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Found 287 results
  1. News Article
    A Covid report by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has highlighted some ‘tragic individual cases’ over the past months. The report analyses cases over the first 18 months of the pandemic which for the majority reveal that councils and care providers weathered the unprecedented pressures they were under fire. However, the report also reveals the ‘serious impact on people’s lives’ when things go wrong. Cases include a woman who died from COVID-19 at a care home with poor infection control procedures which was then compounded by staff trying to cover up the facts. The Ombudsman’s report focuses on the lessons that can be learned from the complaints it has received about the pandemic and welcomes that, in many cases, councils and care providers are already using their experiences from the pandemic to consider how they can make improvements to services. Michael King, Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, said: “We have investigated some tragic individual cases over the past months. Each represents poor personal experiences where councils and care providers did not get things right. “Our investigations have shown that, while the system did not collapse under the extreme pressures placed on it, Covid-19 has magnified stresses and weaknesses present before the pandemic affecting some councils and providers. “We have always advocated how crucial good complaint handling is in any setting, so I am particularly saddened that, in some authorities, dealing with public concerns and complaints itself became a casualty of the crisis. At a time when listening to public problems was more important than ever, we saw some overstretched and under-resourced complaints teams struggle to cope. “If evidence was needed, this report proves that managing complaints should be considered a frontline service.” Read full story Source: Care Home Professional, 24 February 2022
  2. Content Article
    In my first blog, ‘Visiting restrictions and the impact on patients and their families’, I highlighted how the pandemic has shone a stark spotlight on so many inequities and inconsistencies in access to health and social care. I wanted to draw attention to how visiting restrictions can result in worse outcomes for patients and their families. In my second blog I want to focus on the terms ‘visiting’ and ‘visitor’ and discuss what defines a visitor and why, in my opinion, it requires redefining and renaming.
  3. News Article
    People with dementia, particularly care home residents early in the pandemic, were “disproportionately” vulnerable to fatal Covid infections, according to a new report. The analysis, commissioned by the Scottish Government, also found that excess deaths involving dementia during 2020 were “almost wholly” attributable to Covid. Of the 2,154 deaths where both dementia and Covid were listed on the death certificate, 95 per cent had Covid as the main underlying cause. This contradicts previous suggestions that a rise in dementia deaths early in the pandemic may have been linked indirectly to the virus as a result of “lockdown distress” or an increased use of potentially harmful sedation in elderly people confused by restrictions. The report also found that 73% (1,577) of those who died with both Covid and dementia mentioned on their death certificates had passed away in care homes. Henry Simmons, chief executive of Alzheimer’s Scotland, said their loved ones had been “torn apart by grief and loss” and that the report “raises many more questions as to why so many people with dementia living in care homes quickly became victims of Covid-19”. Read full story Source: The Herald, 10 February 2022
  4. Content Article
    The pandemic has shone a stark spotlight on so many inequities and inconsistencies in access to health and social care. Unfortunately, many of these inequities were already there and so, in some respects, its nothing new. In this blog, I want to draw attention to how visiting restrictions can result in worse outcomes for patients and their families. I will focus mainly on the needs of older adults in hospital or care, and those with dementia, because that has been my own experience. But these restrictive practices have affected so many groups: among them, those with mental health conditions and those with learning and behavioural difficulties. 
