Health and Social Care Committee
HSC(4)-01-12 paper 1b
Inquiry into residential care for older people – Appointment of expert adviser
To: Health and Social Care Committee
From: Committee Service
Date: January 2012
EXPERT ADVISER FOR THE INQUIRY INTO RESIDENTIAL CARE FOR OLDER PEOPLE — ROLE SPECIFICATION
Purpose
1. The National Assembly for Wales’s Health and Social Care Committee agreed on 8 December to appoint an expert adviser for its inquiry into residential care for older people.
2. Annex A to this paper outlines a proposed specification for the role of expert adviser. Annex B lists potential candidates to undertake this work.
Background
3. The National Assembly for Wales’s Standing Orders allow Committees to appoint advisers for the purposes of providing expert advice.[1] To facilitate this, the Assembly offers the opportunity for any expert, researcher or specialist to register as an external expert adviser for short-term research contracts via the website.
4.
The purpose of expert advice is to:
- complement the in-house expertise of the National Assembly for Wales’s Research Service; and
- add value to a Committee’s consideration of any particular subject area.
This is achieved by providing an additional source of information, advice and analytical capacity to a committee from an external party with a specific and proven specialism in the subject area under committee consideration.
Role specification
5. To ensure that the Committee receives the additional expert support it requires, a role specification has been drafted to specify the key tasks to be completed by the expert adviser. This is attached at Annex A.
6. This specification must be agreed by the Committee prior to the appointment of an expert adviser in order to ensure that:
- the correct individual is identified to undertake the role; and
- the successful candidate has a clear understanding of the role he or she is expected to undertake in relation to the inquiry and the associated time commitment.
Candidates
7. The Committee’s secretariat, in consultation with the Chair, has identified two possible candidates for the role of expert adviser based on the specification attached at Annex A.
8. Professor Judith Phillips (Professor of Gerontology and Social Work, Centre for Innovative Ageing, Swansea University), Professor Ann Netten (Professor of Social Welfare and Director of the Personal Social Services Research Unit at the University of Kent) and Professor Martin Knapp (Professor of Social Policy and Director of the Personal Social Services Research Unit at the London School of Economics) were also approached as possible candidates for this role. Due to the time commitment involved in this work, they were unable to put their names forward as prospective candidates.
9. Should the Committee wish to amend the specification, or the list of proposed candidates, alternative candidates can be sought. Members should be aware, however, that this will result in a delay in appointing an adviser for the inquiry and may limit his or her ability to complete some of the tasks listed in the specification.
10. Information about each proposed candidate is attached at Annex B.
Decision
11. The Committee is invited to:
- consider and agree the specification for the role of expert adviser for its inquiry into residential care for older people (attached at Annex A); and
-
consider the suggested candidates (attached at Annex B) and agree a
preferred and reserve candidate.
ANNEX A— ROLE SPECIFICATION
The individual appointed to the role of expert adviser would be asked to:
· Provide one introductory briefing session for the Committee on Thursday 2 February 2012
Expected time commitment (preparation and delivery): 1 day
The purpose of this ‘scene-setting’ session would be to
provide an introductory perspective on the inquiry, its terms of
reference and the written evidence gathered.
· Work with the Committee’s secretariat for the duration of the inquiry to prepare for (and, where necessary, attend) oral evidence sessions Expected time commitment (all evidence sessions inclusive): 5 days
This would include assisting with the preparation - or review of - background briefing and suggested areas for questioning on the dates to be agreed by the Committee.
· Work with the Committee’s secretariat for the duration of the inquiry to identify the inquiry’s emerging themes
Expected time commitment: 5 days
Identifying an inquiry’s emerging themes, particularly in advance of any concluding scrutiny session with the responsible Minister, is key to ensuring that the Committee holds the Government to account on the main issues arising from its work. The expert adviser will be expected to work with the Committee’s secretariat to identify and summarise key issues arising during oral evidence sessions.
