Care homes, COVID-19 and legal liability

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (9) ◽  
pp. 1-3 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Finch
Keyword(s):  
Social Care ◽  
Legal Liability ◽  
Care Homes ◽  
Duty Of Care ◽  
Legal Action ◽  
The Uk

The UK response to the pandemic has been characterised by a focus on the NHS, to the detriment of the adult social care sector. Official guidance has often been muddled and opaque, and legal action regarding duty of care and equipment provision may be on the horizion. John Finch explains

The experiences of Indian migrant care home staff working with people with dementia: a pilot study exploring cultural perspectives

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brandon Ow Yong ◽  
Jill Manthorpe
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Care Home ◽  
Care Homes ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Content Type ◽  
People With Dementia ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Uk

Purpose – Little is known about migrant Indian care workers working in long-term care facilities for people with dementia in England and the purpose of this paper is to remedy this lack of information in the light of political interest in immigration to the UK and continued staff shortages in parts of the social care sector. Design/methodology/approach – This pilot study investigated the experiences of workplace acculturation among 12 migrant Indian care workers who were employed in English care homes. Qualitative face-to-face interviews were conducted in 2013. Analysis of the interviews was conducted using principles of interpretative phenomenological analysis. Findings – Following analysis five themes emerged along an acculturation timeline. First, during the first six months of their employment, the migrant care workers recalled feeling vulnerable, seemingly marked by a sense of insecurity and an overwhelming state of cognitive burden within an unfamiliar cultural context. Second, simultaneously, the migrants felt perturbed about their new role as direct care workers. Third, few had been able to draw on their networks of friends and relatives to build up knowledge of their new work environments before starting care home employment. Fourth, two years into the work, although they reported feeling better adapted, psychological and socio-cultural adjustments were still thought to be needed. Fifth, most participants retained their ambition to be recognised as a qualified nurse in the UK and to pursue a nursing career outside the social care sector. Research limitations/implications – This is a pilot study in which 12 migrant Indian care home workers were interviewed. Further interviews might provide a greater range of views and experiences. The care homes that participated in this research were in the London region where staff shortages are common in dementia services such as care homes. Practical implications – The findings suggest a need for employers and human resource managers to respond to the specific needs of Indian and other migrants working with older people who are resident in care homes. Such responses should reflect the timeline of their acculturation and employers need also to acknowledge and address aspirations to move on to NHS work. Originality/value – This study is unique to the best of the authors’ knowledge in addressing Indian care workers specifically as a substantial part of the migrant care workforce in the UK. It offers information about their perceptions and suggests practical human response and managerial initiatives.

scholarly journals Working, living and dying in COVID times: perspectives from frontline adult social care workers in the UK

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Briggs ◽  
Luke Telford ◽  
Anthony Lloyd ◽  
Anthony Ellis
Keyword(s):  
Living Arrangements ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Care Home ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Care Homes ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
The Uk

Purpose This paper aims to explore 15 UK adult social care workers’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach This paper’s 15 open-ended interviews with adult social care workers are complemented by digital ethnography in COVID-19 social media forums. This data set is taken from a global mixed-methods study, involving over 2,000 participants from 59 different countries. Findings Workers reported a lack of planning, guidance and basic provisions including personal protective equipment. Work intensification brought stress, workload pressure and mental health problems. Family difficulties and challenges of living through the pandemic, often related to government restrictions, intensified these working conditions with precarious living arrangements. The workers also relayed a myriad of challenges for their residents in which, the circumstances appear to have exacerbated dementia and general health problems including dehydration, delirium and loneliness. Whilst COVID-19 was seen as partially responsible for resident deaths, the sudden disruptions to daily life and prohibitions on family visits were identified as additional contributing factors in rapid and sudden decline. Research limitations/implications Whilst the paper’s sample cohort is small, given the significance of COVID-19 at this present time the findings shed important light on the care home experience as well as act as a baseline for future study. Social implications Care homes bore the brunt of illness and death during the first and second COVID-19 waves in the UK, and many of the problems identified here have still yet to be actioned by the government. As people approach the summer months, an urgent review is required of what happened in care homes and this paper could act as some part of that evidence gathering. Originality/value This paper offers revealing insights from frontline care home workers and thus provides an empirical snapshot during this unique phase in recent history. It also builds upon the preliminary/emerging qualitative research evidence on how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted care homes, care workers and the residents.

