12 March 2012
CQC Care Update highlights good progress but there are failings in care for people with dementia, and in independent learning disability and mental health services
People with dementia are not receiving care that meets their needs because health and adult social care services are struggling to cope, according to the Care Quality Commission’s latest Care Update. The Update also highlights continuing concerns about the quality of services for people with mental health issues and learning disabilities.
The Care Update says that people with dementia living in a care home are more likely to go to hospital with avoidable conditions such as urinary infections, than similar people without dementia. Once in hospital, they are more likely to stay longer, be readmitted, and die there than similar people who do not have dementia.
It concludes that those services involved in caring for people must do more to make sure people get safe, quality care that identifies and meets their needs.
The Care Update also says that services for people with mental health issues or learning disabilities provided by independent hospitals and community services still have some way to go to provide a good quality of care.
The disparity between the quality of healthcare in independent acute and community services which continues to be high, and the quality of mental health and learning disability services, is still wide and is not improving quickly enough, says CQC.
CQC’s latest Care Update is based on more than 20,000 inspections carried out between 1 April and 31 December 2012.
CQC Chief Executive David Behan said: “The majority of services are delivering good quality care, however care providers must do more to make sure that care is based on people’s individual needs. This Care Update draws attention to two areas where this is not happening.
“The people in charge of care homes and hospitals must work better, individually and together to ensure the right services are in place for people with dementia and their staff must be trained to identify dementia.
“It’s six months since recommendations were made following the abuse of people with learning disabilities at Winterbourne View. While there has been some improvement by those delivering services for people with mental health problems and learning disabilities, there is still some way to go and CQC expected improvements to be made more quickly. We are still seeing too many independent mental health and learning disability services not delivering care that puts people first.
“A patient-centred culture of care needs strong leadership, openness and transparency, and CQC will look closely at this in the coming year, particularly in those services caring for some of the most vulnerable people in our society.
“We will also be using and sharing the evidence of what works well to drive change in those providers and services that need to improve.”
For media enquiries call the CQC press office on 0207 448 9401 during office hours or out of hours on 07917 232 143. For general enquiries call 03000 616161.
Useful resources
SCIE (the Social Care Institute for Excellence) has a number of useful resources in relation to dementia.
Hospital Admissions
In more than half of PCT areas in the country, people with dementia living in a care home are more likely to go into hospital with avoidable conditions than similar people without the condition.
- Useful SCIE resource: A SCIE resource called 'Social Care TV film' addresses precisely this point
Early Diagnosis
Knowing and recognising the signs of dementia is the first step to improving the quality of care that people receive.
- Useful SCIE resource: Social Care TV: Late-onset dementia: early diagnosis and drug treatment
Training
Care homes...improved the way they support their care workers through training and supervision.
- Useful SCIE resource: The Dementia Gateway with lots of practical tips, tools and activities in individual sections based on best practices in dementia care
Safeguarding
Care homes also did more...to detect and prevent abuse.
Useful SCIE resource: SCIE have developed an interactive and accessible e-learning resource exploring various aspects of safeguarding that can be used by anyone working in adult social care or members of the public. They have also worked with authrorities in London and the West Midlands to develop multi-agency policies and procedures.
Find out more below:
Find out more
You can read more about the report in the Care Update section of this website.