Another view of G Robinson Show

Michael E

Registered User
Apr 14, 2005
619
0
Ronda Spain
As a voice of dissent I thought the 'can Gerry Robinson fix the ... or what ever the title' was pretty self serving. He appeared to attack the foot soldiers and not the generals. Like saying Afghanistan is the fault of the men getting blown up on a daily basis rather than the Government of the day...

Here in France there are good and bad homes like the UK - The good homes are superb and are run on a non profit system.

In a good homes there is a resident 'psychologist' who runs the system in terms of patient care. She talks to every patient on a one to one basis once a week...

There is a permanent 'animator' who's sole function is to work with the patients. Drawing, painting, singing, cinema shows, walks in the gardens.

The general administration is run by a 'manager' who's function is to see to the financial well being of the home.

There are 2 full time nurses - doing a shift patten and each patient has their own GP who is called in as required to diagnose and prescribe treatment.

In Monique's home there are 52 resident patients, 10 places for short term respite and around 20 places a day for non resident Alzheimer's suffers to attend to give their carers a chance!

The staff is around 2 or 3 to one. They work shifts on a 4 days on 3 days off basis. They do the same work as UK care workers, are on near minimum wage I suspect and are involved in all the care duties necessary including taking the patients out into the gardens when ever possible.

That all costs a fortune but the 'insurance' organisation who runs some 200 homes (mainly retirement rather than specialist Alzheimer's) works as a charity. All the moneys generated by 'local authority and private payments are plowed back into the home.

Is this not something the Alzheimer's society could/should consider doing or be lobbying the government to do? Clearly making a profit is not compatible with caring for the vulnerable!

I am not suggesting that homes should be part of the National Health system rather that 'charities' should take over or at least start to establish a network of homes that strive to do the very best will ALL available funds...

Michael -
 

Lynne

Registered User
Jun 3, 2005
3,433
0
Suffolk,England
It certainly sounds a good model to aim for Michael.

Nice to see you posting; I hope Monique is as 'well' as she can be, and that you yourself are keeping your head above water, literally & metaphorically!
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connie

Registered User
Mar 7, 2004
9,519
0
Frinton-on-Sea
Hello Michael, good to read yet another viewpoint.

So glad that you found somewhere that was right for Monique, such a shame that we even have to consider permanent care at this early age.

Do hope that you manage to have a good Christmas, love n'hugs.
 

Grannie G

Volunteer Moderator
Apr 3, 2006
81,447
0
Kent
I envy your syatem Michael but I do believe Gerry Robinson attacked the Generals as well as the foot soldiers.

He attacked their withdrawal of staff meals.
He attacked their knowledge of locked doors.
He attacked their abysmal managemanet skills.
He attacked their complacency.
He attacked the regulators for upgrading the home.
He attacked the personal relationships of the two managerial women.
He caused the home to close.
 

Michael E

Registered User
Apr 14, 2005
619
0
Ronda Spain
I envy your syatem Michael but I do believe Gerry Robinson attacked the Generals as well as the foot soldiers.

He attacked their withdrawal of staff meals.
He attacked their knowledge of locked doors.
He attacked their abysmal managemanet skills.
He attacked their complacency.
He attacked the regulators for upgrading the home.
He attacked the personal relationships of the two managerial women.
He caused the home to close.

But all the above are footsoldiers or 'sergeants' at best.

The 'Alzheimer's homes' problem is in my opinion something that should not be left to the profit motive.

There is a difference between retirement homes where 'folks' can make the financial/social choice to enter or not. Mostly residents of Alzheimer's homes are there because there is no alternative.

If it is possible to run homes for profit then it must be possible to run better homes for non profit. Not sure which but either the Government or Alzheimer's Society should work to remove homes from the private sector, I think.

It seems to me it needs a philosophical change - I am all for the privatisation of most things but 'Alzheimer's homes' can never ever be made to 'turn a profit' and give first class service. It is just not possible.

Or maybe I am wrong and the majority of homes in the UK are excellent and only a tiny minority are awful?

(Please do not envy the system Monique is in. The French state contribution is a very small proportion of the 40,000 PA fees. No way of getting more from them, so one day soon I will have to leave France. I simple cannot afford to keep her there much longer and the alternative offered is to have her return to my care with more, partly funded aid from more care workers...)

I investigated UK care homes of a similar standard and noted that their fees were considerably higher than the French. The private profit motive I suspect.
 

