Sitemap

Action not just words

3 min readDec 17, 2013

--

Is everybody else experiencing that whirlwind of activity trying to pack in as much as humanly possible before the festive break?

CQC did its bit last week with the announcement of our themed inspections on dementia care, launch of the signposting document for primary care services and the publication of our maternity survey.

Then there was the G8 Summit on dementia; the release of the Winterbourne View Joint Improvement Programme first year progress report; and the publication of the Prevention of Abuse and Neglect in Institutional Care for Older Adults (PANICOA) summary findings by Comic Relief and the Department of Health.

I’m sure I’ve missed out loads but I now realise why my Christmas cards remain unwritten — I’m trying to keep up with everything else!

That’s a lot of reading to do — but frankly all the good work people put in behind the scenes to produce these reports, run conferences and make plans will come to nothing if it is not matched by action at all levels.

Prevention of Abuse and Neglect

Take the PANICOA summary findings, which stated that the provision of direct hands-on care was generally good but also highlighted evidence of abuse and neglect. I found what the report said about the experience of emotional neglect particularly poignant — that feeling of being isolated, ignored or powerless; being disrespected or patronised.

The researchers identified a key warning signal — how staff themselves are treated will have a direct impact on the quality of care experienced by older people. It’s not rocket science is it? This observation led to a really interesting discussion at the launch event — regular readers of this blog will be familiar with the Mum’s Test but Professor Jill Manthorpe suggested a new one — the Daughter Test. Would we want our daughters (and sons) to work in this service?

The report made some specific recommendations for regulators and I was pleased to commit at the launch event that the findings will inform how we monitor, inspect and regulate adult social care services. We are working very hard at the moment on how we translate our five key questions (is the service safe, effective, caring, responsive to people’s needs and well-led) into practical lines of enquiry; and so the report’s publication was perfectly timed to help.

Winterbourne View

The Winterbourne View progress report was a classic example of how we need to focus on practical action. There is commitment by the bucket load from everyone involved in the Joint Improvement Programme but the report demonstrated how much needs to be done to really make a difference — not just for former residents of Winterbourne View but for all people with learning disabilities. We need no more salutary reminder of that than our recent inspection of the Short Term Assessment and Treatment Team, Slade House and the tragic death of Connor Sparrowhawk there in July this year.

But there was good news with the appointment of Bill Mumford, Chief Executive of Macintyre Charity, as its new programme director. I am confident that Bill’s drive and values will make the difference we all want to see and at CQC, we look forward to working with him.

Primary Care

Reports may trigger a response that will lead to action — but only if people acknowledge that something needs to change. I was disheartened by some of the defensive reaction to my colleague, Professor Steve Field’s signposting document about primary care. Regardless of what the headlines may imply, highlighting poor care, processes and procedures does not mean that we think everything is awful or that we want to undermine staff and services. Rather, it gives us all the opportunity to build on what is good and to recognise where change is needed. That’s how we can make sure that people who use health and care services get the quality they need and deserve.

Dementia

…which brings me finally to the dementia summit. I really welcome the spotlight being shone on dementia and I am glad that we will be undertaking our review. But (to borrow a phrase) all those fine words, statements and commitments are not just for Christmas — they need to be sustained with action into 2014 and beyond. People living with dementia and their carers deserve it. Just watch these moving videos and see why — Living With Dementia from SCIE and a Daughter’s Story from Beth Britton.

Oh, and good luck with the countdown to Christmas.

Originally published at www.cqc.org.uk.

Medium Logo
Medium Logo

Sign up to discover human stories that deepen your understanding of the world.

Free

Distraction-free reading. No ads.

Organize your knowledge with lists and highlights.

Tell your story. Find your audience.

Membership

Read member-only stories

Support writers you read most

Earn money for your writing

Listen to audio narrations

Read offline with the Medium app

--

--

Care Quality Commission
Care Quality Commission

Written by Care Quality Commission

We make sure health and social care services provide people with safe, effective, compassionate, high-quality care and we encourage care services to improve.

No responses yet

Write a response