Local taxation, spending and poverty : new choices and tax justice

In the environment of the 2014 Independence Referendum, a number of key questions have been raised about the future Scotland we want to see and live in. Core to such discussions have been the interventions on wealth creation and benefits, by the leaders of the Conservatives and Labour Parties in Scotland, respectively. However, and as rigorously debated in the Whose Economy? Seminar Series (Danson and Trebeck, 2011), such questions need to be considered in their wider contexts to identify and analyse fully all aspects of ‘who pays?’ and ‘who benefits?’. Indeed, several of the papers to that seminar series echoed previous classical work on poverty and the welfare state by Townsend, Abel-Smith and others which confirmed there are some long-standing myths to be addressed. These commentaries have suggested that all is not what it seems in the review of statistics of income and benefits, and robust, objective and clinical assessment of the dat

From charity to social enterprise: the marketization of social care

Purpose In Scotland, the self-directed support (SDS) legislation is a catch-all payment system which brings challenges to local authorities, service delivery organisations and the service users it is intended to empower. Set against a backdrop of cuts to local authorities and third-sector funding, this policy presents third-sector organisations with both the opportunities and challenges of commercialising their activities to become more sustainable. The purpose of this paper is to provide evidence of the challenges faced by one charity as it engages in a process of hybridity to accommodate changes in its funding due to the introduction of SDS. Design/methodology/approach The paper utilises a case study approach. The paper captures the experiences and views of managers, staff and parents advocating for their children through interviews with a purposive sample from each group. The challenges of gathering data and giving a voice to caregivers advocating for children with complex needs are discussed, particularly the difficulties in accessing a hard to reach group. Findings The findings identifies issues which have arisen because of the proposed changed in strategic direction of the organisation due to the introduction of SDS and are all related to hybridity. The findings are arranged in four sub-sections based on the themes that emerged from the qualitative data generated from the interviews: the practical delivery of care; tensions between care and quality, the care workforce, and the parent perspective. Research limitations/implications SDS policy has had unexpected impacts and reactions whilst rolling out across regions in Scotland, but policymakers and those involved in the care sector, including consumers, face significant challenges in gathering evidence not only from the vulnerable populations this policy affects but also from organisations already under pressure from austerity-led cuts. This paper presents the challenges to organisations involved in caring for children with complex needs, who are a particularly neglected group of stakeholders. Practical implications Organically arising barriers to organisational transition from charity to social enterprise are presented, as staff and caregivers react to the prospect of SDS uptake affecting their organisation. Proactive attempts to embrace a hybrid approach by the organisation are analysed. Social implications Understanding how social care organisations and clients are reacting to the implementation of individual payments as opposed to the previous system of block contracts is crucial as the sector faces very real prospects of organisations closing when individuals are able to pick and choose care. A policy based on choice and control for the consumer risks removing choice through a loss of services in the marketplace, leaving vulnerable populations at risk. Originality/value This study is unique. No research has been done exploring the transition of charities servicing children with complex needs in anticipation of self-directed payments creating an open market. The paper further contributes to the existing knowledge regarding hybrid organisations within the third sector. </jats:sec

Narratives of experience: Senior registered nurses working with new graduate nurses in the intensive care unit

The experiences and perceptions of New Graduate Nurses as they transition into professional practice and into intensive care units abounds in the literature. However, there is a dearth of literature exploring the experiences of Senior Registered Nurses who work with New Graduate Nurses in intensive care units. The aim of this inquiry was to contribute to nursing knowledge by examining Senior Registered Nurses’ stories of experience around the complexity of enabling development of New Graduate Nurses whilst working in clinical or team leading roles in the intensive care unit. Thus, allowing the Senior Registered Nurses’ voice to be heard in the literature. Narrative inquiry methodology, underpinned by Dewey’s theory of experience, was used to examine the experiences of five Senior Registered Nurses in one Level 6 intensive care unit. This was achieved by engaging Senior Registered Nurses in individual conversations then co-composing the final individual narrative accounts with participants, whilst remaining immersed in the three-dimensional space of temporality, sociality and place. Thematic analysis methods were used to actively identify two overarching threads that resonated across all five narrative accounts. The first thread, ‘Reverberations’, contained five minor threads: ‘We Carry Them’, ‘It’s Dangerous’, ‘Patrolling Like Surf Lifesavers’, ‘Enjoyable Moments’ and ‘Survival Mode’. The second thread, ‘Caring’, contained three minor threads: ‘I’ve Been There’, ‘They Must Ask Questions’ and ‘Not In My Backyard’. Analysis identified Senior Registered Nurses’ workload and level of patient surveillance increased when working with New Graduate Nurses in the intensive care unit, leading to perceptions of feeling stressed, pressured and overwhelmed. Yet an obligation prevailed to support and care for New Graduate Nurses, perceived by participant Senior Registered Nurses as not yet possessing the clinical skills to independently care for critically ill patients in the dangerous intensive care unit environment. There are significant implications for health care organisations to increase resources to alleviate Senior Registered Nurses’ substantial workload and recognise their essential role in supporting New Graduate Nurses while simultaneously sustaining quality intensive care unit patient care