November 2016
no.243 • £4.75 incorporating The Number One magazine for the care sector
‘Tipping point’ predicted for social care
By Olivia Taylor
WITH pressures rising on demand, access and cost, the quality regulator is raising concerns about how long safe, high quality and compassionate care can last. In its annual assessment the Care Quality Commission found that, despite challenging circumstances, as at July 31 2016, 71 per cent of the adult social care services that had been inspected were rated ‘good’ and one per cent were ‘outstanding’. However, two per cent of adult social care services were rated ‘inadequate’. Professor Martin Green OBE, chief executive of Care England said: “Despite the excellent work of social care workers and managers, underfunding is damaging the sector. “The current funding settlement entirely disregards demographic change, the pressure on the market, and the impact on people receiving care. “As CQC highlights, more and more people are living with unmet needs for care, and more providers are pulling out of unaffordable caring activities like nursing. CQC’s emphasis on providers turning down contracts reflects the impossible market for care: Care England members are still
being asked to care for adults with complex needs for as little as £2.25 per hour. “This undoubtedly affects the NHS, where delayed discharge figures will not improve while social care remains starved.” Around three-quarters (76 per cent) of NHS services, care homes, general practices and other services that had been rated as ‘inadequate’ by CQC were able to improve their ratings following re-inspection. 23 per cent went from ‘inadequate’ to ‘good’ and 53 per cent went from ‘inadequate’ to ‘requires improvement’. While this shows that regulation can support providers to offer people better care, CQC’s analysis also revealed that some services are failing to improve despite being given clear information on where improvement is needed. 47 per cent of providers that were re-inspected following a rating of ‘requires improvement’ were not able to improve their rating, and in eight per cent of cases, the quality of care had deteriorated so much that the rating was downgraded to ‘inadequate’. Half of services rated as ‘requires improvement’ that were re-inspected (904 out of 1,850) had no change to their rating. In 153 cases the care had become inadequate.
CLS receives Investors in People Gold Standard
Actor Steve Speirs helped to open a new £800,000 refurbishment at Hallmark Care Homes’ Greenhill Manor in Merthyr. The Pirates of the Caribbean star unveiled a plaque alongside the town’s Mayor, Councillor Margaret Davies, to mark the end of the work at the home, which has taken 16 months to complete. The home’s new facilities now include an old-fashioned pub, a luxurious hair salon, a farmhouse kitchen which will encourage residents to get more involved at mealtimes, a cinema and a café. Greenhill Manor provides dementia, nursing and young physically disabled care for 120 residents.
CLS Care Services, comprising Belong Villages and CLS Homes, is celebrating after being awarded the Gold Standard by Investors in People. While CLS has held IIP accreditation since 2005, this is the first occasion that the care provider has been awarded the Gold Standard, joining the top 13 per cent of accredited organisations in the UK. The assessment took place at four CLS care homes, four Belong villages and the Central Office with involvement from staff across the company. The IIP Gold Review Report on CLS Care Services highlighted excellence in values and customer focus, along with a culture of openness, trust and confidence between management and staff. Phil Orton, head of people at CLS Care Services, added: “Our people are at the heart of everything we do, and as such we are committed to being one of the best employers and investing in our staffs’ skills and development. “Being IIP Gold accredited is a fantastic achievement, and we’ll continue to build on feedback from IIP to ensure we are operating at the highest possible standard.”