Strong leaders and well-trained staff vital for care home improvement, says CQC

The recruitment and retention of capable and quality staff is vital to improving failing care homes, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has found.

In its 'Driving Improvement' report, the CQC found care homes can get back on track by appointing strong leaders, accepting that problems exist and developing a well-trained workforce that is valued and well-supported.

Andrea Sutcliffe, CQC’s chief inspector of adult social care, said: “Key lessons we have seen from the Driving Improvement case studies include understanding and accepting that problems exist; creating a clear vision to improve and putting that into action; appointing strong leaders who can establish an open and transparent culture where improvement can truly thrive; and focusing on developing a workforce that is valued, well trained and supported to deliver safe, effective person-centred care.

'Improvement isn't easy'

“But we’re not saying that improvement is easy. Pressure on resources, increasing demands and workforce shortages mean these are challenging times for adult social care. Providers and their staff have a responsibility to deliver good care – but commissioners, funders and national bodies and the health and care system as a whole has a responsibility to work together to help create the environment that makes this possible.”

Across the country, the CQC has seen over 80 per cent of adult social care services improve their 'inadequate' rating to either 'good' or 'outstanding'.

This includes nine case studies reported in the Driving Improvement, in areas including: County Durham, Staffordshire, Shropshire and Hampshire.

Minister for Care, Caroline Dinenage, says despite the challenges facing the sector, many social care providers are doing an "incredible job" and those who have turned around their rating, including the nine case studies, should be "especially proud".

The CQC will be sharing the report findings with the wider sector to help more care providers improve their rating.

More investment

Glen Garrod, president of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, said: “These insights into the lives of people receiving support provide exceptional examples of transforming lives – which is what social care can achieve. It will come as no surprise to anyone working in social care that the teams who have been most able to retain and recruit high-quality staff have seen such brilliant results, which is why it’s essential that the upcoming Green Paper for social care delivers a sustainable financial base to deliver great social care for more people, enabling them to retain their place in society and continue to contribute."

Professor Martin Green, chief executive of Care England, added: "Providers need the long term stability to sustain the quality of care that they strive to provide. CQC’s report demonstrates that change and innovation are evident throughout the sector. This needs to be both celebrated and replicated; however this is a major challenge given the confines of a poorly resourced sector. It is clear that we need to be able to invest more training and resources in our staff who are our biggest and most valuable resource."

The CQC interviewed nine adult social care services that had achieved a significant improvement on their rating.

They spoke to a range of people at each service. This included people who use services and their families, registered managers, providers and owners, care staff, administrative and other staff, commissioners and social workers.

For more information on CQC’s Driving Improvement report, visit: http://www.cqc.org.uk/DrivingImprovementASC