An elderly individual with a nurse. Photograph: Graham Turner for the Guardian
The BBC Panorama programme Behind Closed Doors: Elderly Care Exposed was awful. I watched, like so a lot of others, as secret filming uncovered neglect, verbal abuse and bodily violence against men and women who were frail and vulnerable.
This kind of care, or a lot more accurately lack of care, is entirely unacceptable. Watching the programme, and specifically the daughter of one particular of the featured men and women weeping at the footage, upset me as I am positive it upset you.
The programme has provoked a good deal of response and comment. Social care leaders wrote to the Guardian to rightly highlight that the “huge vast majority of residential care companies give excellent, if not superb care”. Others have condemned the workers, the managers and owners, the commissioners, the Care Top quality Commission and the government. Some have shared their very own stories of both great and poor care. Nevertheless far more have asked what much more wants to be accomplished to stop this occurring.
I am glad that exposing poor care provokes a reaction – but fast outrage and indignation can be short-lived and fail to provide the adjust we want to see. Presently the news agenda has rolled on to other topics and society will again flip a blind eye to the troubles that matter most in grownup social care.
Ahead of the programme, the CQC issued a statement and I was interviewed on radio and Television. Following the programme I tweeted that “no one need to experience such awful care. Workers, owners, commissioners, CQC, government, society we all have a obligation to kind.”
So, what does that imply? No, I am not recommending yet another concordat or a lot more public hand-wringing (as some of you will be pleased to hear), but rather actual, concerted action developing on foundations presently in place. It begins with providers delivering on the promises their sector leaders have manufactured to champion “the excellent care they offer and to use this as a driver so that excellence gets to be the default normal”.
It continues with neighborhood authorities delivering on their commitment voiced by Association of Directors of Adult Social Solutions president David Pearson to make confident “that numerous thousands of people are cared for effectively in secure, protected and stimulating environments … [exactly where] only the highest standards are applied”. And it indicates that government and society reflect upon the true price of social care, and how that can be appropriately funded so that adequate workers are recruited and qualified to supply high-top quality care.
But what does it imply for the regulator, the CQC? I will not pretend that we are the sole resolution, nor that inspection is the only way to assure safe, compassionate and successful care (and I am encouraged that some of the commentary in the previous 24 hrs has recognised that). But neither are we spectators standing idly by. Our emphasis need to be to be explicit about our expectations of solutions, producing sure these are centered on what issues most to folks making use of providers and a sound proof base.
It also signifies we have to monitor what is happening, listen to people employing solutions, their households and other individuals, and react when issues are raised – and carry out rigorous and robust inspections which are particular person-centred and alert to warning indicators. We want to celebrate great practice for other people to find out from, as properly as taking firm action when needed.
On this last level, it is really worth remembering that considering that 2011 we have issued two,438 warning notices to one,260 care residences 158 of individuals homes are now de-registered so are no longer working 696 locations even now registered are now entirely compliant demonstrating improvement. That implies, however, that 406 places issued with a warning discover are operating but are still non-compliant. The new powers in the care bill will put us in a significantly more powerful position to consider extra action, which is welcome – and one way government can support us to be even much more successful.
You have a likelihood to have your say about what we do, as we are consulting on our new approach – so please do.
Each day I know our perform helps make a variation. An inspector shared her expertise with me yesterday about a recent inspection where last year we had served a warning observe and recognized required compliance actions for poor staffing practice.
She advised me: “This service has turned about and I was so pleased to discover almost everything in place and men and women getting handled really nicely. Everybody sang the praises of the services. The manager has worked hard to make this come about and it has reminded me why we do this.”
We are not the only solution, but we are definitely portion of the answer.
We all have a obligation to increase elderly care | Andrea Sutcliffe
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