. To catch up on a specific topic or watch the full recording, simply visit the McClarrons Care Network webpage here.
For any questions about McClarrons Care Network or to discuss your existing insurances, contact McClarrons’ Care & Social Welfare team on 01653 600477 or at care@mcclarroninsurance.com.
Image depicts Jonathan Copely, Head of Care and Social Welfare at McClarrons