Whistleblowing website reveals care concerns
The good, the bad and the ugly of the care industry have been unleashed after statistics based on the first thousand reviews posted on the ‘real’ consumer feedback website, Good Care Guide, were reported.
New website www.goodcareguide.co.uk has found that older people in ‘homes’ where they are meant to be cared for are being mistreated on a daily basis. These are the views of real consumers up and down the country. Whilst there have been many positive reviews on Good Care Guide and glowing reports of care homes treating patients with dignity and respect since Good Care Guide launched, the negative ones make devastating reading and mostly relate to eldercare.
Good Care Guide is a website that enables families using childcare and eldercare to rate and review care providers they have used. Launched in February, the website had over 60,000 visits in its first month, with thousands of reviews and lots of interest from both families and care providers.
An analysis of the first thousand reviews posted on the site by families shows that six out of seven reviews are very positive about the care they have used. But one main trend that has been apparent from the reviews to date is that childcare is seen as better than eldercare.
• 13% of reviews are negative
• 86% of reviews are positive
• 10% of reviews have been disputed (not all negative ones!)
• 14% of disputed reviews have been reinstated but there are many dispute reviews still under investigation.
Of the negative reviews left on the site, 84% are about eldercare whilst only 16% of negative reviews are about childcare.
John Catchpole who posted a review on Good Care Guide about his mother, a dementia sufferer following the poor care she received, said: “Putting a loved one into care and having to choose the right home is one of the hardest decisions a family will have to go through and you want to know your loved one would receive the level of care that they truly deserved. Any resource that can help with this difficult and painful decision to ensure you choose the right home is welcomed by me.”
As has been widely documented, the care system for older people is severely underfunded and in crisis. The Good Care Guide shows that families are passionate about the care they use. They either love it or despair about it. Six out of every seven reviews left on Good Care Guide have been very positive. But clearly some families have experienced very poor care - mostly care for older people. This shows why action is needed urgently to address the funding and quality of care for older people whether they live in their own home or in a care home. This is an issue that affects every family in the country.
14 April 2012
What is the right question?
It's now a week after the Budget dust has settled and its ensuing 'panic on pensioners, pasties and petrol'.
What did it all mean and has anything changed? And did the Budget represent a shift in the balance between older and younger people?
Well, if you're rich ie one of the top one per cent of earners, you have done very well. Obscenely well. For most of the other 99%, things are getting tougher with no prospect of relief in sight for the rest of the decade.
But some have suggested that it's about time that older people carried some of the burden of austerity - after all they have had it good for so long with education, jobs, pensions, housing etc. While younger people, particularly the 16-30 generation are facing a life that doesn't meet their expectations.
But has the Budget shifted resources to young people and will it create jobs and growth? It doesn't look like it!
So we need to look again. It shouldn't be about pitting old vs young. We should be looking at where wealth lies in our society - and there are some very wealthy older people as well as some big companies sitting on huge reserves.
Wealth may be cascading down the generations, but it's getting concentrated in the hands of fewer and fewer families. What we need now is a new debate about inheritance and how some of the wealth in our society can help get us all through this crisis.
Watch this space. 29 March 2012
Thinking again on care funding
As has been widely documented, the care system is severely underfunded and in crisis. More and more older people and their families are having to pay for their care and face losing their homes to do so. Families can’t wait any longer for the government to create a sustainable and fair way to fund better care.
A delayed care white paper is not an excuse for inaction.
With immediate effect the government should raise the assets threshold for paying for care to £100k. Local authorities should ensure that older people and their families can access specialist, independent financial advice on paying for care and make sure that deferred payments schemes are in place throughout the country.
In the longer term better care for our ageing population will cost us all more. The Dilnot commission’s proposals were regressive, bureaucratic and expensive, helping wealthier families to protect their inheritances. There are alternatives. Fairly taxing older people’s wealth would be a better way forward. Or the government could recognise the contributions towards care costs made by older people and their families through the tax system or assets threshold. Action is needed urgently to tackle the care crisis and address families’ fears. 11 March 2012
Time to tackle the inheritance taboo
Britain needs a proper debate on inheritance tax. Politicians have started a debate about taxing wealth perhaps through a 'mansion tax', but inheritance is still seen as one of the last taboos. As a result our society is becoming increasingly polarised and social mobility is in reverse.