  5. News Article
    The self-isolation period for positive cases is being cut and the limit on visitors lifted from next week. Residents who test positive will have to self-isolate for up to 10 days, with a minimum isolation period of five full days followed by two sequential negative lateral flow tests – as is already the case for the rest of the population. Isolation periods for those having care after an emergency hospital visit will also be reduced to a maximum of 10 days, while a requirement for residents to test or self-isolate after normal visits out will be removed. Care homes will have to follow outbreak management rules for 14 rather than 28 days, and by 16 February care workers will need to use lateral flow tests before work rather than taking a weekly PCR test. The limit on visitors to care homes will be lifted. Visitors should still obtain a negative lateral flow test result earlier in the day of their visit, and guidance on the use by visitors of PPE such as face masks remains unchanged. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 27 January 2022
  6. News Article
    Hundreds of care homes in England are providing substandard care to dementia patients, analysis by the Guardian has found. One in five homes specialising in dementia are rated “inadequate” or “requires improvement” by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), inspection reports show. Some pose such a serious risk to people with dementia – including filthy conditions, poor infection control and untrained staff – that inspectors have ordered them to be placed into special measures. Altogether, 1,636 care homes are failing patients in findings described by charities and campaigners as “appalling”. They said urgent action was needed to tackle the “unacceptable” state of dementia care across the country. Zoe Campbell, the director of operations at the Alzheimer’s Society, said: “It’s appalling to hear that one in five care homes specialising in dementia are delivering substandard care. Every person with dementia deserves to live in a safe, secure place and to be treated with compassion and respect.” Campbell said the revelations meant staff recruitment and dementia training must be prioritised in the government’s social care proposals. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 18 January 2022
  7. Content Article
    HSJ’s inboxes are currently heaving with frustration and fury on a rare consistency of theme; the build up of medically fit patients who can’t be discharged from hospitals. Here’s one example from an exasperated, experienced manager, who spoke of “real failure in social care – long stays growing and no capacity to discharge to, a. Homes closed due to infection, b. Homes going out of business c. Homes unable to come and assess patients as no spare staff, d. No care packages as staff sick or none available due to lack of capacity e. social workers and others needed to make assessments in very short supply”. “We keep getting told we’ll cope and get through but we’re really not… The will to continue is beginning to break down with refusals to redeploy and high sickness absence on top of enforced absence due to covid. A seemingly mad commitment to grind through elective stuff…
  8. News Article
    Care operators are facing acute staffing shortages caused by Omicron with more than 90 declaring a “red” alert, which means staffing ratios have been breached. Over 11,000 care home workers are off for Covid reasons, according to internal health system staffing data seen by the Guardian. One of the UK’s largest private operators, Barchester, is dealing with outbreaks in 105 of its 250 homes. It said that rules meaning homes with Covid cannot accept hospital discharges will cause backlogs in the already struggling NHS. Across England, 9.4% of care home staff are off work, according to government live data, with close to 3% absent because of Covid. The figures, which may be an underestimate because of the festive break, are drawn from submissions by thousands of care providers. “The spread of Omicron across the country will bring more care homes into outbreak, put huge pressure on the already compromised staff group and mean those who need care do not get it,” said Vic Rayner, chief executive of the National Care Forum. Many care operators said delays in getting PCR test results back were a key frustration, meaning workers who may not be infected were isolating longer than necessary." Stephen Chandler, president of the Association of Directors of Social Services, said councils were braced for calls for help from care operators and said “the care that people experience will be affected”. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 5 January 2022
  9. News Article
    The pandemic has disproportionately affected people living in care homes, who accounted for an estimated 30% of all deaths from covid-19 across 25 countries despite making up only 1% of the world’s population, a report has estimated. The analysis was carried out by Collateral Global, a research group that says it is dedicated to reporting on the effects of governments’ mandatory COVID-19 mitigation measures. The report said the pandemic had exacerbated long running problems in the care sector, such as chronic underfunding, poor structural organisation, staff undertraining, underskilling, and underequipping, and a “lack of humanity in dealing with the most vulnerable members of society.” “Neglect, thirst, and hunger were—and possibly still are—the biggest killers,” the group said. They also said that care home residents faced barriers in access to emergency treatments during the pandemic. The study authors suggested that undiagnosed COVID-19, poor testing, and inadequate staffing and infection control were the likely factors contributing to the excess deaths in care homes. Martin Green, chief executive officer of Care England, said, “Adult social care and the NHS are two sides of the same coin and need to be treated as such. The government shouldn’t have placed such a myopic focus on the NHS without due consideration for social care too.” He said that he was “phenomenally” proud of the care workforce and wanted to ensure that they were recognised as professionals with proper career pathways and commensurate funding. Read full story (paywalled) Source: The BMJ, 22 December 2021
  10. News Article
