Charity chiefs 'shocked' as one in five dementia care homes rated 'substandard' in England

The Alzheimer’s Society and Age UK have said it is 'unacceptable' that out of 7,589 care homes registered in England with a dementia specialism, 153 are rated as ‘inadequate’ and 1,483 as ‘requires improvement'.

Analysis by the Guardian shows that 1,636 care homes are failing patients diagnosed with dementia across the country.

Since October, the number of care homes with a dementia specialism in England rated ‘inadequate’ by the CQC has increased, from 143 to 153, and care homes classed as ‘requires improvement’ rose from 1,456 to 1,483.

The Alzheimer’s Society has said it is “unacceptable” to hear that one in five care homes specialising in dementia are delivering “substandard care.”

Zoe Campbell, director of operations at Alzheimer’s Society said: “Every person with dementia deserves to live in a safe, secure place and to be treated with compassion and respect.

“We’ve been shocked before by instances of inadequate dementia care in homes. It’s unacceptable that some homes are failing to meet the standards people with dementia require – especially given the catastrophic impact of coronavirus. “New care staff recruitment and providing training in dementia care must be prioritised in the government’s social care reform plans. Urgent improvements must be made to ensure people with dementia get the support and care they need and deserve.”

'Staff could not always learn about the help people needed'

In October, the CQC rated a dementia care home in Blackpool inadequate after an inspection found a series of serious failings.

Records did not consistently reflect the help people needed or were not always accessible so staff could not always learn about the help people needed.

It was also reported that the CQC spoke with two agency staff members who told them: ‘They did not know if people needed help to eat as they could not access the electronic system. They had not been informed of the help people needed. This placed people at risk of avoidable harm.’

Hygiene was also found to be an issue, with urine marks and other stains on the bedding.

'There’s a risk of some people becoming malnourished and dehydrated'

Age UK said it is “so sad” as a “result of underinvesting” in care and failing to nurture the care workforce. As a result, society is leaving too many older people in “suboptimal settings where some just fade away”.

Caroline Abrahams, the charity director at Age UK, said: “Hundreds of thousands of older people with advanced dementia live in care homes, and while each and every one of them deserves excellent personalised and compassionate care, we know only some actually get it.

“The pandemic has made the situation worse, but the biggest problem of all is the growing staffing crisis in social care. It’s frankly impossible to provide the kind and intensive support that many of these older people need if there aren’t enough staff to go round, or if there’s a lot of churn and consequent reliance on agency workers to plug gaps.

“Without one-to-one help with eating and drinking, for example, there’s a risk of some older people becoming malnourished and dehydrated, jeopardising their underlying health as well as their happiness and wellbeing."

The report also stated there are 5,413 rated ‘good’ and 307 ‘outstanding.’ A further 232 had no rating.