Share your adult social care experiences with CQC - chance to win £300! NOW CLOSED!

[EmmaMumsnet]

We are working with CQC (Care Quality Commission), who through a current campaign #CareAware would like to make the public more aware of their inspection reports and ratings which can help people make informed decisions if you are choosing home care or a care home. With this aim in mind, they would like to hear your experiences of adult social care.

Here’s what CQC have to say: "Choosing care can be a real worry for people, their families and carers, wondering who or where to turn to – but CQC can help. The public needs to know about the quality of care services available and they also need to be reassured that if there are any problems, these are being identified and tackled.

That is why we publish regular inspection reports with quality ratings on more than 20,000 individual care services registered with CQC. This means that people have access to clear, independent and trusted information to help them make the right decisions for them or their loved one.

People can be confident that we find most care services in England are providing good, safe care. For those that need to do better, or are not getting any better, we take appropriate action to ensure providers either improve or stop providing care altogether.’"

Perhaps you want to share your experience of choosing a care home for yourself or a loved one – and want to share your tips with others in that position? Maybe you chose home care for yourself or for a friend, partner or relative? Or perhaps you want to tell us about your plans and conversations you are having with your family so that you or they do not have to make a rushed decision.

Whatever your experiences are, share them on the thread below and everyone who comments will be entered into a prize draw, where one lucky winner will win a £300 voucher of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck

MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs apply

The CQC is responsible for inspecting all hospitals, including private hospitals, GP practice, dentists, care homes, residential home and care provided in peoples own home in England.

Each inspection answers five key questions: Is the service safe? Is it effective? Are the staff caring and responsive to people’s needs and is the service well led?

This is going to be something that we are going to have to be thinking about probably sooner rather than later. DH's mother is in her eighties now and DH and I aren't in a position to look after ourselves due to illness health and having a young family. I can see it's going to be very stressful and unfortunately cause arguments within his family. Such a delicate situation.

And now posted to the correct thead!!!!

I think these decisions are really hard and I'm seeing it with my mum who is looking after her parents and finding it incredibly difficult. Her parents left it far too late and they could not have moved into a home as it would have been too stressful. Dementia and strokes... all the other challenges that many older people face, mean that moving later on is really hard. The cost of care and the emotional stress the upheaval meant that moving into a home wasn't something they would consider. There is only one upside to the situation they're in which is that my mum now opening is talking about what her wishes are raher than ignoring it. She hasn't really wanted to think about it but it's highlighted how hard it is if it's not discussed and agreed beforehand

I work in the care sector and all the carers I have met seem to really care.
It must be really hard to decide which care option to go with for a family member, having all the family on the same page with the direction that’s wanted is important .

The issue of care of my dad caused a massive rift in our family.

My sister - who had a rasputin-like controlling effect on my dad - first persuaded him to sell his house and move in with her in a big new house they'd buy together. So she gets this vast house, and a free baby sitter and an in-house cash point (he was generous and easily manipulated).

Anyway, once his condition really deteriorated (at which point he was no longer capable of being a baby sitter and taxi service) then we were consulted about him going into care!

There was a period where he'd be in a different home each time I travelled up there.

I remember him saying that he felt out of place. Like "look at all these other old gits, I'm not that bad". That's what prisoners say when they go inside. they all think they shouldn't be there!

My uncle, much much later, went into a very nice home, a sort of assisted living place. But he said much the same. He was sprightly, very mentally active, but physically not very mobile, but he'd look around at other members of his new community and think: I'm not one of 'them'.

Anyway, one thing I noticed about the staff sometimes. One time, I was sitting with my dad while he tried to lift a piece of cauliflower into his mouth. it was agonising as it took him ages, and sometimes the caulifower would drop off half way through the process. So he'd have to start again. Naturally, he'd go berserk if I tried to help him.

After a series of failed attempts to get that pesky cauliflower into his mouth, he puts his fork down for a rest. At that second, a staff member (a really young bloke) came over and said, in one quick movement, "Ah you've finished" and then grabbed the plate away ready to bin my dad's meal.

If I hadn't been there to stop him my dad would have starved!

I can see why old people often lose weight when they are in care. If you don't lose your appetite through sadness, you'll have your plate snatched off you unless you bolt it down like a dog.

