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March 2011
incorporating The Number One magazine for the care sector
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Highest-rated homes could be hit hardest By Dominic Musgrave CARE standards could be suffering as a result of the abolition of star ratings by the inspectorate last year, it has been claimed. And those operators who have invested heavily in a bid to get the ‘excellent’ rating will suffer the most, according to Alan Firth, executive chairman of Meridian Healthcare. The head of the North of England based company, which has care homes in the North West and Yorkshire, was speaking at a dementia seminar in Leeds sponsored by DC Care, Lupton Fawcett and Santander. He said: “Care standards could drop as a consequence of star ratings going. I am nervous about what the regulator is going to do instead because I was a big advocate of the old system and didn’t think it went far enough. We all associate five stars with hotels and Michelin stars with restaurants as a measurement of quality, and it enables you to differentiate between something that is of poor quality and another that is excellent. “I thought the rating for care homes should have been broader, and for the CQC to do away with it is quite
bizarre. It wasn’t because the system wasn’t working but because they couldn’t administer it. “I am worried about those operators who have invested in large en-suite rooms, staff training and facilities for residents to ensure they are providing good quality care because it may be that they will be inspected by tick boxes in future. I hope the CQC introduces positive.” And Martin Green, chief executive of ECCA, said the regulator’s new approach to inspections could also hit those care homes at the top hardest. He added: “Star ratings were axed for no other reason than the CQC’s inability to deliver on it.” The CQC looks like it is going to take a reactive approach to the way it inspects, and I can see those poor quality providers lying on their forms. “I can see there being a large scandal that will hit the national newspapers and affect the whole sector, particularly those at the top because they will have invested in their facilities and staff training to ensure they are doing things right.” Do you share Alan’s and Martin’s concerns? Let Dominic Musgrave know by emailing dm@whpl.net or telephone him on 01226 734407.
Bupa support for film
Actors Alan Halsall (pictured above) and Lucy-Jo Hudson delighted residents when they visited two of a care group's homes in the North East. Alan, better known as Coronation Street mechanic Tyrone Dobbs, took a break from the cobbles to attend coffee mornings at Ideal Homes' Wynyard Woods and Middlesbrough Grange. At Wynyard Woods in Billingham he was presented with a cake modelled on the garage where he works in the hit soap, while the residents’ lounge was decorated like the Rovers Return. Picture: ITV Pictures
A NEW film highlighting the frustrations and joys of a wife trying to connect with her husband with advanced dementia has been launched. Ten Glorious Seconds features Emmy-award winning actor David Suchet, best known for his role as Agatha Christie's Poirot, and veteran British actors Paul Collard and Gabrielle Hamilton. The production has been supported by healthcare company Bupa with director of dementia care, Dr Graham Stokes, featuring in a special film alongside the main feature, offering advice to people on how to connect with loved ones in the advanced stages of the disease. Written by Carol Younghusband and Directed by the BBC’s Simon Pitts, Ten Glorious Seconds is privately financed by individual donors in the UK, the US and worldwide. It was filmed at Bupa’s The Springs care home in Malvern.