Invited Panel Discuss Future Of Health and Social Care
7 November 2012
L-R Jackie Straw from Derby City Council, student Ciara O'Keeffe, and Amo Raju from Disability Direct
The health and social care sector has seen some major shifts in funding in recent years, and students emerging from education courses will bring new energy and ideas to a changing profession.
Our students wanted to make direct contact with organisations engaged in local quality social care provision.
”John Bowie, Senior Lecturer in Health and Social Care
A group of University of Derby students brought together a panel of experts to help them, and the public, make sense of new directions in the provision of health and social care.
As part of their final year BA (Hons) Health and Social Care degree students organised a public debate to explore the changing funding and delivery methods they will face as their careers progress.
In particular, the students wanted to discuss their concerns about the growing area of 'contracting-out' services to external providers from the private sector and from the voluntary and community sectors. To this end they invited Amo Raju from Disability Direct and Jackie Straw from Derby City Council to present the issue from the viewpoints of both a delivering organisation and a commissioning authority.
John Bowie, Senior Lecturer in Health and Social Care said: "The health and social care sector has seen some major shifts in funding in recent years, and students emerging from further and higher education courses will bring new energy and ideas to a changing profession.
"Our students wanted to make direct contact with organisations engaged in local quality social care provision."
The event, which took place at the University's Markeaton Street building on November 6 was chaired by final year student Ciara O'Keeffe.
Ciara said: "The advent of the personalisation agenda has pushed forward the idea of local voluntary and community organisations building capacity to engage in service delivery, but the shift in operational scale for many of these organisations can be massive.
"As students within the social care profession, we were keen to find out how this new capacity is to be created.
"By discussing the subject with Amo Raju, the Chief Executive of the biggest and fastest growing user-led centre for independent Living, Disability Direct, and Jackie Straw we gained a real insight into the possible future directions of the health and social care sector."
For more information on the BA (Hons) Health and Social Care degree visit www.derby.ac.uk/ehs