    A watchdog found there were safety concerns at a south-east London care home weeks after a resident killed a woman in her bedroom, it has emerged. Alexander Rawson, 63, beat 93-year-old Eileen Dean to death at Fieldside Care Home in Catford on 3 January. Inspectors visited the care home on 26 January after the murder of the grandmother-of-five triggered alarm about patient safety. Inspectors concluded that the home failed to record dangers properly and residents "were not always safe". Mrs Dean suffered catastrophic injuries after she was attacked by Rawson with a walking stick, about two weeks after he had been moved into the home from a mental health unit. According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the report said: "People were not always safe. The provider had not ensured risks to people were always documented and mitigated. "Risk assessments and care plans contained conflicting information which could potentially lead to people being exposed to harm." Specific concerns were also raised to the watchdog about the home's "risk management processes." The 63-year-old was sentenced to indefinite detention in a secure psychiatric unit on Monday. Read full story Source: BBC News, 22 November 2021
  11. News Article
    A care home with some of the highest Covid death rates recorded in the pandemic is facing whistleblower claims over unsafe conditions. Golfhill Nursing Home, in Dennistoun in Glasgow's East End, Scotland, is run by Advinia Healthcare, which confirmed a "large scale" investigation was taking place. A report by the Crown Office, published in April, showed Golfhill care home recorded 11 deaths related to coronavirus, among the highest rates. The Care Inspectorate investigation is said to have followed "months of complaints" about sub-standard and unsafe conditions at the home, including residents being admitted to hospital suffering from dehydration. The problems are said to centre on the intermediate care unit, where elderly residents are transferred after being discharged from hospital, requiring a higher level of care and remaining there for around a month before being sent home or into long-term care. According to a source, the unit has been short staffed "almost on a daily basis" because employees were being transferred to other areas of the home. Read full story Source: The Scotsman, 17 December 2021
  12. News Article
    A resident at an inadequate care home died after their blood glucose increased to high levels and staff acted too slowly, a report found. Inspectors said The Berkshire Care Home in Wokingham breached guidelines in nine areas and must improve. They found residents were put at risk after medicines were not used properly and that records were not up to date. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) said an ambulance was only called for the person who died when they were found to be unresponsive. They later died in hospital. Its report said staff were "not sufficiently skilled" to safely care for people with diabetes. A resident was given paracetamol and co-dydramol eight times over three days, when they should not be used together because they both contain paracetamol, the report said. Another person was burned by a cup of tea and staff did not treat the injury properly, leading to the person developing an infection and later being admitted to hospital. Staff sometimes felt "rushed and under pressure", the report found. Read full story Source: BBC News, 18 December 2021
  13. News Article
    Social care services across England are “rapidly deteriorating”, with waiting lists soaring and councils struggling with care home closures, social services chiefs have warned. Long-term waiting lists have almost quadrupled and 1.5m hours of necessary home care were not delivered in the three months to November, amid a deepening staffing crisis going into winter. “Red lights are flashing right across our dashboard,” said Stephen Chandler, president of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (Adass), which ran a survey of 85 councils. “Older and disabled people are suffering.” A survey of care workers by the trade union Unison also found that staff shortages meant people were “dying without dignity” and in some cases there were not enough staff to sit with people in their final hours. A third of those surveyed said staffing levels were “dangerously low”. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 29 November 2021
  14. Content Article
    Pressure ulcers can be serious and lead to life-threatening complications, such as blood poisoning and gangrene. However, taking some simple steps can reduce the chance of pressure ulcers developing. NICE has produced a quick guide for care home managers.
  15. News Article
    Nursing shortages are allowing “profiteering” staffing agencies to triple their rates, care leaders have warned, raising the risk of vulnerable patients being forced to move care homes and increasing the burden on the NHS. The crisis is forcing some nursing homes to become standard residential care homes without support for people with chronic diseases. The shortage also makes it harder for NHS hospitals to discharge patients. Some hospitals have redeployed their own staff into nursing homes to free beds in hospitals. In other places, NHS trusts are competing for staff with care providers. Geoff Butcher, director of Blackadder Corporation, which runs six homes in the West Midlands, said that he paid nurses about £19.50 an hour, slightly higher than the NHS rate of £16.52. “Two of our nurses resigned recently and they’ve gone to an agency for £35 an hour,” he said. “And that agency then came to us and said we can have these staff back at £52 an hour. They want £95 an hour for those nurses on a bank holiday nightshift. It’s utterly unaffordable. “Because the NHS can’t recruit they are having to use these agencies as well. So the NHS is bidding against us, therefore they’re pushing the rates up, and the whole thing has gone into a completely crazy spiral. The agencies are just grossly profiteering out of it." Read full story Source: The Guardian, 14 November 2021
  16. Content Article
    The aim of this study in BMJ Open was to develop quality standards that define minimal requirements for safe medication processes in nursing homes. After identifying key topics for medication safety from a systematic search for similar guidelines, prior work and discussions with experts, the authors specified the essential requirements for each key topic. They then evaluated these requirements with a piloted, two-round Delphi study. The study developed 85 quality standards for safer and resident-oriented medication in Swiss nursing homes.
