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21/9/10
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October 2010
incorporating The Number One magazine for the care sector
no.173 • £4.75 In association with
Call for new approach to inspections By Dominic Musgrave CARE services should be inspected when necessary but at least once a year, the leader of an association has claimed. John Burton, head of The Association of Care Managers, has called for a new approach to regulation and inspection of adult social care, which would include inspectors working directly with residents, relatives, staff and managers of individual homes. He told Caring UK this would involve a total reorganisation of the CQC and a return to the local inspection of care homes: “We believe all of this can be achieved without increasing inspection fees. However, it will mean a total reorganisation of the CQC, dismantling the centralised bureaucracy and grandiose management structure, and setting up local Healthwatch inspection teams employing independent inspectors who will be judged by – and paid by – results.” John also claimed the CQC is ‘staggering through the bureaucratic motions’ as no regular inspections are now taking place. He added: “The reality is that the regulator inspects the home only after some serious incident has taken place
... they shut the stable door after the horse has bolted. “This isn’t inspection; it’s just staggering through the bureaucratic motions. What has all this got to do with “making sure people get better care”, the CQC’s stated aim? Why aren’t the CQC’s inspectors out there in care homes, recognising and encouraging good practice, identifying poor practice and requiring improvement, and informing the public?” John also criticised the inspectorate’s recent announcements about its consultations about quality ratings, labelling them ‘inconclusive’, and said ‘empty promises’ had been made about changing the system of assessment by May next year. He added: “Some homes will have old star-ratings and some will have no ratings. Some information will be at least three years out of date. “If you were buying a second-hand car, would you be happy with a threeyear-old MOT certificate? If you had paid for a comprehensive report on the vehicle you were buying, would you be happy with the company which sent you a three-year-old inspection report declaring the car to be in excellent condition? The answer is a resounding “no” to each question, and choosing a care home is a much more
Residents entertained in birthday celebration
Television presenter and author John Suchet hosted a dementia awareness morning at Colten Care’s Fernhill care home in Ferndown. He gave a first hand account of his experiences of his struggle when his wife was diagnosed with the condition, which was the subject of his book ‘My Bonnie’. John also gave advice to those members of the public who have recently had a friend or relative diagnosed with dementia.
RESIDENTS were treated to a variety of entertainment at a Lancashire care home’s anniversary celebrations. The event, at Kepplegate care home in Preesall to mark Steven and Karen Shaw’s 10 years’ ownership, was opened by the town’s gala queen Kathryn Naylor, while visitors included the mayor Dorothy Ramsden and mayor and mayoress of Wyre, Coun Russell and Christine Forsyth. The day included performances from Pilling band, the Over Wyre Cloggers, a Punch and Judy magic show and various dancers. Money raised during the festivities, which also included the releasing of 16 balloons carrying the name of a resident, with a request for whoever found it to write a letter to the person named, was divided between Pilling band, Kepplegate’s sponsored child in Zambia and an orphanage in Mombasa which the home also supports.