Task force to improve care

Whilst the vast majority of local care homes provide good standards of care, there remains a small number of care homes which continue to provide poor quality or inappropriate levels of care to their residents.

The task force will work with the care home provider and registered manager to plan and agree the required actions for improvement with clearly defined timescales.

Key targets will include ensuring the relevant care homes have in place a suitably trained and qualified registered manager and appropriately trained nursing staff for care homes with nursing.

It will be made clear to care homes that Nottinghamshire County Council and the six CCGs will not continue to place residents in those homes where the providers are not willing or able to improve their standards of care.

Councillor Muriel Weisz, Chairman of the Council’s Adult Social Care and Health Committee, said: “In recent months the council and health partners have had to terminate contracts with a small number of care home providers due to persistent poor quality care.

“We recognise that urgent action to move residents out of their home in such circumstances can be very stressful for them and their family.

“We want to work more closely with poor quality care homes at an earlier stage to help prevent the need for such measures and working with health partners to provide more focused advice and support will help address this.”

A Care Quality Commission (CQC) manager is currently seconded to Nottinghamshire County Council to share knowledge and expertise about the role of the CQC in helping to improve the quality of care services across the county.

Nottinghamshire County Council has extended this placement for a further year to help address ongoing issues with care homes in the county at its Adult Social Care and Health Committee.

Dr Cheryl Crocker, Director of Quality and Patient Safety and Executive Nurse for Nottingham North and East, Nottingham West, Rushcliffe Clinical Commissioning Groups said: “High quality and safe care are CCGs’ priority across Nottinghamshire so any measures that can help providers to achieve this are welcomed. The task force will help those homes, where there are quality concerns, to meet those standards and to maintain them.

“We are working closely with our local authority and CQC colleagues to bring about real improvements for our local population.”