Social care training bodies concerned at pressures on care staff highlighted in CQC report

Two social care training bodies have expressed their concern over the pressures on staff and the rise in complex conditions, highlighted in the CQC report, that has left care providers struggling to provide ‘person-centred care’.

David Behan, chief executive of the said these factors have led to “task-based care, not person-centred care, being delivered by many organisations”.

The report ‘State of Care’ found nearly a quarter of nursing homes inspected were understaffed, as were 16 per cent of care homes and 16 per cent of hospital trusts.

It also revealed that the majority of nursing homes, care homes and home care agencies are not achieving the minimum standards for giving their staff “proper training, supervision and development”.

The increasing number of elderly people with multiple or complex illnesses, such as dementia, has also left many care providers struggling to cope.

State of Care’ is the CQC’s most comprehensive report on the care sector to date.

The National Skills Academy for Social Care welcomed the CQC State of Care report, claiming it presents a more comprehensive picture than ever before.

However it expressed concern at the effects of pressure on staff and the rise in complex cases, that together are having an adverse effect on quality, particularly in relation to dignity and respect.

Debbie Sorkin, acting chief executive of the Skills Academy, said: “Research across the sector shows a strong correlation between quality of leadership and quality of services, and it is vital that the spotlight remains on quality in difficult times.

“At the Skills Academy, we have produced a Leadership Qualities Framework which makes it easy for people working at any level in social care, or in integrated settings, to see what good leadership looks like and remind themselves of the kinds of behaviours that produce high quality interactions.

“For us, real leadership in the sector is grounded in these everyday behaviours, and so leadership is for everyone involved in providing care and support.”

Skills for Care’s chief executive, Sharon Allen said: “It’s important that we understand as a sector where improvements need to be made to ensure that we achieve the goal of personalised care and support regardless of the increase in demand and reduced financial resources.

“Having a capable, confident and skilled adult social care workforce that is flexible and innovative is essential to the delivery of excellent social care.”

She added: “We are keen to work with the CQC on making sure that the standards, learning and qualifications that we develop with the sector are widely used to ensure that the social care workforce of 1.63m people are supported to have the skills they need to do a great job.”

For more information on the report, see Richard Howard’s news story www.carehome.co.uk/news/article.cfm/id/1558407/cqc-chief-warns-there-are-no-excuses-to-deliver-poor-care