Delirium in care homes

2009 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 309-316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Najma Siddiqi ◽  
Andrew Clegg ◽  
John Young
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Care Homes ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
Risk Patients ◽  
Conducting Research ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Median Point

SummaryDelirium is a distressing but preventable condition associated with increased morbidity and mortality, and significant financial costs. Most research on delirium has focused on high-risk patients in hospitals. Another group also at high risk are residents in care homes for older people. This report reviews the literature on the occurrence, aetiology, outcomes, prevention and treatment of delirium in long-term care. Delirium appears to be common in this setting, with a median point prevalence estimate of 14.2% in studies comparable to the UK. However, there is a paucity of high-quality studies, likely to reflect the difficulty in conducting research in this population and the particular challenges of investigating delirium. Addressing delirium successfully in care homes presents an opportunity to improve care standards and to reduce inequalities in health and social care. Well-designed prospective cohort studies and robust evaluations of interventions to prevent and treat delirium are needed.

scholarly journals Psychosocial impact on frontline health and social care professionals in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative interview study

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. e047353
Author(s):  
Henry Aughterson ◽  
Alison R McKinlay ◽  
Daisy Fancourt ◽  
Alexandra Burton
Keyword(s):  
Personal Growth ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Work Conditions ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Qualitative Interview Study ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
Communication Challenges ◽  
The Uk

ObjectivesTo explore the psychosocial well-being of health and social care professionals working during the COVID-19 pandemic.DesignThis was a qualitative study deploying in-depth, individual interviews, which were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was used for coding.ParticipantsThis study involved 25 participants from a range of frontline professions in health and social care.SettingInterviews were conducted over the phone or video call, depending on participant preference.ResultsFrom the analysis, we identified 5 overarching themes: communication challenges, work-related stressors, support structures, personal growth and individual resilience. The participants expressed difficulties such as communication challenges and changing work conditions, but also positive factors such as increased team unity at work, and a greater reflection on what matters in life.ConclusionsThis study provides evidence on the support needs of health and social care professionals amid continued and future disruptions caused by the pandemic. It also elucidates some of the successful strategies (such as mindfulness, hobbies, restricting news intake, virtual socialising activities) deployed by health and social care professionals that can support their resilience and well-being and be used to guide future interventions.

scholarly journals The value of psychiatrists in leadership and management

2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 263-268 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Perry ◽  
Fiona L. Mason
Keyword(s):  
Social Care ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Management Styles ◽  
Leadership And Management ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Medical Leadership ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Organisational Level

SummaryThe health and social care landscape in the UK is changing, and there is now, more than ever, a real need for doctors to embrace leadership and management. Evidence shows that medical leadership is associated with better outcomes for patients. Psychiatrists are particularly well suited to such roles, given the interpersonal skills and self-awareness that they develop in their training. In this article, we examine the role of the psychiatrist in leading at a patient, team and organisational level and the impact this has. We also discuss different leadership and management styles.

Theorising anti-racism in health and social care

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esme Choonara
Keyword(s):  
White Supremacy ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Black Lives Matter ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
The Us ◽  
Per Se ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Different Levels

The emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020 in the context of a COVID-19 pandemic that was already disproportionally impacting on the lives of people from black, Asian and other minority ethnicities in the UK and the US has provoked scrutiny of how racism impacts on all areas of our lives. This article will examine some competing theories of racism, and ask what theoretical tools we need to successfully confront racism in health and social care. In particular, it will scrutinise the different levels at which racism operates – individual, institutional and structural – and ask how these are related. Furthermore, it will argue against theories that see racism as a product of whiteness per se or ‘white supremacy’, insisting instead that racism should be understood as firmly bound to the functioning and perpetuation of capitalism.

scholarly journals Day services and home care for adults with learning disabilities across the UK

