Are Care Home Closure’s the Answer?

Are Care Home Closure’s the Answer?

Considering the BBC’s Panorama Programme which aired Monday, 21 November 2016 several articles have widely reported poor care standards within our Nursing and Residential Care Homes.

With Care Home’s across the UK closing at a rate of at least 1 per week leaving over 5,000 vulnerable people at risk, elderly people are being forced to live in large “factory-style” care homes. 

But is this the answer?

Andrea Sutcliffe, chief inspector of adult social care at the CQC, said: "One of the fundamental reasons is that we are seeing that homes are having difficulty recruiting and retaining nurses. 

"There are about 47,000 nurses working in adult social care. There is about a 9% vacancy rate, which will mean they are depending on agency nurses. And over the last year a third of nurses left their job.

"So, we're having difficulty recruiting them and then we are having difficulty retaining them, and that will have a direct impact on the quality of care that people are receiving."

But Frank Ursell, of the Registered Nursing Home Association, is predicting the number of closures will get worse.

"[This] ought to be concerning because the demography is telling us we have got an ageing population," he said.

"We've never had any control over the supply of nurses. So, we've always had to rely upon the supply of nurses that are trained by the NHS.

"If the number of nurses they're training isn't sufficient to meet both the health and social care needs then we are going to have a problem."

But are these closures the answer?  Is this really the only possible outcome?

Poor training in care homes and home care is resulting in avoidable hospital admissions.  Poor Training and lack of understanding in Dehydration, malnutrition, Dementia and falls ultimately costs the NHS – should we instead not insight the CQC to shine the spotlight on Care Home Providers who are cutting corners in a bid to increase their profit – cutting corners by providing inadequate training, pay and staff ratios.

The Department of Health said it was funding a £40m leadership programme to create more senior nurses, as well as undergraduate nurse apprentices and student nurse placements in care homes.

But, many home owners cannot wait that long, with a range of factors - including reduced CQC ratings - putting potential residents off, and making the business unsustainable.

The pressure on the sector has seen many key players reducing or cutting their nursing beds.

HC-1 the third largest care home company in the UK say nursing shortages have been a contributing factor in the fate of 12 of their homes which they have either closed or turned into residential homes.

Anchor, the not-for-profit operator said it has pulled out of running nursing homes altogether to focus on retirement housing, assisted living and residential care.

Avery Healthcare at the more luxury end of the market has reduced its 3,000 nursing beds by about 20% with more reductions expected.

And Four Seasons Care, which is the UK's biggest provider, needs 4,000 nurses on its books, but it is currently 700 nurses short.

The Edith Ellen Foundation, cannot promise to make recruitment easier or the process quicker but we can help with staff retention, budgetary restrictions and a comprehensive Training Program with defined learning outcomes and continuous audit of knowledge and understanding in practice.  We can redevelop the “lost” link between Management and Staff and help both Management and Staff focus on the needs and wants of the Service Users and Relatives whilst re-establishing the voice of those using the service.

The Edith Ellen Foundation, does not want to see further closures placing many more vulnerable people at risk.  As a Foundation, we aim for the provision of outstanding care which should be the objective of every provider; and the receipt of outstanding care which should be the right of every individual who needs it.  By using our training program for care staff, you will not only retain staff but enhance your care delivery, thus your profile and standing within the care industry.  This leads to a reduction in costs and enables you a higher standing with the CQC and subsequent inspections.  The fallout is allowing you to competitively price per bed and raise your revenue and provide a continuously high standard of care.