Ask Sheila - Archive 
Sheila Scott OBE has now retired and therefore is no longer available to answer your social care questions. However, you might still find the answer you’ve been searching for down below.
Sheila Scott OBE has now retired and over the years , prior to her retirement she has answered thousands of your social questions. You can still access the many questions below.
For Sheila Scott OBE as the former CEO of National Care Association (NCA), care is Sheila's life. She possesses a strong command of the issues facing the care sector informed by her long career as a nursing professional, the owner and manager of a care business, and as a leader in the care sector.
Please do get in touch with our team of specialists if you can’t see an answer to the question you may have and we will be happy to help.
Here at QCS we have an extensive panel of specialists with a wide range of knowledge and experience so don’t worry if you have a social care question you are struggling to find the answer to, our team are here to help.
Latest Questions
Registering a secure transport company
I want to start a secure transport company, to transfer patients with mental health illness and learning difficulties from one hospital to another. Some of the patients are detained under the Mental Health Act.
Do I need to register with CQC?
Thank you for your question. To be able to help you further you would need to give just a bit more information. The question is, is the transport’s purpose to take individuals...
Could bath schedules be recognised as abuse?
Are bath schedules acceptable? Could they be recognised as institutional abuse for residents in a care home?
Determining when a service user has a bath or shower, has to be down to service user preference and care need, rather than by staff convenience to deliver care. These...
Assessing a service user’s ability to self-medicate?
When would a service user not be able to self-medicate?
Thank you for your question. Each service user will be individual and unique in terms of their management of medication. As such a medication assessment should be completed to...
Do you have any tips on completing the tendering process?
I am starting my supported living home and I am having difficulty with the tendering process. Could I please have some advice regarding this?
Thank you for your question. Tendering is such a large and complex area and without knowing what the area of difficulty is, I cannot give specific advice. However, when...
Can an RN update the medication administration chart at a client’s home?
If a registered nurse works for a care agency who deliver home care to clients, can they update the medication administration chart at the client’s home using a discharge summary/prescription with a new or altered dose of medications?
You don’t say if the nurse is working in the capacity of a care worker in the service user’s home. If she is working as a care worker, the...
Does the Registered Manager have to pick up night shifts if no other staff or agency worker is available?
Does the Registered manager have an obligation to work a night shift if no other staff or agency worker is available? Does the manager have to take responsibility?
Thank you for your question. Under Regulation 18 Safe Staffing it is the Registered Managers responsibility to deploy sufficient numbers of suitably qualified, competent, skilled and experienced staff to make...
What can we do if a relative with Power of Attorney is refusing treatment?
What can we do as a care provider if a relative with power of attorney is refusing treatment? The resident is quite poorly with suspected sepsis and is not taking any medication or drinking. The family are worried that due to high temperature and blood pressure the resident will be put in a COVID-19 ward and want her to remain in the care home.
Dear L
Thank you for your question. I had a similar query in 2017 and it is a challenging question. My response then which you can read here is the same. The...
How can you ensure someone is self-managing their medication adequately in community care?
What can you do to ensure a person is managing their self-medication in community care?
Many thanks for your question. Assessing someone’s mental capacity is an important part of care planning and risk assessing. With regards to medication and self-management, the person must have the...
What is the timeline I should follow to start a Domiciliary Care company? Courses, insurance, staffing, etc.
I’m starting a domiciliary care company. I am getting my DBS checked by the CQC and I will be taking the level 5 course for management etc. What is the timeline of things I need to do to start, including the course, insurance, staffing, etc.?
Dear J Thank you for your question. Before you start it might be worth you have a look at the guidance on the QCS website as this will walk you through the steps...
Who should highlight changes requiring amendments to a service user’s manual handling care plan?
Should it be up to the service user and their family to highlight changes that potentially affect their manual handling care plan? Or should the organisation that recommended the lifting equipment have a review system?
Dear E, thank you for your question. Assuming that your service is in someone’s home it is important that your staff raise any concerns about manual handling to whoever carries...Partners with the UK's smartest companies
