Last night over dinner we were able to talk at length with Erin about all we had seen during the day and the large differences we have noted between the American model of care and the British model.

I saw a similar disparity when I was on holiday in Australia in February.

Compared to the size of American and Australian care facilities British ones are much smaller so if we are going to find a model of care that will make a real difference to service users and staff then it must reflect that difference.

The homes we went to yesterday all had teams of activities staff.

We do not think this is impossible though but it will need a great deal of thought and planning.

We have also heard about European models based upon small units of residents.

The important thing we have seen is that the difference that can be made to residents even with advanced levels of dementia by connecting them with their past.

I am trying to get more photos from Erin which will demonstrate what we are saying.

Some of you will have been at our Conference in October last year and heard Erin Bonitto speak about the programme that she was implementing in parts of America which included the dementia lounge. There were other parts to the programme but the "lounge" was certainly the element that grabbed everyone's attention.

Many providers were keen to implement something similar in their own facilities.

After that trip to England we had intended to continue discussions with Erin about how something similar could be introduced in England.

That did not happen because within weeks of Erin and her husband Chris returning to America they heard that their dream of adopting two children would soon become a reality. At the beginning of April this year they were able to bring home from Ethiopia a 5 year old daughter and an 18 month old son.

We did not want to allow any more time to elapse so Nadra and I have come to America to visit three facilities for dementia and in particular to witness the Life Enrichment Programme that has been implemented in the facilities by Erin and her colleagues.

On Tuesday we began our Study Tour here in Albany which is the capital of New York State and where we will be staying until our tour ends on Thursday. Erin met us this morning and the three facilities that we are to be spending time in are part of a charity called the Eddy Foundation.

We have visited 2 homes today and have seen so much and heard so much that I am feeling quite overwhelmed but positive that I have already seen some things that enhance the quality of life all residents.

Whether or not his programme would easily transfer to the UK I need to reflect on. The facilities here are much bigger than most in England and of course all on one floor because there is so much land available.

We are going out to dinner now so it will give me the chance to ask loads of questions and I will keep updating the blog as much as I can.

Concerns about the Care Quality Commission

The following is a press release we have sent out this morning. We have done this because at National Care Association we have come to the conclusion that there are steps that can be taken to restore our member’s confidence in the regulator.

As we have said many times recently we need to have a robust regulator who is also a critical friend. We are also of the absolute opinion that the Excellence Award scheme needs at the very least to be deferred.

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This is the press release:

National Care Association Addresses its Members Concerns about the Care Quality Commission

National Care Association having reflected on the widespread concerns of its members about the performance of the Care Quality Commission wrote to the Minister Paul Burstow at the beginning of June identifying what the Association believes has gone wrong in the last 18 months and suggesting some first steps to begin to restore the confidence of social care providers in the regulator.

The letter was signed by the Chairman of National Care Association and the Chief Executive.

The Chairman Nadra Ahmed OBE said today: “All responsible providers want a robust and challenging regulator but also one that is a critical friend.

The broadcast of the Panorama programme and the disclosure that CQC has 300 staff vacancies have added to the view of so many within the social care provider sector of a failing organisation.

Having reflected and consulted with our members on what they believe has gone wrong in the last 18 months we have identified 3 key issues:

• There does not appear to be a strategic direction towards social care within CQC and our members believe that the regulator is “health led”.
• There are six members of the Board of CQC and only the Chairman would seem to have experience of Social Care. The other five Board Members are from a health or related background. It cannot be expected within the normal workings of a Board that the Chairman would be able to take a strong lead with regard to social care.
• National Care Association believes that although the Care Quality Commission carries out consultations these are not consultations that hear and react to what the provider sector is saying and particularly the private sector. The independent social care sector is a sector which believes its voice is not heard by the regulator.

Much has been made about the regulations being the same for health and social care but that cannot realistically be the case. The outcomes should be the same but the delivery is different and that must be recognised.

