Failing care homes-a cash cow or a human tragedy? ?

I can't imagine wanting to run a care home at all in today's rule bound environment and I certainly wouldn't be expecting to make my fortune from one! The CQC impose a huge administrative burden on the establishments that they monitor, much of which seems to be box ticking rather than relating to actual care, kindness and empathy. The amount paid to homes for funded residents is woefully inadequate and it is no wonder that so many go out of business.

My mother was in a wonderful care home. It was run as a charity and any profits were ploughed back into the facilities. It was beautiful and extremely person centred. The food was great, there were choices of sitting rooms ad activities and excellent nursing care when that became necessary.
Sadly, it was so good that it closed! The building and grounds were sold off and now there is a large estate of expensive houses there.
Drat. I'd have admitted myself there in a heartbeat. Goodness knows what will happen to us now.

My parents ended their lives in a care home which was very good, but it cost them most of their lifelong savings and their house.
I do believe many people open care homes with the intention of making an easy profit; with more stringent regulations the profit is reduced which is why so many homes are closing.

The people/companies who run these operations are business people with very little knowledge of health care; their aim is always profit. They are also moving into nursery/child care, and Academies. Some are more unscrupulous about how they operate than others, but the result is always the same; if they don't make sufficient money for their investors and board of directors, they go.

We do need some form of National Insurance specifically for old age, and the sooner it starts and we all contribute, the better.

One of our local care homes had a ‘dawn raid’ by the CQC. Thank goodness they exist - night staff in the middle of the night were falsely filling in drug charts ( amongst other things) claiming that medicines had been given when they had not. They said that it saved time when they did actually dispense the medicines later. It’s easy to mock regulation and enforcement but I’ve been involved in this type of inspection work and compliance varies enormously and some residents are put at real risk. Regulation is needed even though many care homes will be professionally run - it’s just like regulation of doctors, lawyers, paramedics etc - most don’t need it but the system and the patients/clients/relatives deserve it

My 100 year old mum was in a care home. Not high quality as far a luxury goes but the care by mostly local staff was good. My sister visited her daily and rarely needed to complain. Unfortunately the owner and the council were in dispute and the council decided to close the home. That meant that approx 40 elderly and very elderly patients had to be found homes in other places. My mum had been there for 4 years, and at 100 years old it was too big a change and from being physically able she was dead in approx 3 weeks after the move. There were over 10 residents who moved to different homes died within a very short time of being moved because a council and an owner couldn't come to an aggreement over payments. It goes on across the country all the time.

I fear there are too many care homes, dragonfly46, in the area I live in. This means that every care home has advertisements for staff, many are staffed by agency workers who 'come and go' without getting to know the residents well, and generally they are all budgeting to save as much money as possible and putting up fees. I cannot see how this can be resolved without local authorities refusing the grant planning applications for more and more homes.

Unfortunately until people have experienced loved ones in the so called care system, they have no idea of the problems.
Therefore it isn't a vote grabber and isn't addressed.

Jane10 my mother's care home was like that. [sad}

I am lucky that I can still be in my own home. I have a home help an hour or two daily and in emergency I only have to phone her and she is immediately available.
After a spell in hospital last year the NHS sent me to a care home for “rehabilitation”. The sheets on the plastic covered bed were thin and grey and didn’t cover it. When I was in severe pain they didn’t answer my bell for half an hour and then said I must wait an hour for the medication trolley. I had been prescribed morphine by the hospital but the care home only gave me paracetamol. One day I was not washed and spent the day in my nightgown. The one armchair was dirty and shabby and un comfortable.
The paying “guests” were well looked after.
I did complain and apparently there have been many more complaints by NHS patients but they are still sending people there.

I think in answer to your question Maw, no they should not be allowed to open a new home if they have run a home which has failed. In the same way an animal owner who has not treated his animal in an acceptable manner should not be allowed to keep animals. I would have thought the CQC would be hot on this. I also do not believe everything I read in newspapers, especially the Telegraph which I used to love but no more.

my great aunt was in a care home. excuse my swearing bloody hell .what a cash cow ,over a £1.000 A WEEK FOR JUNK FOOD MEALS. NO TV/RADIO IN BEDROOMS. TV was on all ,expected to watch it and keep quiet. luckily my great aunt was outspoken ,she wouldnt have her breakfast in bed ,then soon as she washed herself was off down the road to the shops. then back for lunch and do the crossword in the newspaper. then afternoons were spent reading or writing poetry .or another trip to the shops.(with trolley) she certainly was active,.she lived till 96 ,till the chest of drawers in her room fell on top of her had broken hip. sadly she was taken into hosp and died from her injuries.nurses not much help she was scared and confused.....but the care home had already helped themselves to her possessions ,so when we went back to collect them ,we was for calling the police, but the owner kind of bribed us not too. then said we owed the home money..after all that got auntie buried and informed social services of what was going on...avoid clifton house coulsdon surrey...................

