In a series of interviews with the regional co-chairs of the Social Care Nursing Advisory Councils (SCNACs) Madeleine Anderson looks at the priorities of each council and how the co-chairs are promoting social care nursing in their local area.
In this fourth interview, she speaks with the co-chairs of the London council, whose regional priorities are raising the profile of social care nursing and encouraging research in the sector.
The co-chairs
The London SCNAC is co-chaired by Nuno Santos Lopes and Louise Keane. Mr Santos Lopes is director of research and innovation at care home provider Nightingale Hammerson. He also works as a care home manager and has seen Nightingale House keep its Outstanding Care Quality Commission (CQC) rating since the Covid-19 pandemic.
Ms Keane works as a nurse education lead and social care advisory council lead for North Central London (NCL) integrated care board and NCL training hub. Having worked in nursing for over three decades she also previously worked as a CQC inspector and has won three national awards, including the Karen Downs Lifetime Achievement Award for innovation in digital health.
Priority 1: Raise the profile of social care nursing
Given the scale of the social care workforce in England, Mr Santos Lopes says it is key for people to understand the ‘crucial role’ that social care nurses play for people living across the country.
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‘For London, we felt that it was important for people to know what we do,’ he explained.
He added that this is particularly challenging considering the ‘diversity of services’ that social care covers, from residential care to mental health and disability services.
‘We really want to give a voice to the people that have not had that voice for a very long time,’ he added.
‘We want to be the ones that raise the profile of the sector, raise specific issues and give the say of social care providers to local authorities, to the NHS, and to the government.
‘The solutions come from us, we are the ones that see what’s going on at the ground level and we want to be able to work together with the government and NHS to support the needs of our population.’
Ms Keane said encouraging more student nurses into adult social care was another vital way of raising the profile of the profession.
‘By highlighting student placements in social care, we can make sure that student nurses understand more about what social care is,’ she told Nursing in Practice.
‘Social care is a major part of the overall health system, and core to making sure that system works, by enabling people to go home or receive alternative long-term support.’
Ms Keane described how, once student nurses have experience in social care, they can also better advocate for patients when they are in hospital, something that is especially important when caring for growing numbers of patients with dementia.
Improving understanding of social care nursing was also important for hospital and other secondary care staff, to help them plan their discharging processes better, she added.
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‘When people are thinking about discharging, they need to appreciate what adult social care is and ensure that the patient or resident is at the centre of that journey, as this will ensure they get the best treatment and best outcomes possible,’ Ms Keane said.
Priority 2: Research
The London SCNAC is focusing on ‘research’, as its second priority – something Mr Santos Lopes says is needed given the ‘fragmented’ structure of the social care sector, making collaboration in research and development especially complex.
‘Research is really essential to be able to demonstrate the impact that we have, and to show how we can best plan care,’ he said.
‘We want to see what the best steps are to follow for each population to help them thrive.’
He added that ‘there is funding like has never existed before for research in social care’, and that the SCNAC was focused on updating researchers on the areas that need the most focus, and supporting the facilitation of research and building connections between academics and frontline social care staff.
Ms Keane said research also needs to be flagged to students, to dispel any myths about how research is completed and who can lead on it.
‘I think the key thing is about making sure that students come on that journey with research and everybody understands it,’ she said.
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Launched in 2023, there are seven social care nursing advisory councils across England. Each has two regional priorities to work towards to improve social care as a whole across the country.