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Hatton
Keyword(s):  
Learning Disabilities ◽  
Northern Ireland ◽  
Home Care ◽  
Service Use ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Adults With Learning Disabilities ◽  
Day Services ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Over Time

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to compare data from national social care statistics on day services and home care for people with learning disabilities across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Design/methodology/approach National social care statistics (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) reporting the number of adults with learning disabilities accessing day services and home care were reviewed, with data extracted on trends over time and rate of service use. Findings Regarding day services, despite some variations in definitions, the number of adults with learning disabilities in England, Scotland and Wales (but not Northern Ireland) using building-based day services decreased over time. Data from Scotland also indicate that adults with learning disabilities are spending less time in building-based day services, with alternative day opportunities not wholly compensating for the reduction in building-based day services. Regarding home care, there are broadly similar rates of usage across the four parts of the UK, with the number of adults with learning disabilities using home care now staying static or decreasing. Social implications Similar policy ambitions across the four parts of the UK have resulted (with the exception of Northern Ireland) in similar trends in access to day services and home care. Originality/value This paper is a first attempt to compare national social care statistics concerning day services and home care for adults with learning disabilities across the UK. With increasing divergence of health and social service systems, further comparative analyses of services for people with learning disabilities are needed.

scholarly journals Psychometric properties and feasibility of use of dementia specific quality of life instruments for use in care settings: a systematic review

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura J. Hughes ◽  
Nicolas Farina ◽  
Thomas E. Page ◽  
Naji Tabet ◽  
Sube Banerjee
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Psychometric Properties ◽  
Care Home ◽  
Care Homes ◽  
Cosmin Checklist ◽  
Many Instruments ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Quality Instruments

ABSTRACTBackground:Over 400,000 people live in care home settings in the UK. One way of understanding and improving the quality of care provided is by measuring and understanding the quality of life (QoL) of those living in care homes. This review aimed to identify and examine the psychometric properties including feasibility of use of dementia-specific QoL measures developed or validated for use in care settings.Design:Systematic review.Methods:Instruments were identified using four electronic databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and CINAHL) and lateral search techniques. Searches were conducted in January 2017. Studies which reported on the development and/or validation of dementia specific QoL instruments for use in care settings written in English were eligible for inclusion. The methodological quality of the studies was assessed using the COSMIN checklist. Feasibility was assessed using a checklist developed specifically for the review.Results:Six hundred and sixteen articles were identified in the initial search. After de-duplication, screening and further lateral searches were performed, 25 studies reporting on 9 dementia-specific QoL instruments for use in care home settings were included in the review. Limited evidence was available on the psychometric properties of many instruments identified. Higher-quality instruments were not easily accessible or had low feasibility of use.Conclusions:Few high-quality instruments of QoL validated for use in care home settings are readily or freely available. This review highlights the need to develop a well-validated measure of QoL for use within care homes that is also feasible and accessible.

scholarly journals Optimisation of dementia care in care homes: Dementia care framework (innovative practice)

Dementia ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 1316-1324
Author(s):  
Claire Royston ◽  
Gary Mitchell ◽  
Colin Sheeran ◽  
Joanne Strain ◽  
Sue Goldsmith
Keyword(s):  
Care Home ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Dementia Care ◽  
Care Homes ◽  
Spiritual Needs ◽  
Four Seasons ◽  
Care Partners ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Robust Evidence

There are an increasing number of people living with dementia in care home settings. Recent reports suggest that people who deliver care to residents living with dementia in care homes require specialist support to provide optimum care. To address this need Four Seasons Health Care, the largest provider of care homes within the UK today, sought to design a dementia care framework that enhanced the quality of life for people living with dementia in their care homes. The framework was designed using a robust evidence base, engagement with people living with dementia, their care partners, policy-writers, multidisciplinary professionals and people within the organisation. This paper describes the methodology behind the dementia care framework and outcomes data from the first phase (of 20 care homes that included the care of 451 people living with dementia). The main outcome was a significant improvement in the quality of the lives of residents across biological, psychological, social and spiritual needs.

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