Taxing estates fairly would be a good way to fund better care for our ageing population and tackle the housing crisis faced by many families. It could be our legacy to the future. 11 March 2012
Care funding for all seasons?
As thousands lobby their MP about care funding on Tuesday 6 March, it may not feel very spring-like as wind and rain hit Britain.
But campaigners will be bitterly disappointed if the long-awaited care White Paper is delayed beyond this spring to late summer and possibly autumn which now seems highly likely.
Can any good come of this delay given the urgency of tackling the underfunding of care?
One possible silver lining may be that it gives policymakers an extra few months to come up with a solution that is better than that proposed by the Dilnot commission. His regressive proposals mainly gave any extra funding to better off families.
Surely extra funding for care must go to meet the unmet needs and growing demand for better care, as well as prevent the 'catastrophic costs' faced by some families.
The wealth held by many (but by no means all) older people should be the starting point to pay for care. It would also be intergenerationally fair compared to general taxation.
Will the political parties be brave enough to grasp this nettle and create a funding solution for all seasons? 5 March 2012
Having their say on care
Not a day goes by without a big story about the funding and quality of care, whether it's childcare or eldercare.
Families themselves have also got a lot to say about the care they use. The new Good Care Guide website has had more than 50,000 visits in its first fortnight with hundreds and hundreds of reviews left about care providers.
People are passionate about the care they use - and mostly positive. Six out of seven reviews praise their care provider. Most of the negative reviews relate to eldercare and particularly care homes.
What is also interesting is the number of families commenting who have had a bad care home experience and moved their relative to another home which they love. Others comment that some homes clearly can't cope with the growing number of older people with dementia.
It's still early days for Good Care Guide. But we are building up a picture of care in England and what families think. 5 March 2012
Families go for Good Care Guide
Saturday 18 February, good morning. BBC Breakast TV has the launch of the Good Care Guide website as one of its top stories.
Developed jointly by United for All Ages and My Family Care, Good Care Guide enables families using childcare and eldercare to rate and review providers they have used.
The BBC reports concern from independent care home providers about the website, with an interview by Sheila Scott of the National Care Association.
The 'controversy' has given Good Care Guide more coverage than anyone would have expected. The following 24 hours saw almost 20,000 visitors to the site, leaving hundreds of rating and reviews.
So the public clearly has an appetite for the Good Care Guide. Families are very passionate about the care they have used. They either love it or despair about it - the early comments left on the site show four positive reviews for every negative one. Childcare generally has had better reviews than eldercare, particularly care homes.
Perhaps that explains why the National Care Association is scared of the 21st century. 19 February 2012
Paying for childcare
No doubt Daycare Trust's twelfth annual survey of the cost of childcare to be published at the end of February will show that parents continue to face rocketing bills.
So a new contribution to the debate on how to help parents pay for childcare by the Social Market Foundation must be welcomed. They propose that parents should be able to access loan finance up to £10k that would then be repaid via taxes from their salary - just a like a 'student loan' for childcare.
SMF are right to focus on the cost of childcare and how to fuel the 'demand' side by helping parents pay. Much better than tinkering with the supply side of childcare by deregulating childminders for example or reducing ratios for young children. Childcare in the UK is already a low cost, low pay industry and we need to spend more on childcare.
But the bigger issue is who should pay. Should it just be the parents, through a loan or not? Or should we all contribute alongside parents because enabling women to carry on working and giving children the best start in life is good for society and good for the economy.
Therefore rather than loans, the government should review the way the childcare element of the working tax credit works. And they should upgrade the value of tax exemptions on childcare vouchers which has remained at £55 a week since 2005.
This issue won't go away. The new baby boom will mean that more and more families will struggle with paying for childcare. 13 February 2012
A missed opportunity
Care for older people is in crisis. Spending cuts in the face of an ageing population mean that a growing number of older people aren't getting the care and support they need; instead they have to rely on family carers or pay more themselves for care.
So it's disappointing that the Health Select Committee's report published today doesn't push the government harder on resolving the funding crisis. Yes, we agree that older people should be better served by health and care working closer together, with more effective commissioning.
But increasingly it looks like the government has kicked care funding into the long grass. The care minister says that spring's white paper will include a 'progress report' on funding, so solutions are a long way off. Older people and their families need action now not in the next decade. 8 February 2012
Living to shop - or shopping to live?
Most of us know where to go to get the things we need or want. Shopping on the high street or increasingly online, it’s normally pretty straightforward.
