Too many care homes are '˜failing to get the basics right'

THE CARE sector is in a 'fragile state' with too many care homes not 'getting the basics right', a health watchdog has warned.
Too many care homes were failing to get the basics right, Healthwatch England foundToo many care homes were failing to get the basics right, Healthwatch England found
Too many care homes were failing to get the basics right, Healthwatch England found

Staff and volunteers from Healthwatch England made 200 visits to care homes in England over the last year, speaking to staff, residents and relatives, and found that care home residents were picking up on the “strain” the system is under, describing staff as being “rushed off their feet”, and “often unable to deliver the sort of person-centred care” people should be able to expect.

And while the majority of care home were described as “good”, some residents were having to put up with things like dead plants, rotting window sills, peeling wallpaper and being put in someone else’s clothes.

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One resident told Healthwatch that call bells for assistance to go to the toilet could go unanswered for an hour, while another said that their “laundry is not always returned and is worn by others; though it does turn up eventually”.

Healthwatch groups in Bradford, East Riding, Kirklees, Leeds, North East Lincolnshire, North Yorkshire, Sheffield, Wakefield and York contributed to the report, which recommends key steps to ensure all residents “feel at home”.

Among the concerns in Yorkshire homes were access to dental care, with staff at one home in Kirklees saying the dentist refused to do home visit unless it was on a private basis, and it was “unfair to residents that have to suffer.”

While some homes helped residents take part in a range of activities, at one home visited by Healthwatch North East Lincolnshire, it was simply the choice of “television or television”.

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On a positive note, a home in York has applauded for embracing technology by piloting Telemedicine that links doctors at a local hospital to a residents’ bedside.

The authors concluded: “Focusing on seemingly small things, such as giving residents a choice of what to wear or what time to have dinner, is a vital part of helping residents maintain their independence.

“It also helps prevent minor concerns from escalating into formal complaints.

“Some of the issues raised by residents might not seem important, particularly in light of other pressures homes face, but staff and managers still need to remember that for each resident this is their home.

“An ‘it’ll do’ attitude can never be acceptable.”

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Imelda Redmond, national director of Healthwatch England, said: “It’s not easy running a care home, particularly as the sector as a whole is trying to get to grips with the dual challenge of managing rising demand with limited resources.

“But getting the basics right doesn’t have to cost the earth and should be the least we should all be able to expect for our loved ones and ourselves should we need care support.

Care homes are not institutions, they are people’s homes, and the only way to ensure they feel like this for residents is to put them at the heart of shaping how the care home runs.”

Commenting on the report, Coun Izzi Seccombe, chairwoman of the Local Government Association’s Community Wellbeing Board, said: “This study is yet another reminder of the stark reality of the funding crisis facing adult social care, and the urgent need to bring desperately needed stability to the provider market.

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“While the £2 billion announced in the Spring Budget for social care was a step in the right direction, it is only one-off funding and social care services still face an annual £2.3 billion funding gap by 2020.”