National Care Home Open Day: A chance for politicians to celebrate the best of care

On 20th June, Members of Parliament carried out their constituency duties as they would on any other Friday. But the date of course marked a hugely important day for the care sector as homes across the country celebrated National Care Home Open Day.

Now in its second year, the day was an opportunity for care homes to open their doors and welcome people from the local community to show what life in a care home is really like.

The importance of the day is revealed by a recent ComRes poll, which highlighted that only 25% of British adults have visited a care home in the past 12 months, and just over a quarter (28%) of Britons would be interested in volunteering at a care home.

These alarming statistics demonstrate how misconceptions about care have developed – there is simply a lack of knowledge amongst the general public about what actually takes place in care homes.

This is exacerbated by media reports which have been dominated by incidents of appalling practice, which are thankfully very rare.

Although rare, these cases, along with the changes to funding dominate Westminster politics and leave precious little time for MPs to celebrate the excellent care which takes place every day in care homes in their constituencies.

National Care Home Open Day provides an opportunity to do this, and it saw MPs up and down the country visiting care homes in their local area.

As figureheads of their local communities, by visiting a care home, MPs were able to attract the attention of the wider population who may have been unaware of a care home’s activities in the area. And of course, they too got to see first-hand the variety of care services at the heart of their constituencies. The day was backed by Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt and Care and Support Minister Norman Lamb, who are keen to shine a light on good care.

As well as politicians, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) participated in the initiative, with over 100 inspectors and CQC staff signed up to attend events across the country. CQC's Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care, Andrea Sutcliffe, summed up the ambitions and potential of the day: “I hope National Care Home Open Day will help to break down barriers between care homes and the community and forge lasting links for the future which will benefit everyone."

After many parliamentary debates focusing on the very worst examples of care, 20th June saw MPs of all persuasions head home to their constituencies so they could see first-hand the integral role care homes play and the fantastic service they provide.