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East MidlandsYou are in: Inside Out > East Midlands > Care Homes - Fact File  Caring role - a care assistant. Care Homes - Fact FileCare homes for the elderly perform an essential service for people who can no longer live independently. Find out how care homes are run and how the system is policed. Read one care assistant's experience of working in this challenging environment. My time as a carer'Tony' tells his story..."They're some of the lowest paid workers in the country, working very unsociable hours and helping the most vulnerable people in society. "Yet during my three month stint as a care assistant I found carers at Moorlands Nursing Home to be some of the most patient, loving and warm people you could imagine. "How else could you describe someone who, upon finishing a gruelling nine-hour shift dealing with incident after incident, changing untold numbers of incontinence pads, cleaning up faeces and urine for as little as £5.50 an hour, can still have time to offer a smile and a hug to a resident? "It's a thankless task." A tough job"I often witnessed carers being abused both verbally and physically by residents with dementia. "It's a testimony to their professionalism that I never once witnessed anyone taking this personally.  Caring for those in most need. "Why, you may ask, do they do this work? "'It beats stacking shelves at Tesco any day,' was a common response by carers. "It's astonishing that these people, who have such an important and responsible job to do, are paid the same as someone stacking cans of beans in a supermarket. "But to the carers I met at Moorlands, making money has nothing to do with it. "That's why they do what they do for as little as £11,500 a year." Fact file1. Policing the systemIn April 2004 the National Care Standards Commission transferred to a new regulator, the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI). The Care Standards Act 2000 remained the governing legal framework and was incorporated into new legislation - the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003. 2. NMC registration and inspectionFor the first time registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is not a requirement of employment as a nurse inspector. Effectively nursing homes can be inspected by non-nurses or by nurses who are no longer registered with their professional body. Care homesNumber of homes in East Midlands - 1,611 registered care homes. It is estimated that £5.9 billion was spent by private individuals on personal social care for older people in England in the year 2006-2007 (CSCI State of Social Care in England). Around half of the expenditure on personal social care for older people comes from private contributions. The population is ageing and the number of people requiring care is increasing. Today there are more people aged over 65 than there are aged under 16. By 2035 a quarter of the population will be over 65-years-old. Research by the Local Government Association shows that the cost of contracts between councils and private care home providers are outstripping inflation. The average increases are 4.2% for nursing and residential care and 4% for home-care. CSCI maintains this enables inspectors to have a wide range of skills. Registration with the NMC endeavours to ensure registered nurses are competent practitioners. This means that standards of nursing (in nursing homes) are routinely inspected by non-nurses. From April 2005 inspection reports were substantially reduced in length and in style. The Commission for Social Care Inspection, CSCI, is the single inspectorate and regulator of social care in England. The Commission's primary function is to promote improvements in social care for the benefit of the people who use the care service. It has a statutory duty to report on the performance of social care services by way of an annual report. CSCI regulate 14,000 residential care homes and 4,000 nursing homes totalling 441,335 places. In the past 10 years the dependency of older people in care homes has increased significantly. A recent survey found that 72% of care home residents were immobile or reliant on assistance, 62% were confused and forgetful and 24% were confused, immobile and incontinent. Only 4% of the older people live in care homes yet, 23% of reports to the Action on Elder Abuse helpline concern care homes. Action on Elder Abuse state: "This is a disproportionate figure, made starker by the reality that callers need to be able to access a telephone in private - something that is not always easy in a care home. "They may also have few visitors who can take action on their behalf… The incidence of physical abuse is greater in hospitals (26%) and care homes (25%) than it is at home (18%) or in sheltered housing (10%)." On the other hand this may demonstrate that people visiting and working in care homes are paying attention and reporting what they see. It may also mean that concerns are more visible in a care home environment than elsewhere. Three years after the National Minimum Standards (NMS) were introduced 21% of care homes are failing to meet the minimum standards required of them. A few statistics in the East Midlands...How much councils in East Midlands will pay for care (per week): Derby£395 - £494 (nursing) Derbyshire£390.50 - £498.30 (nursing) Leicester City£ - £487 (nursing) Leicestershire£383 - £478 (nursing) Lincolnshire£434 - £533 (nursing) Northamptonshire£346.08 - £483.78 (nursing) Nottingham City£363.35 - £462.36 (nursing) Nottinghamshire£377 - £429 (nursing) Rutland£437.30 - £533 (nursing) last updated: 02/05/2008 at 12:04 SEE ALSOYou are in: Inside Out > East Midlands > Care Homes - Fact File |
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