· Comment on – and contribute to – a paper identifying the inquiry’s key issues as the inquiry draws to a close
Expected time commitment: 1 day
The identification of the inquiry’s key issues informs the drafting of the Committee’s final report, conclusions and recommendations. The expert adviser will be expected to use his /her specialism to assist the Committee in distilling the information gathered during the course of the inquiry into clear, discreet themes and issues for further scrutiny and / or reporting.
· Review and comment on the Committee’s draft final report, including the Committee’s key conclusions and recommendations
Expected time commitment: 1 day
One of the most important tools at the disposal of an Assembly Committee is the ability to report on an inquiry. The Government is expected (and does) respond to all Committee reports – as such, a report’s content, conclusions and recommendations need to be sufficiently robust and influential to ensure as positive an outcome for the inquiry as possible.
· Provide such additional advice as the Committee’s secretariat and Chair require
Time commitment to be agreed as and when necessary, and within the accepted terms of appointment.
This would be discussed and agreed as necessary between the Committee secretariat and the appointed expert adviser.
ANNEX B — CANDIDATES
Dr Diane Seddon
Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Applied Research and Evaluation Sciences (CARES), Bangor University
Dr Seddon's research interests include: carers and caregiving; assessment and care management; dementia; the health and social care interface; and, nursing and residential care home provision. She has been involved in the development of a successful research programme relating to carers, which has attracted research grants from a wide range of funding bodies, including the Department of Health, Welsh Government and the Big Lottery Fund. Diane has advised on national policy development, including as a Specialist Advisor on domiciliary care to the Welsh Affairs Select Committee, House of Commons. She has also led reviews of national policy implementation, including the evaluation of the National Carers Strategies in England for the Department of Health and in Wales for the Welsh Assembly Government, as well as the Pan-Wales evaluation of the Unified Assessment Process.
Other roles:
- Module coordinator, Evaluating Research and Evidence Based Research Practice, BA Social Work, Bangor University.
- Chair and Trustee, Princess Royal Trust for Carers, Carers Outreach Service, North Wales.
- Departmental representative, College of Banking, Social Sciences and Law Research Ethics Committee, Bangor University.
- Specialist Adviser, House of Commons Welsh Affairs Select Committee (2009).
- Member:
· Executive Steering Group, NEURODEM Wales.
· Social Care and Housing Research Development Group for Wales.
· North Wales Research Grants Committee.
University biography:
http://www.bangor.ac.uk/so/staff/seddon.php.en
Dr Catherine Robinson
Director, Centre for Applied Research and Evaluation Sciences (CARES), Bangor University
Dr Robinson’s research interests include: social care and health care policy; policy implementation and practice development; assessment, care management and service provision; the interface between health and social care; family caring; evaluation.
Catherine Robinson is the Director of the newly formed Centre for Applied Research and Evaluation Sciences. This research team was formerly part of the All Wales Alliance for Research and Development AWARD.
Current research projects include:
- Carers for people with mental health problems: needs assessment to service provision (Robinson, C.A., Seddon, D. and Bowen, S.)
This study addresses gaps in understanding of the needs, circumstances and support requirements of carers for people with mental health problems.
- Unified assessment in Wales: older people with complex needs and their families (Seddon, D., Robinson, C.A., Tommis, Y and Woods, R).
This study will explore longitudinally service user and carer experiences of the Unified Assessment process (UA) and subsequent outcomes. Rhodri Morgan is a member of the research team.
Other roles:
- Welsh Assembly Government Social Care Research Advisory Group (2007- )
Clinical Research Collaboration Cymru, Operational Steering Group (2006- )
- Wales Collaboration for Mental Health Steering Group (2005 - )
- Child Health and Social Care Research Network Steering Group (2006 - )
- Dementia and Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Network for Wales Steering Group (2006 - )
- North Wales Collaboration Joint Policy Board for Health and Social Care (2005- )
- North Wales Research Strategic Committee and Grants Committee (2001 - )
- Chair working group convened to consider the need of Speech and Language Therapists working with Welsh speaking and bilingual children and adults (2005).
University biography: