Ensuring a Strong and Consistant Service Provider Voice
The full range of adult social care provider representative bodies in England formed an alliance in 2009 with a commitment to working more closely together to ensure a strong and consistent service provider voice that informs the emerging agenda of personalisation and transformation.
This new alliance was formed because no one body can adequately represent the breadth and depth of care and support services. By working together to improve care and support services, with an emphasis on quality, innovation and the transformation of services, the memberships and networks of the combined associations have been put to maximum effect.
The Care Providers Alliance offers leadership to the care sector at a time of considerable change and uncertainty.
It has already developed ways of engaging effectively with policymakers, national bodies, commissioners and regulators, in a number of working committees. The Care Providers Alliance has collaborated on the sharing of data for the production of a report on the personalisation of services in the care sector. Close discussions with the Care Quality Commission have resulted in improvements in the way the CQC helped care providers register under the new regulation sin the summer of 2010. The Chair and administration of the Care Providers Alliance will be shared (on a rotational basis) by the 12 organisations that make up the membership.
Des Kelly (NCF) was the first Chair, followed by James Churchill of ARC and now Miranda Wixon of CERETAS.
Des Kelly OBE, NCF Executive Director said:
The commitment to working together has been unanimous. Many of us were already working together and the Care Providers Alliance simply built on the shared principles and relationships in a more formalised way. There is a real opportunity offered by the emerging transformation within the care sector, but it is essential that care providers are regarded as equal partners alongside commissioners and people receiving services.
Primary purpose of the Care Providers Alliance
- To offer leadership to the care sector at a time of considerable change and uncertainty
- To develop an effective way to engage and influence policymakers, national bodies, commissioners, regulators and other key influencers
- To develop ways to work together to share information and extend our potential reach and influence
- To collect and collate information relevant to market trends and changes in order to offer advice, guidance and support to our respective members
- To share representation (and reporting responsibilities) at national events
- To demonstrate innovation within care and support services and new ways of working
- To undertake regional events to ensure that providers are made aware of key policy initiatives and their potential impact
Care Providers Alliance members in November 2010:
- ARC – Association for Real Change
- Ceretas
- ECCA –English Community Care Association
- FSB – Federation of Small Businesses
- MHPF – Mental Health Providers Forum
- NAAPS – Shared Lives (formerly Adult Placement)
- NCA – National Care Association
- NCF – National Care Forum
- REC – Recruitment & Employment Confederation
- RNHA – Registered Nursing Homes Association
- UKHCA – United Kingdom Home Care Association
- VODG – Voluntary Organisations Disability Group