BBC Article - Care Home Neglect

[Dave63]

Does anyone else get infuriated with the templated response of organisations who state ' we have thoroughly investigated and lessons have been learned ' ?

Runcorn care home accused of neglect by elderly resident's mother

BBC analysis shows nearly 20% of England's care homes - some 2,500 facilities - "require improvement".

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Alisongs]

What lessons? They never say

 

[jennifer1967]

its like the child murders, they say we will learn lessons so it doesnt happen again..... until it happens again.

 

[Jessbow]

I think the whole thing is infuriatingly misleading.
20% - thats 1 in 5
That means 4 out of 5 are good, or certainly good enough
Of the ones in that 20%, which are deemed failure, How many meet essential needs adequately?
How many gain the failure status because of inadequate policy documents- They do it, and do it well, just that they dont have a written *Policy*
I wonder just how many of them struggle with staffing ( so common) and before recording that Maud has had a number two, sat & helped George eat his lunch....and simply forgot?

Caring for our PWD is a thankless task

 

[SAP]

Fortunately my mum is in a good home( despite CQC report ) . It’s not an expensive one and the staff are not well paid at all but from the management down there is an expect that care given will be the best at all times. It can be done so the question is why is it not being done through out the UK? I suspect greed on the part of the big companies.

 

[jennifer1967]

deleted post

 

[Dave63]

I think the whole thing is infuriatingly misleading.
20% - thats 1 in 5
That means 4 out of 5 are good, or certainly good enough
Of the ones in that 20%, which are deemed failure, How many meet essential needs adequately?
How many gain the failure status because of inadequate policy documents- They do it, and do it well, just that they dont have a written *Policy*
I wonder just how many of them struggle with staffing ( so common) and before recording that Maud has had a number two, sat & helped George eat his lunch....and simply forgot?

Caring for our PWD is a thankless task

Totally agree with you @Jessbow

After an inspection last year mums nursing home was rated as requires improvement. When considering the level of care, compassion and dignity they provide nothing could be further from the truth. But the CQC felt two minor paperwork issues were more important than the actual care provided. Both issues were resolved very quickly by the manager and a rating of good was then given.

She was previously in a care home rated as outstanding and whilst the staff were nice enough the level of care wasn't a scratch on her current one. Care homes obviously require oversight but I'm not convinced the CQC is effective in that role.

 

[sdmhred]

I was in a service that had a CQC inspection many times. In the weeks’ prior decorating and DIY jobs did get done - which was good. We got loads of emails of policies and procedures……and on the day they seemed more concerned that it was a little too warm in the clinical room and there was a problem with the disabled loo. Yes those things are of some importance but nothing to do with the core business the service was set up for.

How to create good care homes?? I was shocked when I realised carers paid 1/2 of gardeners…..what does that say about the importance we place on caring for the elderly And those vulnerable? Mums home was good, but it relied on young and enthusiastic staff who use it as a stepping stone. This did result in a lack of experience, wisdom and common sense at times.

Care should be a profession that people strive to go into, have good pay and conditions, opportunities to progress if they desire …..but we all know that will require a massive shift in our national priorities and we will all have to put our hands in our pockets if we want it….

 

[Calon Lan]

There are clearly a lot of good care homes across the country. Sadly there are also bad care homes, as well as a small minority that are very bad.

When my mum first moved into residential care she spent two months in a care home rated “good” by the CQC. In my opinion this care home was far from good. My mum had a series of bad experiences there, leading up to four days lying in bed with an undiagnosed fractured hip. There was a section 42 safeguarding enquiry under the Care Act as a consequence of what happened to her.

The CQC inspected the care home soon after the safeguarding referral. They only looked at two of five of their efficacy parameters. Leadership was downgraded to “Requires Improvement”. That was the first time the CQC had inspected the home for nearly five years other than a limited inspection linked to the covid pandemic. An incomplete inspection after five years could not possibly be seen as effective oversight.

Thankfully my mum is now in a good nursing home. The care and overall approach to the dignity and well being of residents is so much better than anything I observed at my mum’s first care home. Staff are very caring and engaged. Managers are responsive when concerns are raised and remedial actions are taken. My mum’s health and well being is far better now than it ever was when she was in the first care home. She declined catastrophically in the first care home due to poor care, not due to her illness. Yet nobody ever accepted that.

A statement that “lessons have been learned” is certainly infuriating for anyone who has first hand experience of failures in our national care system. Failures don’t only affect the PWD, they also affect everyone caring for that person.

I was not given a final report of the safeguarding investigation involving my mum. I was sent a long email from the social worker leading the investigation. This said the investigation was “inconclusive”, but “lessons have been learned”.