Can Gerry Robinson fix Dementia Care Homes? - A Response from Four Seasons
Whilst we welcomed the BBC2 programme shown on 8th December with Sir Gerry Robinson highlighting struggling dementia care homes we were disappointed that the programme did not reflect more on the positive work that has been done throughout the industry in the field of dementia care and best practice in care homes.
A major factor to the success of a care home in providing quality dementia care is the need for home owners and operators to invest time and money in training to ensure that staff are able to deliver good person centred and appropriate care. Reflective practice is essential to all care home operators to ensure that we continue to meet the needs of our residents and as more people in the UK will develop dementia in later life we all need to focus on this area of service delivery. This has been recognised by not only the government with the production of the recent Dementia Care Strategy but is also being focussed upon by more and more responsible care home operators. Examples of good practice have been highlighted in a recent DVD produced by Age Concern and Help the Aged called ‘My Home Life'. Four Seasons Health Care was privileged to have been featured in this DVD as an example of good practice.
At Four Seasons Health Care, we have invested heavily over recent years with the development of our PEARL specialist dementia care service and it is rewarding to see the positive outcomes this investment has started to generate for our residents and their loved ones.
The PEARL (Positively Enriching And enhancing Residents Lives) specialist dementia care service reflects all the very essence of quality care Sir Gerry highlighted in his programme by respecting residents as individuals, involving them and their families in the care process, providing a unique and stimulating environment within the care home that promotes resident, staff and visitor engagement and providing lasting staff training all of which are critical to promoting the happiness of our residents, their families and loved ones.
Within Four Seasons Health Care we have trained over 2,000 staff in person centred care and 500 in Dementia Care Mapping similar to that highlighted in the programme, ensuring that each home has two qualified Dementia Care Mappers. Not only does our specialist care approach result in the improved dignity and wellbeing of our residents and is a fabulous motivator for our staff but by working with GP's and community partners our innovative approach has also demonstrated significant reduction or removal of the need for anti-psychotic medication. The requirement for anti-psychotic medication usage for people with dementia has been reduced by an average of 50% across eight validated homes that initially took part in the programme. One home saw a reduction in anti-psychotics from 90% to 26% and a reduction of hypnotic drugs usage from 40% to zero, even though more than 60% of their residents had complex nursing needs.
The PEARL programme has also been recognised for its market-leading excellence by being awarded the prestigious Guy Rotherham Care Home award by The Improvement Foundation. The Guy Rotherham Awards celebrate the achievements of NHS community-based teams and healthcare professionals in delivering best practice, quality improvements and services to their patients.
With a specialist dementia care team in place and resource available to provide specialist training for staff and facilities at homes, Four Seasons Health Care are in a position to be able to ensure the quality of dementia care provided continues to exceed government recommendations.
We now have 16 PEARL accredited homes and with other homes currently going through the accreditation process by mid 2010 the group should have around 60 accredited homes with a view to completing 160 homes by 2012 and would be delighted to invite Sir Gerry's to visit one of our homes so that he can see first hand an example of what can be achieved.
Bookmark with:
DeliciousDiggRedditFacebookStumbleupon