But what if you need something to help you get around – a walking stick, mobility scooter or frame? Or if you need help in the kitchen, bathroom, bedroom or living room to do the things that most people take for granted?
Then it gets harder. Harder to find what you need and much harder to find something you actually want.
Why should everything be beige or white? Poorly designed and clunky? Something you wouldn’t buy for your mum or dad let alone yourself?
But with our ageing population aren’t designers, manufacturers and retailers missing a trick or three? Older consumers are increasingly going to be much more demanding and will shop around.
Where will they go to find what they want? Mobility shops are generally like the infamous ‘God’s waiting room’ – dull and dreary, with little choice and even less to brighten up life. And the high street is no better – supermarkets and department stores offer little extra choice for the older customer.
Online is a bit better. Apart from some charities and independent sites, Lloyds pharmacists have one of the largest selections of products for disabled people. Even Argos, Tesco and Halfords have sections on their websites with ‘specialist products’ but you are very unlikely to find them in their high street stores.
So the challenge and opportunities are there for investors to reach a wealthy market, and for everyone from designers to retailers to respond. That’s why the Technology Strategy Board has started a national conversation to improve the quality of life in old age.
It’s a debate people of all ages should join at TomorrowTogether. After all, at some point in our lives we will all need some extra help. So who will be the first to sell a fluorescent raised toilet seat? 1 February 2012
Jobs, jobs, jobs
What will get us out the mess we are in, not just in Britain but throughout Europe and beyond? Over one million young people are out of work here and in Spain around half their young people are unemployed. We are at risk of a 'lost generation' which could have implications for many years to come as young people can't find work or only low-paid, part-time employment.
Job creation has to be the answer. There is plenty of work to be done. Eldercare and childcare: caring for our ageing population and caring for the baby boom that is now taking place. Building the affordable homes that are sorely needed - now and when the welfare reforms kick in. Delivering major infrastructure projects like Crossrail and HS2, but also local transport schemes. Innovation in manufacturing to meet the needs of older people and others with disabilities, and sustainable environmentally friendly initiatives. All these are labour intensive and could create hundreds of thousands of jobs delivering much needed services.
And of course we can afford it. Companies are sitting on huge reserves. Wealth could be fairly taxed. And we could stop high rate pension tax relief. Just three examples but there are plenty of others. Now who will make it happen? 30 January 2012
Burstow & Shapps estate agents
The government wants to end the scandal of older people being forced to sell their home to pay for care by, er, getting older people to move out of their home and use the equity to pay for care. That's sorted then. 18 January 2012
Here we go again
In one sense it might seem like a logical allocation of resources. Get older people who appear to be underoccupying their home to downsize so that a bigger family can move in. And they might also be able to use some of the equity released (if they own the home) to pay for care. Bingo - housing and care crises solved at one stroke!
If only life was so simple. But the consequences for individuals and communities could be huge.
Moving home when people are retired is a sure-fire way of losing many of their long-established social networks. And moving into a smaller, one bedroom property means that having family and friends to stay is not very practical. So downsizing could be a route into isolation and loneliness, depression and big costs to the health service. See what the Campaign to End Loneliness has to say here.
Also in many communities older people are the bedrock of local life and local organisations. Moving them out is a recipe for destabilising community life.
Why not look at alternatives? Supporting multi-generational households where three or more generations of a family live under the same roof. And promoting Homeshare where younger people can live with an older person in return for providing support and companionship.
Of course this is all about shifting the focus for paying for our ageing population onto older people - but not those who are wealthier and parents of government ministers who will continue to have choices about where and how they live. 18 January 2012
A Grimm tale
Thanks to the Archbishop of York: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/financialservices/retirement-finance/9010701/Elderly-care-Commentary-by-the-Archbishop-of-York.html 13 January 2012
Beyond Dilnot: options for care funding reform
The launch of Age UK's Care in Crisis petition is the latest cranking up of the campaign machines as the government prepares its long awaited white paper on care this spring.
The big - and political - debate is of course about funding. And this is where, in the cross-party talks just starting, there should be some ‘red lines’ which Labour won’t cross.
Why? Because last summer's Dilnot report did not provide the right answers to some fundamental issues:
- Should the cost of care be collectively shared or should it remain primarily something for individuals (who happen to have dementia for example) to pay for?
