Does anyone else think the lines between the NHS and " Social Care " are being blurred during this Corona Virus Pandemic ?? I personally think it is, and I think the reason behind it is a deliberate pushing of the Social Care Sector to the NHS.
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Agreed, but I wonder if the staff at care homes (some where I pray daily never to inhabit) were NHS nurses and doctors, would the shocking death rates in them be as high?
To the best of my knowledge, care home staff are minimally trained - they can't cope with serious illness and usually send the seriously ill to an NHS hospital. If the care homes were better equipped and the staffers better trained, would we see a better outcome for the residents?
Hi Sunnie
My mother was in a care home for 6 years, she had help showering and towards the end dressing, she became more medical ill and had spent a few weeks in hospital, the care home informed us that she now needed a nursing home where registered nursing staff were on hand staff there were completely efficient and more in line with a hospital. As you say Sunnie staff in care homes have only minimal training with maybe 1-2 medical trained with a watching brief issuing out drugs and when doctors need to be called. I think we were very lucky to have found 2 amazing care homes when you hear of some really terrible experiences in some places.
Hope your keeping well great news from your cardio team you have done so well, weather here is great hope yours is too.
Stay safe best wishes Pauline
My Grans were at home with us until they died, care homes where we lived were so dreadful and nursing homes nearly as bad. Both ladies just needed to live on the ground floor and only needed minimal 'care' from us beyond patience when their walking and movements slowed. The only reason, though, the ladies were able to stay with us was owing to someone being home all day, that's not an option these days for most families.
Good care homes are hard to find and I'm so glad to read yours was able to find not one but two for your mum. The decision to use care homes is so difficult for families and the potential resident but it's helped considerably when the facility is a good one.
Not sure what you mean by lines between. The NHS and Social care are not related? Social care is the responsibility of local government and looks after a vast range of care from children to elderly. Care homes if run by local government or privately owned are controlled by local governments. Therefore if a GP or nurse is required they pretty much go thru the process as you or I would. Regarding sunnydays reply my wife will be going ballistic at this regarding training of staff. Yes they are not medically trained (and not required) but the training is required in how to care for elderly with needs for care. I think many people confuse the difference between a care home and a nursing home. Not the same
My friends wife is a Nursing Home manager and she was a Sister in the NHS so she is well trained. She manages a Private Nursing Home and not a Care Home. See how easy it is to blur the lines, most members of the public don't understand the difference. Everything currently is reported as Care Homes not Nursing Homes. I don't know the ratio of Care v Nursing but interesting to see the difference when this is over.
The BBC report just said a couple of minutes ago. Care Home managers don't know who to turn to for Help. Easy Their Boss the Council or the Owners. Not Matt Hancock like the BBC would like to make out .
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oh and the NVQ required as part of the Care Home Staffs Qualification is pretty Basic. Otherwise costs to operate a Care Home would go through the Roof.
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I'm sorry, Gilreid, I didn't mean to suggest training in care homes is insufficient, please pass my apology to your wife as I do understand the training of staff is geriatric needs focussed.
It is not, however, the level of care provided, as you point out, in a nursing home. My point was badly expressed - I should have noted it's my feeling all care home staff should have the same level of training and provided care as a nursing home.
Again, I am sorry for my poor wording.
If only this was possible that would be utopia. But modern days don’t allow because everyone expects more and financially not possible.
Thanks for your kind words
Stay safe 😘
A difficult one as we have Nursing homes, Care homes but let's not forget there are also Supported but independent living schemes. There is a vast amount of differences and often people confuse supported living to care. Stay safe all.
Many homes are dual registered that is to say nursing care is available if required and fees may reflect the level of care required. In a care home, not a nursing home, District nurses may supervise as they would in your own home and nursing care needed.
Years ago the District nurse headed a team that provided both health and social care and now the two are more divided unless patoent really poorly. Even so "social care" in most cases is not free at the point of delivery.
Of course we pay indirectly for nursing care in tbe community but it is difficult for some people to grasp that they don't pay to see a highly trained District nurse but that there are fees for the sort of care that could be provided by a family member.
This is the criteria for whether someone needs a nursing home or a residential care home. If the care could be provided by a family member once they have been shown how, then the theory is that a care home should be able to provide the care needed
Here in the States there is a 3 step tier in many facilities. 1st Independent Living (small apartment for single or couple. Meals provided as a option, nurse on staff, transpiration and social activities), 2nd Assisted Care ( share a room with another person, aide assistance to dress, bath and help person. More staff and more nurse to patient ratio. Doctor on call as needed) All meals provided in common dining room with 1st Step residents. 3rd Nursing Home. This is where the neglect comes to the fore. Nursing Home patients require daily if not hourly attention. Patients are not able to take care of themselves and there aren’t enough qualified or trained staff who will attend to them properly. Staff is like a revolving door. Untrained and many times cruel and uncaring and untrained staff are hired, without background checks or knowledge of what’s expected of them. Patience can sit in their own feces and urine for days. Bathing is a weekly event and then it is very difficult to perform for both the patient and staff. Malnutrition and dehydration are common maladies. I’ve seen theses e levels of care when my mother-in-law went through the 2 Steps. In the last phase the family took turns visiting mom. Many days it appeared as though she was drugged but staff insisted she wasn’t given any medication. She had Hearing loss and then progressive dementia. In the last stage she couldn’t get out of bed and that went on for 6 months. We kept her clean and did the best we could, but the majority of patients had no one come to visit. The only time we saw interaction between patients and family were on Holidays. It a very difficult situation. It’s overwhelming to say thel least. Most of the Nursing Home population are loved ones that have multiple health issues, one spouse has already passed, the family doesn’t have the skills or the time to take care of them so the alternative is the dreaded Nursing Home. My mother in law lived to be 104-15 years going from Step 1 2 3. The last step was the worse, and she was in one of the best facilities in the Country. Our population is living longer and most physicians and nurses prefer treating those where they feel they can make a difference. I got to know the Nursing Staff at my mil home and they said the major cause of death was pneumonia - they casually said it was God’s way of calling you home.
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State of the NHS
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Social Distancing for people over 70 or with serious health issues