Obviously, not all care homes are like that. But sometimes the staff do lack a bit of empathy.

We had to use a range of care options for my mother who had dementia and complex care needs. When she was first in hospital, due to requirement for beds, there was a lot of pressure for her to return home before adequate care provision was in place. We initially managed care at home for a long period with visits from carers and with us living in. This was initially paid for by NHS for 6 weeks and then privately funded. We were pleased to be able to look after her in her home environment but it did take a toll on family which was both physical and mental and also had an impact professionally and financially.

Further health deterioration meant that we had to look for care homes. CQC reports were invaluable as an added reference to visiting potential care homes and helped reassure us that the home selected could meet her needs. This experience was both stressful and guilt inducing but the combination of being reassured by the reports and speaking to carers and residents at the home was helpful. She settled well and remained there for over a year. The level of care was very good and frequent visits by our extended family meant we were able to both monitor and develop a good relationship with carers. The final stage was a hospice and the original care home was able to help with a transition that caused minimum stress and disruption for mum.

At a stressful time when emotions are raw and families are entering new territory (often with minimum knowledge, backup and support) the CQC reports provided essential information which helped inform a difficult choice.

i work inthe care sector and whilst i find the older ones have come up under the old school approach and can be a bit matronly, the people work there long term generally want to be there, you need a specific temperment to be good in care. and thars before you consider the fact most carers are lowly paid over worked, endure verbal and physical abuse from the residents and relatives alike. and management have often little regard for staff welfare. That is something that concerns me that ive observed, over the years, relatives who are abusive to staff often result inthe resident being moved as the staff cant deal anymore when surely thats just moving on the issue? yes to the post about families not providing adequate toiletries & clothes! thats a big issue my current service users family is spot on in that regard but a lot arent and then complain the relatives look shabby i wonder though if thats an assumption that the care home provides toiletries rather than cba. The biggest issue is management they need bringing into line care homes are often chronically and deliberately understaffed they should be penalised by law for this.

I have experience from both sides. I was a carer for a long time, I've seen appalling practices but when you complain it gets covered up. When CQC show up everyone is on their best behaviour. There's no way you will see what's going on unless you have a "secret carer".

My grandad was in a care home and my mum thought he was fine. Until the ambulance was called and he had to be taken to hospital for his own protection. The paramedics was horrified. Nothing happens, it gets reported, CQC come round, everyone once again is on best behaviour. It does nothing. The bad staff are still there.

AsuraGuardian sorry to pry but by own protection do u mean neglect or behavioural? sorry thst happened to him.

I think that this thread should be linked to here. There is a lot of sad reading for the CQC:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/3236246-Upset-during-my-shift-at-a-nursing-home

I lived in an adult care home (ARBD) for three months after leaving hospital and have now returned home, where I have an adult social worker checking in on me regularly. I have to say, the care staff themselves were lovely, despite the fact that they all worked twelve hour shifts on little over the minimum wage, and had to tolerate verbal abuse and occasionally physical aggression from some of the other residents. To be honest, I think I found the other residents more difficult to deal with, as ARBD is pretty much a spectrum disorder, and some were extremely volatile at times. While I was extremely glad to return home, I have remained in touch with a couple of the staff and would like to visit the home in the future, when I'm more settled. It's a physically and mentally exhausting job, with pitiful financial reward.

It is fine saying families don't provide enough toiletries and clothes.
We spent an absolute fortune on clothes and toiletries, regularly. Clothes went missing, despite being clearly labelled with sewn on name tapes. Or clothes were ruined in the laundry. Often found to be worn by other residents.
Toiletries disappeared and ran out in double quick time.
Care home fees are so expensive, residents' property should be looked after and treated with respect.
Ditto spectacles, hearing aids and dentures.
All MIL's shoes vanished. They dressed her to go out for a family Sunday lunch in a pair of plastic flip flops 3 sizes too big in winter.
She was in a highly rated dementia unit costing £900 per week.

We chose a care home for my grandma by visiting a few and seeing which one felt right for her. We were impressed by her current home because the staff seem nice, there are lots of activities for grandma to do and she goes out a few times a week doing different things (theatre, dancing, craft, coffee shops, etc). I also liked that there was an active 'residents meeting' where friends and family are asked to input into the everyday running of the home.

a very informative thread- raised many questions in my head that i had not thought of.