REPORT: Care Homes Struggling to Meet Needs of Elderly People (UK)

 Care homes struggling to meet needs of elderly people, RCN warns
Royal College of Nursing survey blames years of under-investment for worsening of conditions
Press Association
The Guardian
14 March 2012

Care homes for elderly people are struggling to meet the needs of residents with complex medical conditions amid cuts in funding, a new report warns.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) report says elderly people are being admitted to care homes with increasingly severe and complex care needs, having previously been treated in acute hospitals.
The survey of 600 care home nurses found 26% felt they did not have adequate equipment and medical supplies, while 38% said there were not enough full-time registered nurses employed to provide suitable care.
Almost half of nurses (48%) said residents were being accepted in a bid to fill vacant places despite concerns about levels of care.
Dr Peter Carter, the RCN general secretary, said: "This report paints a hugely concerning picture about the many daily challenges that so many nurses in care homes face in delivering high quality care.
"Many of these challenges are not new but, following years of under-investment, these issues have now significantly worsened. When nearly two in five nurses say there are not enough nurses to meet the needs of residents, then you know that this is a worrying state of affairs.
"Even nurses who were positive about the quality of care felt it was delivered despite significant challenges."
The RCN report – Persistent Challenges to Providing Quality Care – raised concerns about dwindling morale among care home staff, with carers often paid the minimum wage.
The union has recommended a re-evaluation of how funding is allocated to care homes; the introduction of national guidance on staffing levels; a government review of workforce planning in care homes; and regulation of all healthcare assistants.
Carter said: "Getting health and social care funding right is crucial not only for the sustainability of the social care system, but the NHS, too.
"On a daily basis nurses have to deal with the burden of repeated form filling and eligibility assessments. It is nursing staff and the NHS that have to deal with the pressures of delayed transfers, referrals and confusion over who pays for what."
Care services minister Paul Burstow admitted changes were needed to the social care system. A government white paper on social care expected this spring.
Burstow said: "We're making the system more joined up with health and focusing on helping people maintain their independence for as long as possible. We will be publishing our plans for overhauling the system this spring.
"We are investing more money in social care. At the spending review, we committed an extra £7.2bn over four years to support social care.
"The white paper will bring clarity to what quality care in social care looks like. It will seek to empower everyone involved in social care to play their part in ensuring high quality care for all."

 SOURCE:    The Guardian, UK
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