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May 2010
incorporating The Number One magazine for the care sector
no.168 • £4.75 In association with
Call for new approach to inspections By Dominic Musgrave THE way care homes in England are inspected should be transformed following the conviction of a Somerset manager, it has been claimed. John Burton, head of the Association of Care Managers, has called for a complete change of approach by the CQC after Rachel Baker, who was abusing controlled drugs she had stolen from the home, was found guilty of the manslaughter of 97-yearold resident Lucy Cox. John told Caring UK that, since the introduction of a national inspectorate in 2002, the inspection of care homes has being “going in the wrong direction”. He added: “The new regulator claims that the inspector’s failure to identify what was going on in the home cannot be attributed to CSCI because the manager concealed the fact that controlled drugs were prescribed. “Under current inspection procedures, this home would not have been inspected for another two years and CQC would rely on the annual quality assurance assessment submitted by the manager to make their own assessment of the home. “There is now less on-the-ground
inspection and more reliance on remote information collection, much of it from the home itself, and risk analysis. All these expensive quangos have let down the residents of care homes and their relatives while promoting themselves.” And he has called on the way care homes are inspected to be “localised and personalised”. He added: “Inspectors must be accessible and responsive to complaints and concerns. If a relative says the home is short-staffed on a Sunday afternoon, the inspector should drop in and see for themselves. “Such inspection can only be achieved by local inspection, and by a complete change of approach by CQC. Inspection of care homes is needed to check that they are caring, homely and safe, not to collect government statistics and to prove that care homes are improving. “All the regulators have set up their organisations to demonstrate their own effectiveness and to justify their continued existence. They are remote, expensive and ineffectual.” Do you agree with John? Let Dominic Musgrave know by emailing dm@whpl.net or by ringing 01226 734407.
Home used for new film
Doctor Hilary Jones visited a new £6.5m specialist dementia nursing and residential home in Dorset. Doctor Hilary, who regularly appears on GMTV, took a tour of Colten Care’s Fernhill home, which can accommodate up to 58 residents in four separate wings. Photo: ITV pictures.
A BUCKINGHAMSHIRE nursing home was turned into the set of a new movie. Howard House in Gerrards Cross was used by writer and director Marco Williamson for his new short film Senior Living, which starred William Russell, who has appeared in Coronation Street and Dr Who, and Iris Russell, a noted film and theatre actress. The film, which will be shown at a variety of festivals, promotes awareness of dementia and the emotional difficulties of people living in a care home. Howard House matron Colleen Joubert said having a film crew in The Perseverance Trust home caused was good stimulation for the residents. She added: “They were here for five days in total and, although there was some disruption because at times we had 40 extra people here, it was kept to a minimum and they allowed us to function normally. It was all very exciting for the residents.”