- Shouldn’t people’s contribution towards the cost of care reflect their wealth? Dilnot’s £35k cap favours richer families and protects the inheritance of the wealthiest. It also disguises the fact that many families would actually have to pay much more than £35k in both hotel and care costs, so it would still be a dementia tax. There is also no evidence that voluntary insurance schemes (ie to help people 'pay' their £35k) work and this would add more complexity to an already confusing system.
- Dilnot’s proposals don’t address the huge unmet need now and in the future of our ageing population and the burden on family carers. His recommended extra £1.7bn state funding would mainly go to protect wealthier families’ inheritance.
- Dilnot’s proposals don’t support the integration of care and health by advocating a completely different funding system for social care.
So what to do? It's not too late for alternative ideas.
The Health Select committee's current inquiry rightly focuses on integration as a key way forward. Clearly much better use could be made of the money currently in the system - health and care and housing and elsewhere - to deliver better care where people want it, at home.
But this won't provide the whole answer to our woefully underfunded care system. If older people are going to be asked to contribute towards the cost of care, it has been done in a way that is seen as fair, simple and sustainable. It must prevent people losing their home and the indignity of families having to rush to sell the home when an older relative moves into residential care.
So in the short to medium term, the government should do the following: raise the assets threshold to £100k immediately; ensure that every family can use a 'deferred payment' scheme wherever they live so that care bills can be paid from an estate; and make sure that older people and their families can access independent financial advice on paying for care.
In the longer term, the government should implement a care contribution scheme so that every older person makes a payment towards the cost of a better care system linked to the value of their estate. That would be not only fair and simple but also sustainable as it would keep pace with our ageing population. 9 January 2012
On the twelfth day of Christmas: Britain for all ages
So it's down with the Christmas decs, off with the lights, and time for action. Can we create a Britain for all ages in 2012?
Over the last eleven blogs we have set out just some of the ingredients and opportunities to build a Britain for people of all ages. 2012 is the European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations. The Olympics in London also provides a focus on the role of sport in bringing all ages together.
United for All Ages will continue to show why and how bringing different generations together can help tackle some of the big social issues of our time: reducing crime and fear of crime, tackling unemployment and worklessness, caring for our ageing population, changing attitudes and challenging ageism, reducing loneliness and isolation, and making the best use of resources through centres for all ages.
We will be working with our partners to create a Britain for all ages in 2012. Help make it happen. 6 January 2012
On the eleventh day of Christmas: respect for all ages
Respect is probably one of the most over-used and abused words of recent times. But it's time for 'respect' to be rehabilitated.
Strong communities are built on respect for one another. Respect for those who are older and have wisdom and experience. Respect for those who are younger and have energy and ideals. Respect for differences and respect for the things that bring us together.
We are stronger when we are united not divided. Respect will be key to unity in 2012. 5 January 2012
On the tenth day of Christmas: schools for all ages
It's back to school today for many children around the country after a couple of weeks off with their families and a chance to catch up with gran and grandad.
Apart from their teachers, children will have little contact at school with anyone other than their peer group.
But schools are missing a big trick. Older people could play a much bigger role in the life of schools in their local community. Not just helping with reading once a week, but two or three older people in every class throughout the week? Helping with all the jobs that make a school tick? Trips out and after school activities?
There are lots of ways that older people could use their time, skills and experience to enrich the life of schools.
In 2012 we will be working with partners to make 'schools for all ages' a reality. It will benefit children, their families and older people - and the schools and the learning they offer. 4 January 2012
On the ninth day of Christmas: companionship for all ages
It's always strange when the Christmas and new year holidays come to an end. All that activity, excess and socialising are followed by a return to reality: work, bills, wet, cold and windy January, and for many loneliness.
A resolution we could all make is to look out for neighbours who are lonely. Whatever age and whatever situation, companionship can make a big difference. 3 January 2012
On the eighth day of Christmas: care for all ages
Expectations have been raised for the care white paper this spring. Will it resolve the crisis in care for older and disabled people? Today sees an announcement of extra funding to help older people leave hospital - a step in the right direction but it does little to deal with the fundamental problems.
Similarly the cost of childcare is putting more pressure on the budgets of squeezed families. Both childcare and eldercare could be drivers for economic recovery, helping parents and carers to work and creating jobs as well as desperately needed care and support.
In 2012 United for All Ages will be launching a 'care for all ages' initiative to give more power to consumers of care. Watch this space. 2 January 2012
