A report examined the experiences of older people in care homes and hospitals, primarily in England and Wales. It examined the provision of care, and the steps that could be taken to help prevent the mistreatment of staff, residents and patients. It said that older people received good and excellent care, but it sometimes suffered from a lack of resources, poor organization, and environmental risks. It said many care staff worked in stressful conditions, but that some showed disrespectful and patronizing attitudes towards older people. The report made recommendations.
Source: Carol Lupton and Clare Croft-White, Respect and Protect: The experience of older people and staff in care homes and hospitals, Comic Relief
Links: Report | Summary | Comic Relief press release | UEA press release | CQC press release
Date: 2013-Dec
An article examined the application of the continental European model of social pedagogy in English residential care. Drawing on existing theories of policy transfer, experiences in continental Europe, and an evaluation of an English pilot scheme, it concluded that there were 'major hurdles' to widespread implementation in England.
Source: David Berridge, 'Policy transfer, social pedagogy and children's residential care in England', Child & Family Social Work, Online first
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Nov
The government published the results of a review of the regulation of adult care homes. The review examined businesses that provided accommodation for people who required nursing or personal care and were therefore required to register with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). The report outlined a range of concerns that had been raised about the existing inspection regime. Key concerns included: duplication in inspections; perceived lack of liaison between the CQC and commissioners; concerns about enforcement; a lack of benchmarking in the sector; and whether there was a role for external accreditation.
Source: Focus on Enforcement Regulatory Reviews: Review of the Adult Care Homes Sector, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Oct
The coalition government published data on children s homes in England, including information on the children in the homes, and on the quality, location, ownership, and cost of the homes. For the first time, the information included the inspection judgements on the homes of the largest private providers. A comparison was also presented of the inspection judgements on homes owned by local authorities and the private sector, which suggested little difference in quality. Costs in both were high relative to alternatives (such as fostering). The Education Secretary said (in an article in the Daily Telegraph) that the proportion of children placed outside their home local authority area was 'indefensible', and heavily criticized the difficulties involved in accessing information about care homes.
Source: Children s Homes Data Pack, Department for Education | Article by Michael Gove MP (Secretary of State for Education), Daily Telegraph, 12 September 2013
Links: Report | Barnardos press release | Childrens Society press release | LGA press release | BBC report | Community Care report | Daily Mail report | Guardian report | Telegraph report (Gove) | Telegraph report (2)
Date: 2013-Sep
The government began consultation on proposals to overhaul children's residential care in England, and tackle 'system-wide failings'. It said that the proposed reforms would lead to a much sharper focus on transparency, a drive for higher quality in care homes, and stricter measures to hold local authorities and care homes to account for their decisions. A second consultation document proposed measures designed to ensure the safeguarding and welfare of looked-after children who were placed out of authority in distant placements. A third consultation document proposed revised statutory guidance on children who ran away and went missing from home or care, designed to reflect (among other things) widespread concerns about children in care being sexually exploited.
Source: Reforming Children's Homes Care: Consultation on changes to the Children's Homes Regulations 2001 (As Amended) and the Care Standards Act 2000 (Registration) (England) Regulations 2010, Department for Education | Improving Safeguarding for Looked after Children: Consultation on changes to the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010, Department for Education | Statutory Guidance on Children who Run Away or Go Missing from Home or Care, Department for Education
Links: Consultation document (1) | Consultation document (2) | Consultation document (3) | DE press release | Barnardos press release | Childrens Society press release | LGA press release | NCB press release | BBC report | Community Care report
Date: 2013-Jun
The government announced plans (based on an expert group report) to improve the quality of residential children's homes. Children's homes would be required to notify local councils when children moved in from other areas, and to carry out a risk assessment of their local area alongside police and the local authority to make sure that children were safe from sexual exploitation, gangs, and other threats.
Source: Press release 24 April 2013, Department for Education | Report of the Expert Group on the Quality of Children's Homes, Department for Education
Links: DE press release | Expert report
Date: 2013-Apr
The inspectorate for healthcare and social care published its first dedicated reviewed of privacy, dignity, and nutrition in care homes and hospitals in England. Although most older people were having their needs met, a number of hospitals and care homes needed to make improvements.
Source: Time to Listen in NHS Hospitals: Dignity and nutrition inspection programme 2012, Care Quality Commission | Time to Listen in Care Homes: Dignity and nutrition inspection programme 2012, Care Quality Commission
Links: Report (NHS) | Report (care homes) | CQC press release | Labour Party press release | NHS Confederation press release | RCN press release | BBC report | Community Care report | Guardian report
Date: 2013-Mar
The Welsh Government responded to a report by an Assembly Committee on residential care for older people. It said that its Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Bill was designed to give older people better control over their lives. There would also be a stronger emphasis on early intervention and prevention, and on independence rather than dependence.
Source: Written Response by the Welsh Government to the Report of the Health and Social Care Committee Entitled – Residential Care for Older People in Wales, Welsh Government
Links: Response
Notes: AM report (December 2012)
Date: 2013-Feb
An article examined how alternative assumptions on care home fees in England (following anticipated reforms) affected projected public costs and financial gains to residents. Raising the local authority fee rate to maintain income per resident would increase the projected public cost of the reforms by between 22 per cent and 72 per cent in the base year. It would reduce the average gain to care home residents by between 8 and 12 per cent. Raising post-reform fees for remaining self-funders, or requiring pre-reform self-funders to meet the difference between the local authority and self-funder fees, reduced the gains to residents by 28-37 per cent. For one reform, residents in the highest income quintile would face losses if the self-funder fee rose.
Source: Ruth Hancock, Juliette Malley, Raphael Wittenberg, Marcello Morciano, Linda Pickard, Derek King, and Adelina Comas-Herrera, 'The role of care home fees in the public costs and distributional effects of potential reforms to care home funding for older people in England', Health Economics, Policy and Law, Volume 8 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Jan