Managers are key to sustainable solutions in health and care – Consistent Leadership

The Edith Ellen Foundation believes in caring for older people in care homes and the community as they would like.  That the provision of outstanding care should be the objective of every provider and that the receipt of outstanding care should be the right of every individual who needs it.  We believe in dignity and respect for the elderly and compassion in care.

As a charity we provide valuable, inspirational dignity in care resources that address needs of isolation, emotional pain, grief and loss. We encourage care givers to be the best carers and 'world makers' to older people that they can be.

We believe in a More Caring Approach and the Dignity of Loved Ones.

Moving towards a culture that is authentic and humane within an environment where people are free to give their best.

When people are subjected to unacceptable levels of duress, and experience control by fear, bullying and intimidation, rarely does Social Care take protective action on people’s behalf and address their concerns.

Generally, there are no swift, effective, and satisfactory conclusions, and people in that care, continue to suffer and live for several months, if not years, within the confines of continue worries of retribution.

To turn around the crisis in Social Care and stop the unnecessary and untimely deaths it brings, care services urgently needs to look in on itself and to find solutions that will genuinely be trusted.

Within the last few months alone we have seen a ‘blame culture’ evolve between Care Providers and the Government.  Car Providers blame the Government for underfunding and the increase of wages (that personally I believe the Care Staff deserve), and the Government are blaming the Care Providers for under staffing!

I believe that very few carers and Care Providers go to work believing that this will be the day they will neglect, abuse or take their own frustrations out on our loved ones, it does happen but I need to believe that these are the “bad eggs”.  The problem is we’re seeing too much neglect and abuse and it is outweighing the good, we literally can’t see the wood for the trees.

It is the system that drives the failures and they are politically driven.

Since the Foundation received its Charity Status it has listened to many people’s real life stories of good and bad social care; it has researched a range of national and global opinions and innovations on care, analysed the whole structure of the NHS, and reported on the proposals the NHS Constitution, for all the relevant Health and Social Care Legislation, Safeguarding and Whistleblowing directives, and developed systems.

Whilst it acknowledges it does not have all the answers, the Foundation strongly believes that fresh ideas and better ways of working within sound and methodical principles of Kindness in Holistic Care, will go a long way to improving care standards, and bring greater transparency and protection against abuse and neglect.

The Foundation’s Kindness Audit was developed to allow management and staff, residents and their families to talk to us in confidence and with freedom of expression.

To:

·         Remove any emphasis that might be placed on the assumption of what people want for their nursing and care systems, without ever asking them

·         Gather a true insight into working and living in care by listened to people’s fears, anxieties and their own ideas on designing services that were meaningful to them,

·         Find a base line from which to start working towards shared relationships in care that are supported by developing individual action plans that would bring effective benefits of wellbeing and self-worth to all

·         Be that catalysis for everyone to identify and influence the real problems in social care. By facing, sharing and finding together, the meaningful practical, beneficial and sustainable solutions and outcomes for seeing improvements in the consistency of care.

It's the managers that can be the change we need to see, if they start setting the example for their staff their staff will start respecting them back and produce a sustainable service.

Managers, need to get back on the floor, they need to “walk the floor” daily.  Stop a while, have a chat and learn about their residents, their families and their loved ones.  As a manger if you’re reading this answer honestly:

When was the last time you walked the floor? 

When was the last time you spent 1minute, 2, 5, 10 minutes with your residents individually?

When was the last time you said “good morning in a cheery manner to those living in the home you manager? Today, yesterday, last week?

When was the last time you listened to a staff member talk, did you hear the frustration in their voice?

Care staff are the essentials.  They are the “pen” you use daily.  When was the last time you used that pen your holding?

This morning, yesterday, last week…

Do you remember what kind of pen it was? (Probably not)

Do you remember why you were using it?

(probably you do) was it to write a new care contract? To sign a time sheet, a request for holiday?

I’d dare say to you that the pen you used was probably just as important as the contracts you were signing, that’s an important event in any business…

Then should that pen not be treated like its important?  What I mean by that is, here you are signing new care contracts, an important and memorable event. All while using a very unmemorable pen.

We grew up, our entire lives, using cheap BIC pens because they get the job done for grocery lists and directions. But we never gave it much thought to learn what’s best for more important events.

This is the pen for more important events. This is the tool you use to get deals done. Think of it as a symbol for taking your company to the next level. Because when you begin using the right tool, you are in a more productive state of mind, and you begin to sign more new care contracts.