Alarm over plunge in care home standards

THE standard of care offered to pensioners in residential homes has worsened to a “truly alarming” level, a study reveals.

More than 2.6 million over-65s are now living in areas where an increasing number of care homes are rated “inadequate” or “requiring improvement”, figures show.

And a growing number of older people and their families have no choice but to choose a poorlyperforming care home, campaigners warn.

A scrutiny of Care Quality Commission inspections from January 2018 to January 2019 shows the quality of care homes has dropped in 37 per cent of English local authorities.

This is a steeper fall in standards than between 2017 and 2018, when it declined in 22 per cent.

The analysis was recorded by the charity Independent Age, which studied the official figures.

George McNamara, director of policy and influencing at the charity, said: “These findings are truly alarming.

“They show thousands of vulnerable older people live in homes that are failing to deliver even the bare minimum. Years of dithering by the Government and the failure to reform the social care system are a main cause of increased pressures on the care home market and more areas with poor performers.

“Unless the forthcoming social care Green Paper is bold and ambitious, it will do little to address the crisis in care.

“Essentially, the Government continues to stand by and do nothing to address the quality of care suffered by older people, many of whom live with conditions such as dementia, and who are being robbed of their ability to enjoy life as much as possible.

“As well as being dangerous, poor care is miserable, involving things like being woken up in the night to be dressed or taken to the toilet because of staff shortages.

“Care homes are where many of us will live out our final months. No life should end in misery.” There were 16 council areas where between 30 and 40 per cent of care homes were given “requires improvement” or “inadequate” ratings.

In Manchester, 44 per cent of care homes were given one of these two ratings, meaning they are failing to deliver the minimum quality of care expected.

This can include not giving residents their painkillers as they were prescribed.

IT SEEMS unbelievable that the standard of care homes in this land has got worse over the past year. The analysis by the charity Independent Age, which warns that quality of care homes for pensioners is at an “alarming” level, is of grave concern to us all.The report also worryingly links the fall in standards to a reduction in the number of inspections by the Care Quality Commission, which have dropped by

37 per cent, according to the charity.

Things need to turn around. We cannot expect vulnerable elderly people to be forced to go into underperforming care homes where they do not get the support and attention they require.

Ministers must take heed and ensure the forthcoming Green Paper on care is truly radical and transformative.