National Care Association proposes that the following action is instigated by the Government immediately:

• The social care sector needs to be separated away from health within the Care Quality Commission and then to be led by officers who are experienced in the work of social care.
• The Board of the Care Quality Commission needs to be strengthened with more Social Care expertise including from a stakeholder in the private sector.
• Strategic Direction in the Social Care field needs to be given to the Care Quality Commission by a Committee made up of representatives from stakeholder groups (this committee needs to reflect the fact that the majority of social care is provided by the private sector).

It is essential that the sense of disarray that providers have about the regulator at this time is addressed without delay.”

12th July - Examining the Issues

We all know that ‎2010 proved to be yet another year of major changes for the care sector, and this is clearly continuing in 2011. We are holding another series of regional seminars in August to examine some of these issues, including:

• How to demonstrate compliance with CQC’s Essential Standards of Quality and Safety
• Headlines from the Dilnot Report
• What next for the CQC?

There are so many issues to discuss at the moment but also a great deal of practical assistance that we can offer to care homes and domiciliary agencies.

So please, if you're anywhere near Blackburn (9th August), Bolton or Manchester (both on 10th August), and Uttoxeter or Derby (17th August), then do consider attending.

You can contact the office on info@nationalcareassociation.org.uk, asking for a programme and a booking form or phone them on 0207 831 7090. It's only £20 a ticket (and less for Association members).

I do hope that you're able to join us for the day and take the chance not just to meet with us but also with homeowners from your area.

8th July 2011 - Making Our Voice Heard

It has been a very busy week yet again.

It started with the launch of the launch of the Dilnot Report. This is a report that is well worth reading. We are studying it and reflecting on the proposals and intend to issue a response by the end of August.

On Tuesday I spoke at a really successful event organised by Barclays at their headquarters in Docklands. The speakers that were there were from Barclays, a solicitor from Bristol, a speaker from CQC and myself and it was a well balanced afternoon.

I reminded the care providers there that the consultation on the Care Quality Commission Excellence Award closes on 1 August so it’s time to think about we are all going to say. National Care Association’s position is clear the proposal is “the wrong scheme at the wrong time”.

This is particularly true because providers of care will be expected to pay significant sums of money to be assessed for the award and we believe that there is already too much financial pressure on many providers. You can find the consultation papers at www.cqc.org.uk/yourviews/consultations/excellenceaward.cfm

On Wednesday we met Baroness Jill Pittkeithley at the House of Lords and briefed her about latest developments in the sector.

Yesterday we briefed two more Members of Parliament Mark Lancaster the MP for Milton Keynes South and Iain Stewart the MP for Milton Keynes North. We were very pleased when we were able to agree to organise a meeting for them in Milton Keynes to meet with Care Providers in October.

I have worked at National Care Association for a very long time now and I have never known such a fast moving agenda around social care. I think there is a real will to make the whole system work. It is really important that our voice is heard as well as the purchasers of care and the regulators of care.

Hope you all have a good weekend.

Sheila

Monday, July 4, 2011: Dilnot and the CQC

Hopefully now we are in July there will be some respite and we will all have the chance to catch up.

Last week was busy for us with social care as a whole seeming to move from one crisis to another. We issued a press release about the Care Quality Commission in which we identify what we believe are gaps in the management of CQC and which we then make suggestions about how the gaps might be filled. We did write to Paul Burstow (the Minister) about this at the beginning of June but we haven’t had a response yet (a copy of the press release is linked below).

In a few hours, the Dilnot Commission will be publishing July its report: ‘Dilnot Commission on the Funding of Long Term Care’.

As expected, there was a build up to the publication of the report in the papers over the weekend and the National Care Association will be giving a series of interviews if the last few weeks is anything to go by.

I have already had one interview recorded which was aired on the Radio 4 Today programme this morning. Actually, it was the most charming interview I have ever done. The BBC took me to a care home in North London where I was interviewed by a 92 year old resident Diane Athill.

Obviously, keep watching this space, I’ll be blogging about the events of this week over the next few days - but right this second, I’m heading over to the launch of the Dilnot Commission Report!

http://www.nationalcareassociation.org.uk/story_detail.asp?story=news&id=666