01
21/4/11
11:57
Page 1
May 2011
incorporating The Number One magazine for the care sector
no.180 • £4.75 In association with
Investigation reveals care home failures By Dominic Musgrave AN undercover pensioner lost half a stone in weight in a week because meals were so infrequent and poor, an investigation by consumer watchdog Which? has revealed. In three of the four homes, residents sometimes had to wait 16 or 17 hours between dinner and breakfast without food but, in one, lunch was served at 11.30am despite breakfast being served just 90 minutes earlier. Three actors posing as residents lived in four randomly chosen care homes in England for a week for the study. They recorded their experiences in diaries which were analysed by a panel which included an expert in inspection, one in daily living and a dietician. Which? senior health researcher Joanna Pearl, who led the study, said: “There was some good practice recorded as well, but the experts were shocked by some of the issues that our actors found across the homes. “The poor nutrition was a real concern, particularly in one of the homes where supplements were served just before a meal to all residents. “They should only be prescribed to those residents who are
malnourished, and not be given to all. Guidelines also suggest that there shouldn’t be more than 12 hours between meals, and vulnerable people may not be able to ask when they are hungry.” Other concerns the investigation found surrounded a lack of activities for residents in all four homes, and basic health and safety in two. These included damp and dirty facilities to exposed wires and a blocked fire escape. And in one extreme case the inspectorate had to suspend admissions to a home after the researcher witnessed a staff member dragging a resident towards the toilet by one arm, while another was repeatedly pushed down into their chair by the head and shoulder when trying to stand up. CQC chair Dame Jo Williams said: “The evidence Which? shared with us describes care that falls below what people using social care services have a right to expect. In one case so seriously that we acted immediately to ensure admissions to the home were suspended and are now considering the best action for residents currently living there.” Which? plans to meet with Age UK to explore the possibility of working together on a programme to improve care in homes in future.
Illegal workers found at home
The executive director of My Home Life Programme, a UK-wide initiative to promote quality of life for those living, dying, visiting and working in care homes, has been lined up to speak at MJM Events’ forthcoming conference in association with Caring UK magazine in Reading. Professor Julienne Meyer will speak at the event at the Madejski Stadium on June 20. For a full list of conferences, and to find out who else is speaking, turn to pages 42 and 43.
THREE illegal workers have been caught in a raid on a Torquay care home by the UK Border Agency. A man and a women from the Philippines were found to be working illegally at Renaissance Care Home after their visas had expired, while another woman was working in breach of the conditions of her student visa. Kenny Chapman, who heads the UK Border Agency's local immigration team for the South West, said they had been released on immigration bail while arrangements are made to deport them. He added: “It is vital for businesses taking on foreign staff to ensure that they have permission to work in the UK.” The home faces a civil penalty of up to £10,000 per illegal worker unless evidence is provided that the correct right-towork checks were carried out.