New Podcast Episode: Nikki Meets… Dr Jane Townson OBE, CEO of the Homecare Association.

In the first episode of Nikki Meets, Nikki Walker – President of Social Care at RLDatix and CEO of QCS and Carebeans – talks with Dr Jane Townson OBE, CEO of the Homecare Association.

They discuss:

• The future of home care in the UK
• The challenges providers face right now
• What needs to change so care in our communities gets the recognition it deserves

Jane has led home care, supported living and residential services, and has spent years influencing policy at a national level.

It’s an open, insightful conversation between two leaders dedicated to improving care for all.

🎧 Listen now for fresh thinking, lived experience, and a shared commitment to making a difference in social care.

How to Challenge a CQC Inspection – With Laura Shelton, HCR Law

Guest: Laura Shelton, Partner, HCR Law
Host: Barry Price, Content Operations and Delivery Manager, QCS

In this helpful and timely episode of The Care Social, Barry talks to Laura Shelton, Partner at HCR Law, about what to do if you’re not happy with your CQC inspection, report or rating.

Laura has supported social care providers for over a decade. She shares practical advice on how to raise concerns, respond to inspection reports, and what options are available, from correcting factual errors to taking formal legal steps.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• When and how to challenge a CQC inspection or outcome
• The factual accuracy process – and why it matters
• What a rating review really involves (and how often they succeed)
• Legal routes like judicial review – when they’re worth considering
• Common mistakes providers make when challenging outcomes
• How to prepare your staff and service for inspections

You’ll also hear tips on dealing with inspectors, managing staff confidence, and how small actions can make a big difference when it comes to inspection outcomes.

Find out more about Laura: https://www.hcrlaw.com/people/laura-shelton/

Learn more about QCS: https://www.qcs.co.uk/

Got a topic suggestion or want to share your thoughts? Email us at qcs@qcs.co.uk

In this episode of The Care Social, we’re joined by Access Skills CEO Neil Crawford, and Joelma Fernandes as they break down the new government-funded Learning and Development Support Scheme (LDSS) and how it can help care providers access affordable, practical training.

Whether you're a social care provider, manager or part of a care team, this episode explains how to cut through the confusion around training, funding and qualifications, and why investing in your staff is one of the best decisions you can make.

Joelma and Neil share with our host Barry Price:

• What the Learning and Development Support Scheme (LDSS) is, how it works and what it replaces
• How much funding care providers can claim and when payments are made
• Why the Level 5 Leadership and Management Diploma is one of the most supported qualifications
• The difference between qualifications and practical training, and why care teams need both
• What the future of care training looks like and how technology is changing learning for the better

This episode is full of practical advice for anyone looking to better support their team through training and development. It is especially useful for smaller services that may be applying for training support for the first time.

🎧 Listen now to find out how LDSS funding could benefit your team and how Access Skills can help you make the most of it.

QCS Customers can benefit from a partnership offer from Access Skills: https://www.accessskills.co.uk/quality-compliance-systems-qcs/

Learn more about Access Skills: https://www.accessskills.co.uk/

Got a topic suggestion or want to share your thoughts? Email us at qcs@qcs.co.uk