Care sector is facing 'the most difficult period I can remember', says Des Kelly

Des Kelly, who spent 13 years at the helm of the National Care Forum and clocked up 45 years in social care, has revealed that “without doubt social care is facing the most difficult period” he can remember.

“Years of underfunding have created a fragile and undervalued service where the best care is delivered against the odds. Commissioning practices in particular have squeezed services hard.

“Innovation and service development has had an over-reliance on levels of cross subsidisation that are now unsustainable,” he says.

Mr Kelly recently stepped down as executive director of the National Care Forum, a post he had held since the organisation launched in 2003. His career started back in 1971 as a care assistant for Coventry Council. From there he ended up running a care home for seven years and then became a policy officer for the Social Care Association. From there he went onto Court Cavendish and after that became partnerships director of Bupa Care Homes.

David Behan, chief executive of the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC), called him a “champion of quality in care” and said: “He has led the National Care Forum with great skill and professionalism always championing quality care. I have known and worked with Des for over 14 years. He is one of life’s gentleman – a man of dignity and pleasure to do business with. I hope he will reflect on his career of distinction dedicated to ensuring that people who use services receive safe, high quality care.”

Proudest moment

Mr Kelly describes the proudest moment in his career as the contribution he made to the Wagner Committee which produced 'Residential Care: A Positive Choice' in 1988.

He says: “I believe it to be a seminal and influential work and I am particularly pleased to have served on the committee while I was a home manager.

“In the last few weeks of my time with NCF I was delighted to celebrate 10 years of My Home Life particularly as I was in at the start of the initiative which has done so much to promote quality of life in care settings.”

In terms of big achievements, he reels off a list: “Quality First, an annual workforce survey, study tours for providers, the Managers Conference, the publication 'Creative Homes' plus Care Home Open Day as well as a big highlight which was encouraging all the national provider bodies to get together as the Care Provider Alliance.”

His most enjoyable time in his career was when he was a care home manager as “despite the need for constant juggling, there was immediate feedback that you could make a difference to people's lives”.

'Real commitment'

The care sector speaks warmly of Mr Kelly, with chairman of the NCF, David Coull, describing Mr Kelly as the “calm voice of reason”, and Care England’s Martin Green saying: “Whether as a practitioner, manager, advocate or commentator, Des has shown a real commitment to ensuring that care services are centred on the people who use them and their families and friends”.

Sylvie Silver, executive director of the National Activity Providers Association, is also full of praise for him saying: “Des has made an immeasurable contribution to the social care sector. His ability to get to the heart of an issue and bring people together to find a resolution is a skill that few have.”

Since stepping down from the NCF, Mr Kelly has taken on a non-executive position as chair of the Centre for Policy on Ageing. He is also on the board of Skills for Care and the Residential Forum and is currently involved in supporting a care provider board on strategy and engaged in a project to develop resources using art to improve the quality of care.

In terms of recent developments in the sector, Mr Kelly is fully in support of the CQC’s inspection ratings system, saying: “I think quality ratings have the potential to drive quality improvement and to be a great benefit for the residents and their families, public and commissioners. However we won't have a good understanding of the best way to develop the ratings and make them effective until all services have been rated at least once.”

He calls the National Living Wage which was introduced in April this year a “positive development for the sector” but adds that “without adequate funding it will result in providers exiting from the care sector”.

Social care has 'power to transform lives'

Mr Kelly is a strong advocate of social care believing it has the “power to transform lives in fundamental ways”.

He says: “There needs to be far greater public understanding of what social care services (and social care workers) do - 24 hours a day 365 days of the year.

He would also like to see the “essential relationship between social care and health services” being “made known to the public”.

“Only when there is a more informed public will we begin to tackle the undervalued status and challenge perceptions of the role of social care workers as low skilled with low reward.”

“Social care is a vital professional task and deserves to be recognised as such.”