Another First - CYBER SECURITY

I am proud to say that Social Care Alba is the first Care Company to achieve both IASME and Cyber Essentials accreditation.

IASME Standard

Social Care Alba is the first Care Company to achieve IASME Accreditation.  The IASME standard, based on international best practice, is risk-based and includes aspects such as physical security, staff awareness, and data backup. The IASME standard was recently recognised as the best cyber security standard for small companies by the UK Government when in consultation with trade associations and industry groups. The audited IASME certification is also seen as showing compliance to ISO27001 by an increasing number of companies.    

Cyber Essentials Scheme 

Social Care Alba is the first Care Company to achieve Cyber Essentials Accreditation. The Scheme focuses on the five most important technical security controls. These controls were identified by the government as those that, if they had been in place, would have stopped the majority of the successful cyber attacks over the last few years.

Together we are raising the standards of care.

George Clooney and The Biggest Business Awards Ceremony in UK EVER

Last night saw Hollwood mix with Holyrood in the biggest business awards dinner in the history of the UK.

The list of names included:

• George Clooney & Sir Tom Huner
• Josh Littlejohn - Social Bites
• First Minister - Nicola Sturgeon
• Deputy First Minister - John Swinney
• Sir Chris Hoy & Rob Bryden
• Chris Evans & Judy Murray
• Lord Kevin & Social Care Alba
• and many more.....

The evening recognised Scottish business and raised money for good causes.  Social Care Alba were the first Care Company in the awards history to be nominated and shortlisted for this presigious award.

Everyone both past and present work tirelessly every day to improve the lives of others.  Your hard work was recognised and celebrated on the evening by the 2000 guests who attended.  Sharing this special evening were friends and colleagues both new and old who have contributed to our success.

Social Care Alba's goal has always been to change the face of Care in Scotland.  Last night shone a light on the hard work and deication of millions of carers both paid and unpaid thoughout the UK. 

Thank you to everyone for their contribution and I hope you are as proud of your success as I am.

Stephen

Stephen Wilson, Director

The Butterfly Effect

Every day millions of carers touch the lives of those around them.  They are people like you and me, sons and daughters, husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, friends, neighbours or even strangers.

What we and they do is not complicated, I call it the butterfly effect, where the smallest of actions can have a life changing effect on others.  We offer a shoulder to cry on, a warm smile when your sad or companionship when your lonely.  We will care for you when your ill, hold your hand when your dying and when your gone make sure your loved ones are not alone.

Being a carer is not for everyone, but for those who can put others needs before their own, it brings it's own rewards.  Think of all the people whose lives would be poorer had you not been there for them

For our part we promise to support you, developing your skills, knowledge and career.  Together, every day we make the world a little bit better. 

Stephen

Focus Area - Infection Control

As you all know on this month our focus area is Infection Control.  Johanna has already posted information on our Google Community about:

Respiratory and Cough Hygiene
Patient Placement
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) 
Hand Hygiene. 

I urge everyone to read them even if you think you already know everything about infection control.  It is good practice to keep yourself up to date as recommendations and best practice can change.  

Remember "Repetitio est mater studiorum" - repetition is the mother of learning. Discuss or share your ideas. 

It is everyone’s responsibility to ensure that we prevent infections as we are working with vulnerable adults.  Why Infection Control is so Important?  As Service Users (SU) come into contact with many staff members there is the potential to spread infections and microorganisms.  LINK 1

Most people know that washing hands and using gloves is a good practice but why we need to wear aprons?  Aprons are worn to stop contamination of care workers’ clothes and skin.  It is used when there is a risk of splashes or sprays of body fluids and when the care worker’s clothes might get wet (body wash/shower).  Here is a great video what explains that we do not see all bacteria and how easy it is to spread them around: LINK 2  So please use aprons all the times, it takes only 5 seconds to put on. 

If you are unsure about something do not hesitate to ask.  Here are some more usefulmaterial.  LINK 3  LINK 4

Social Care Alba Nominted for Award

Earlier this year I wrote about the excitement within Social Care Alba about George Clooney's visit to Edinburgh. George is the guest speaker at this years Scottish Business Awards and will be promoting both his charity and that of Social Bites.

The Awards ceremony, is supported by the Royal Bank of Scotland and is attended by 2,000 business leaders from across Scotland and the UK. 

Social Care Alba have been shortlisted in the RBS Customer Focus Awards section.  I am extremely proud of the effort we all make every day to improve the lives of the people we support.  To read more about the awards click HERE

Music maestro please

Social Care Alba's "Shared Management Meetings" are open to all every month.  We encourage a
different person to chair the meeting as a way to develop their skills.  So how do you chair the perfect meeting?

Think of chairing a meeting as a conductor of an orchestra.  Each must follow an agenda (sheet music) and ensure that you get the most out of the participants.

A good chair will ensure each member of the meeting is brought in at the right time.  They will know when to bring individuals to the front and when to reduce the presence of others which may overpower the meeting.  Finally where possible there should be time for a solo contributor.

Then this is timing, the art of bringing all of the contributors together and to finish on time.  Of course running the perfect meeting takes practise.  So don't expect to get everything right first time, every time.  However, when it all comes together then like a maestro you should have gotten the very best out of everyone.

Open for Business

With the expansion of our Edinburgh team we are investing in a second office which will meet our growing staff and clients’ needs.  Providing a centrally located, modern and accessible office will allow dedicated space to meet with clients, family members and health care professionals.

Nation-wide cut backs mean it's a difficult time for anyone to be working within the health and social care field. However we truly believe that continued investment in our Edinburgh operation will secure jobs for our staff and high-quality care for service users in the city."

Social Care Alba operate a different model of health and social care to other companies. This involves offering specialists who are able to support service users in their own homes for particular issues e.g. a physiotherapist for mobility difficulties, an occupational therapist for stroke and mild dementia conditions and a social worker for, amongst other things, accessing services and community assistance. This in turns means people are not only more comfortable and relaxed because they are being support at home, but it also helps the NHS by cutting down on the number of hospital admissions."

In addition to taking on new clients, Social Care Alba are also employing new staff. More information on our company and its ethos can be found on the website www.social-care.org