How To Improve Falling Care Home Standards
The news of late has not been good for care homes, with the accusation that too many are failing to provide proper care in adequate facilities.
There are many organisations and figureheads suggesting ways in which things can be improved, and at Aedifice we provide care home property consultancy services to help significantly improve the standards of care home buildings.
In the 2013/14 report published by the CQC (Care Quality Commission) it was found that 205 care homes across the country were in need of improvements.
The shocking figures and the failings at these care homes highlighted problems within the industry which need to be addressed.
With an ageing population it’s imperative that we ensure the elderly and those in need of care are looked after properly and treated in a comforting, respectable way.
So what aspects of the the industry can be improved?
Safety
There are several facets to this point, with the safety of residents at risk in a number of ways.
The first aspect is in relation to the way that residents are vulnerable to harm from their carers. In this instance there needs to be a great deal of improvement in the training of staff and vetting of people applying to work in care homes.
The other aspect is in relation to the care homes themselves and their surroundings.
As property consultants we have plenty of experience in the refurbishment and development of health care buildings.
We know that there are lots of different factors in play which impact a build or a project, and we can help care homes to plan their work around the kind of care they will need to provide.
For example, something as simple as creating enough room for people with mobility issues can mean a huge improvement in safety.
Care
We’ve touched already on the need for staff to be trained so that they can provide adequate care.
Incidents, where residents are left in wet beds for hours on end without assistance, should not be occurring under any circumstances.
However, the care home itself needs to be up to the correct standard to allow staff to properly look after residents.
The facilities available in the care home must match the needs of the residents; things such as specially designed bathrooms and toilets need to be taken into consideration, and we can help when it comes to planning for these improvements.
Staffing & Management
The levels of staffing and the leadership in care homes is something which has also been called into question.
While many carers do their best for residents, there are some cases where there simply aren’t enough hands available to help keep a high standard of care.
Aedifice Partnership is a leading consultancy and project management firm specializing in delivering high-quality projects across various sectors, including care homes, residential properties, education establishments, and commercial properties.
Our range of services includes project management, chartered building surveys, CDM and quantity surveying among others.
With all of this in mind, if you’re considering improvements for your care home – or any other kind of healthcare building – then contact our professional consultants at Aedifice today; our vast knowledge of the industry can help you when it comes to costs, materials and equipment.