This in from Nikki on behalf of Isle of Wight Healthwatch. Ed
Due to an increasing level of negative feedback around residential care and nursing homes received from the public since January 2015, Healthwatch Isle of Wight has been raising serious concerns about the quality of care in a growing number of residential and nursing care homes on the Island.
`Quality of care within residential care and nursing homes`
After consultation with the public, In October 2015, the Healthwatch Isle of Wight Board approved `Quality of care within residential care and nursing homes` as a priority for 2015/16 and work has already begun to look at this in some detail.
We would urge that residents, family members, staff or members of the public contact them with feedback about residential care homes on the Isle of Wight, whether good or bad. We can then use this to support providers and commissioners to improve the services they provide.
Healthwatch Isle of Wight Care Awards
Healthwatch is aware that there are many homes on the Island that provide excellent quality of care to the vulnerable adults they support and although some of the most recent CQC inspection reports have been negative, the positive aspects of care that exist have been highlighted within the reports.
Some of the reports make comments such as “staff had received the necessary training, “staff had a caring and respectful manner” or “staff could not do more”.
Showcasing outstanding practices
The Healthwatch Isle of Wight Care Awards have been created to showcase and promote the outstanding practices that are taking place on the Island. Healthwatch would like as many people as possible to nominate anyone working / volunteering within a nursing/residential home that they feel deserves to be recognised for their contribution to the Isle of Wight care system.
The five categories are as follows:
- The ‘Personalised care’ Award
This award seeks to recognise an individual or a team who have worked to ensure that the people they support have maximum control over their lives and who value `outcomes` rather than `outputs`. - The Care Home Nutrition & Hydration Award
This award recognises the significance of mealtimes as an opportunity for social inclusion as well as supporting the need for a balanced and varied diet. - The Compassionate manager Award
This award will be presented to an individual who can demonstrate the importance of care and compassion in the delivery of care services and has embedded this in the ethos of the home. - The Achievement Award for the team member who always `goes the extra mile`
This award will be presented to an individual who contributes their time, energy and skill to ensure that the person/s they support/care for has an improved quality of life and a better experience of care and ultimately feel valued as an equal partner in their care. - The Innovation in Activities Award
This award will be presented to a team or individual who can demonstrate the importance of keeping people in touch with their interests and who offer a range of activities to promote social, emotional and physical wellbeing.
Get your entries in
The closing date for nominations is 1st March 2016. Entries will be judged by an independent panel of reputable and impartial adjudicators.
Award finalists will be notified by 21st March 2016 and invited to the awards ceremony that is being held on 15th April 2016.
Nomination forms and guidance are available online now.
Alternatively hard copies are available from the Healthwatch Information and Signposting team located within the Citizens Advice Bureau, at the Isle Help Advice Hub in Newport High Street.
Image: myfuturedotcom under CC BY 2.0