GillT57 How right you are! Home owners have a choice of struggling with inadequate funding from councils or, overcharging privately funded residents to make up the shortfall. That is not a criticism of the councils either. They too are inadequately funded. None of the political parties seem able to bite the bullet and raise taxes to pay for what we all expect. They know perfectly well that, if they did, they would either not stay in power for long or, never get into power in the first place.
It is quite another subject for discussion on who should pay the extra taxes.

My MIL was in a home for nearly 6 years until she died in February. The majority of the staff were very caring mainly the most underpaid health care workers although the medical staff were mostly ok. The private owners of the house were a different story, definitely cash cows! They would bleed money from the patients and/or their next of kin always wanting money for ‘something or another’ and don’t get me started on the ‘room rates’. I have had many a heated argument with the female owner she once accused me of not supplying ‘pocket money’ for months and I told her in no uncertain terms I had and insisted we go to her office for her to prove otherwise. Red faced she found it in a drawer where the matron had left it forgetting to endorse the paperwork this had been paid. My MIL could not read, write or speak due to strokes and dementia so apart from having her hair cut and blow dried once every couple of months I never knew where this money actually went. Unfortunately you don’t want to rock the boat too much in case it has an adverse effect on your loved one. I have threatened my DC if they ever put me in THAT home I will haunt them forever!!

I've just been to visit a 90-year-old friend in a so-called upmarket care home (part of a big group). She has a lovely room with a private bathroom, but the care is abysmal. Not enough staff, too many agency carers who don't get to know the 'clients' and a very lackadaisical attitude by the senior management. For that privilege, she pays £700 a week, which is well on par with your £100 a night hotel without the benefits!

I live in France where my husband has had to go into a are home as he has Parkinson's disease, vascular dementia and cancer. The staff are caring and friendly. He is unhappy and hates it, but with his increasing falls, aggression and difficult personality I had no choice. It costs me over 3,000 euros a month and there is no state funding for us as we are British. The French have, to my mind, the best idea. All their working lives they pay 'cotisations' from their salary which goes towards their pension (TWICE what ours is !) their health care and their long term old age care. Brilliant idea ! There are schemes available for those that cannot pay but they are not easy to access (I have a friend who has a brother who needs care and the state keep putting off his assessessmenT as he has no money) The French are not happy with the amount taken off them every month but, for instance, my neighbour's mother is in care, at a home costing the same amount as my husband's and she pays 1,200 euros a month, and her family has to contribute around 200 extra. So although the French (Gilet Jaun) are mounting continuing pressure about their wages etc they don't know how much better off they are and will be, than us and those in the UK. Difficult but needs must ...maybe if we stop paying the MPs or whoever (Lords ?) who want to take away the few perks UK pensioners do have, their 350 pounds a day, more could be provided for those that need it ! grrrr

In the UK if you do not have the money your care is paid for. You only pay if you have money in the bank. My mum pays £1000 a week but she does have an ensuite room and she is doubly incontinent so needs a lot of personal care. She showers every day and has her hair done every week.

My friend was in a Quaker run home for about 3 weeks before he died and that seemed okay. You could visit or go out at any time- he had a private room with en suite, his own key and we arrived back past midnight one time we went out and they didn't mind . Friends/relatives could join in for lunch as a guest, all the staff, that I had contact with, were friendly and helpful and it was actually a bit cheaper too than the private ones as it was a charity.

I read recently that care managers/owners running care homes that have to be closed because of poor care and poor standards are able to open another one - there is no ban imposed on them even if they have been prosecuted. I don't think there is any register for care assistants, they can't be struck off as nurses can be.

In my job before retiring I had involvement with care homes since community care was introduced in early 90s along with all the self funding models in the 20s. I always considered nursing homes to be warehouses for an elderly people. Nothing homely about them. How can an organisation consider the needs, lines and dislikes of 60 individuals while having to make a profit unless charging extortionate fees. The majority of staff are care assistants, not qualified nursing staff sometimes only one.qualufied worker required to be on shift. Care commission is useless and takes so long to take any action if at all.

Violette. In France all the family pay for their relation's care home, either through the sale of the person's home, (if they are the only one but the money will be reclaimed when it is sold ) and their assets or it is taken out of their children's salaries if the government deem their income is sufficient.

PS We are supposed to work the Bank Holiday of Pentecost for free, to fund the care for old people which was started in 2004. It lasted for one or two years , as it caused problems, some firms closed while others worked. I believe most people nowadays take the day off.

NHS staff, carers, among others in the caring professions have to work through Bank holidays and weekends. Illness and old age do not get a day off.
But I agree of course that this should be adequately recompensed.

mokryna
I wasn't aware that a person's children have to pay in France
I wonder what the level of earnings is before you are deemed to be able to afford to pay.

I have a French friend who was a teacher in France. When her mother’s savings ran out, my friend had to pay a contribution every month. I don’t know the figures but it did impact her and she had to be much more careful,with her money. She’s single so there was no second income to help out, I felt really sorry for her - she was late 50s at the time

ninathenana I don't know but I am saving/investing as much as I can so as not to be a burden on them as I know it will fall on their shoulders.