  17. News Article
    The NHS faces a mounting beds crisis as care homes suffering unprecedented staff shortages are forced to stop taking patients from hospitals, health and care leaders have warned. Ministers are desperately trying to free up space in the NHS to tackle a backlog of 5.6 million people – equivalent to almost 10% of people in England – awaiting treatment. But efforts to speed up the discharge of hospital patients into the community are being hampered by care worker shortages. Britain’s largest not-for-profit care home provider, MHA, has already had to close 1 in 10 of its homes to admissions from hospitals, its chief executive, Sam Monaghan, told the Guardian. The warning comes as a comprehensive assessment on Wednesday reveals that care homes in England are facing the biggest staff shortage on record, with 105,000 positions unfilled according to the 2021 State of the Adult Social Care Sector and Workforce report by Skills for Care, an industry body. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 13 October 2021
  18. Content Article
    This guidance from the Care Quality Commission is aimed at adult social care services managers and staff. It explains the care needs associated with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
  19. News Article
    A care home in Birmingham has been heavily criticised by the care watchdog after it found physical and verbal abuse of residents with learning disabilities and autism had become “normal”. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) said it had put urgent restrictions on Summerfield House, in Birmingham, to stop any more people being admitted there. The home was looking after four residents with disabilities in August when CQC inspectors found a string of concerns. Records revealed episodes of physical, verbal and emotional abuse of the residents with staff making threats to cancel activities or threatening to call the police. The CQC found staff were not able to recognise abuse, citing an example where inspectors saw a person being hit on the head by another person with no action being taken. The watchdog’s report said abuse was happening between residents and staff. Debbie Ivanova, CQC deputy chief inspector for people with a learning disability and autistic people, said: “Our latest inspection of Summerfield House found a truly unacceptable service with a poor culture where abuse and people being placed at harm had become normal, with no action taken to prevent incidents from happening or reoccurring." Read full story Source: The Independent, 28 September 2021
  20. Content Article
    A stronger safety climate in nursing homes may reduce avoidable adverse events. Yet efforts to strengthen safety climate may fail if nursing homes are not ready to change. To inform improvement efforts, Quach et al. examined the link between organisational readiness to change and safety climate. They found that organisational readiness to change predicted safety climate. Safety climate initiatives that address readiness to change among frontline staff and managers may be more likely to succeed and eventually increase resident safety.
  21. News Article
    A care home owner has said she was "forced" to ask two staff with Covid-19 to work because of a staff shortage. The Caledonia home in Holyhead, Anglesey, said 11 of its 12 residents had Covid and the two staff only cared for residents who were also positive. Ann Bedford said Anglesey council and an agency had both been unable to provide emergency cover for staff who were sick or isolating. After speaking to social services, it was agreed the staff could work. "I have never known a situation as bad as we faced over the last weekend. As a matter of course we have contingency plans in place to cope in emergencies but even these buckled under the strain," she said. "My heart sinks when I think about the weeks and months ahead. We felt abandoned and alone. I called on social services for help but they were facing their own emergencies." "The shortage of carers on Anglesey is at dangerous levels and is being intensified by the pandemic." Read full story Source: BBC News, 8 September 2021
  22. Content Article
    This website contains freely available resources for anyone undertaking or working within care homes. These resources were developed by infection prevention control (IPC) experts and supported by Care Home Relatives Scotland and include downloadable guidance on infection control, compassionate and safe care home interactions and leaflets that help reassure and support anyone who is planning spend time with a care home resident.
  23. News Article
    New rules for care home staff are set to come into force on November 11, 2021, requiring all staff to be vaccinated against Covid-19, unless they are exempt. Care homes will also be able to refuse entry to anyone who is unable to prove they have been fully vaccinated, with the Care Quality Commission warning that care homes will be monitored around their implementation of the new rules. In a letter to members of the House of Lords it warned: “The sector faces 112,000 vacancies currently, if the 5 per cent, who may eventually choose not to have the vaccine, leave the sector and are added to the current vacancies it will completely destabilise an already fragile sector.” Read full story. Source: The Independent, 23 August 2021
  24. Content Article
    This article reviews the Missouri Quality Initiative, which aims to reduce hospital admissions among nursing home residents. It involves placing an advanced practice registered nurse within the nursing home, supported by an interdisciplinary team of long-term care specialists, to identify when a resident may be experiencing a functional decline. Results from this initiative showed statistically significant decreases in hospitalisations.
  25. News Article
    The number of people who have died in each care home has been published for the first time. According to reports, more than 39,000 care home residents died with the virus between 10 April 2020 and 31 March 2021. The data, released by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) shows 21 homes had more than 30 Covid-19 related deaths, with the highest number of deaths in a single care home being 44. Kate Terroni, CQC chief inspector for adult social care has said "Every number represents a life lost". Read full story. Source: BBC News, 21 July 2021
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