Grannie G

Volunteer Moderator
Apr 3, 2006
81,447
0
Kent
I agree with everything you say Michael but until care homes of every category become a service instead of businessses, there will always be room for greed.
And which Government is going be able to afford to change the system, after they`ve taken their expenses that is.
 

danny

Registered User
Sep 9, 2009
3,342
0
cornwall/real name is Angela
Private sector

I am the director of a private company,tar and feathers to the ready,I work endlessly looking after the best interests of my staff and service users.Maybe I should turn my company into a charity,I would then be able to sleep at night,pay myself a huge salary,not be personally accountable for everyone,take annual leave etc etc.Why don`t I do this,because I love my job and I want to make a difference.In all walks of life,private or public sectors there are good and bad.If care was all about profit margins I would be on a beach today not doing xmas rotas and arranging a xmas lunch for our service users.NB,I do not own a care home but a domiciliary care company.Just fed up with all the bad press being dished out to the private sector.
 

Tender Face

Account Closed
Mar 14, 2006
5,379
0
NW England
Hello, Michael. First of all, nice to see you on TP and my best wishes to both you and Monique.:)

I don’t think you are dissenting – just offering another view and it’s thought provoking. As far as self-serving millionaires are concerned, well, I just hope it shows that not having to worry about the overdraft proves money doesn’t buy happiness and they need to do something else for fulfilment!:rolleyes:

I recall those ‘once upon a time days’ when
The good homes are superb and are run on a non profit system.

My grandparents and their generation unable to be looked after at home (for whatever reason) either died 1) in a sparse, clinical hospital environment 2) an ‘Old Folks’ home, as they were known then or 3) given so much of a whiff of mental incapacity an ‘asylum’. (Hush my mouth, I hate that word but it is the truth of what we were brought up with only a generation or two and more ago). There were always good and bad hospitals, good and bad homes … and no hint of profiteering in those days …

I personally would not wish to go back to that ‘non-profit’ system …. I feel we have moved onto to something else which seems grotesque in nature at times when it is wrong … and somewhere along the way the middle, and acceptable, and ‘affordable to all’ ground was lost …… how that is ever retrieved I guess is the ‘million dollar (pound/euro) question’ we all would wish to answer?

I feel for the charities affected by the ‘credit crunch’ who in some cases have already been forced to decimate services because they cannot sustain the basic outreach/community services they have provided for some time in spite of many willing volunteers. I am sure they would wish to pioneer much more …. but they are as much short of money as the government coffers …:(

Best wishes, Karen, x
 

carrie84

Registered User
Dec 21, 2009
8
0
Yorkshire
I too watched the programme, and was not shocked by any of what i saw.
I started working in care at the age of 15, 10 years ago!, as a tea time assistant. I have progressed to work in dementia care (oh the irony) and recently mum has been kind of diagnosed as having early onset dementia at the age of 57.
I have been battling against the conditions that our elderly live in for years. I have witnessed these people being left wet through, not being given enough to eat or drink, escorted them to hospital as a result, been dragged into offices and reprimanded for pushing fluids rather than making beds, have reported to the CQC to no avail. I have lived this with them and been powerless to change it. The last was run by a charity.

I have also worked in excellent homes, privately owned and council owned. Here the residents were treated as individuals, their personal preferences made top priority to ensure they lived their lives their way, the residents empowered and treated as individuals not as numbers.

I must say that after having seen both sides of the coin that what really matters is a good manager. I have seen managers all too often that have wanted to be liked and respected by their staff and have let things slip to be accepted for an easy life. There are also those who really don't care, they do the paperwork and leave at 5pm promptly, scaping through on the bare minimum for their £25,000 a year or whatever they get these days.
I have worked in good and bad homes, have had good and bad managers and it doesnt appear to matter who owns the building only who is responsible for cracking the whip, forcing the training and cutting the wheat from the chaf.

Carrie x
 

Clive

Registered User
Nov 7, 2004
716
0
One point I don’t believe I have seen mentioned about the Gerry Robinson programme is that there was no hidden filming. To the best of my knowledge the owners had let the cameras in because there was a desire to “improve” what was currently occurring.

Clive
 

Christinec

Registered User
Aug 8, 2007
214
0
Watched the programme and was totally depressed by it. So many issues already mentioned in posts. Things were I think even worse in the past. I can remember visiting elderly long term wards when I was a child.

Not sure my Mum at nearly 90 really wants lots of activities and even involvement in routine tasks would be demanding and posssibly stressful for her. She does need to be kept clean and safe and be treated with respect and kindness and given attention.

I have always believed non-profit making is best.Always believed Care Services should not be run for profit but the home Mum is in is on paper, by word of mouth, in the Care Commision Reports etc the best in the area and it is private. The local council run home does not have as good reports.

I think the leadership and managment skills of a good manager and the availability of people living locally who seek this type of work are what makes the difference. In some of our local homes there are real problems in recruiting and keeping staff.

However I reall wish there was a good home near me and not the one 30 miles away. The distance restricts my availability to visit especially in the winter.