Why aren’t we getting better information on care homes?

I suspect that the main reason for the poor style, quality and availability of the CQC reports is the methods that have been adopted to standardise their production. If you read through a stack of those that do exist, you soon find that all too often the scoring and the comments appear to relate to different places. I suspect that this is because they have a huge list of tick points that are either pass or fail. Get enough ticks and you are fine. However, do things a way that the ticks do not fully recognise, [or the box ticker cannot pin down] and the place is in trouble. Some homes may have no residents able to go out because of their mental or physical state, clearly they do not need spending money as they will have no ability to spend anything. It appears that a home might be judged on such issues as ‘no provision for residents to come and go’ or for ‘not have a formal pocket money system’.
As for changes happening almost over night, how true that is! Homes are demanding places to run and once an owner or manager feels it is time for a change, quality may already have started to slip. Unless the incoming owner or manager is very well qualified, quality can and does fall off the proverbial cliff. Getting it back requires someone who has the skill but more importantly the experience to know how to ‘route map’ the recovery, hint it is not by box ticking but more to do with recognising what the place needs to achieve to improve the standards of care.
One of the possible problems is that the ‘improvements for change’ may well upset both residents and their visitor(s). Both may well have become quite happy with procedures that in reality did not improve the outcomes for either party but were familiar. I speak from personal experience of a place that drew increasing criticism from an elderly relation visitor while it was declining, but also produced vocal complaints when improvements were introduced to better provide for the residents. I speak as a relative, not as as someone in the business.

My experience mirrors Beh4emoth – At my age many of my friends have been forced – either by their families or by NHS and Council attitudes to go into so called “Homes” – The Government does not care – except to ensure they don’t pay,

The cost to the person is around £30.000 a year – In one case directly the “home” “spent” all his money – he was thrown out on his ear as the Council would not continue his care in that “home” – he was eventually re-homed in an appalling place where he died in misery.

Others certainly hated the so-called “care” imposed by various “homes” and “lived” very unhappy lives until they died.

I certainly won’t go in one – I’d sooner commit suicide than die in misery imposed by an uncaring society – and having to pay for it. My life in places has been bad enough already – I will not allow anyone to commit me to end my life in imposed misery/

Well it looks like there does not appear to mutch of a problem with Care Homes, in light of CQC’s report on conditions in over 100 Hospitals could Which now focus on the Public Sector for a change and wards for the Elderly in particular

Dear Richard,

When you consider there has only been 4 correspondants other than you and I who have taken up pens to deal with this matter out of over 400,000 people living in Care Homes ,surely you could consider my statement reflects the overall situation better than yours. I have been working with the Elderly for over 25 years and seen many instances of good care, I have also had to chastice staff on a few occassions for showing lack of respect, but you will find these sort of individuals in all forms of life, it does rather reflect the society as a whole thatwe are living in today.Perhaps you could do your homework and find a Home locally with a good reputation and try it out for a week or two, this might be of use to you in the near future.