Social Care News

Concerns over 'variations in care' prompts Residential Care Review

The Older People's Commissioner for Wales, Sarah Rochira, has launched a Residential Care Review after receiving "increasing correspondence" about variations in residential care across Wales.

Sarah Rochira said that the review would focus on the "quality of life and care of older people living in residential care in Wales". She is calling for older people across Wales, their friends and families to share their experiences of residential care.

The Commissioner and her team will also be visiting around 100 residential homes across Wales, meeting with older people to hear directly from them about their experiences. The team will also be gathering evidence from residential care providers, social care staff and public bodies.

Ms Rochira said: "I have travelled extensively across Wales, meeting with many older people living in residential care and have seen for myself the positive impact that high quality care can have on people’s lives.

"However, I have also received an increasing amount of correspondence in the past year about the quality of life and care of older people living in residential care and I have spoken publicly about what I consider to be unacceptable variations across Wales."

• Older People's Commissioner's - read her reasons for the Review
• Review of care for older people launched - read WalesOnline's coverage of this story

Concerns over lack of provider representative on Review advisory panel

Care Forum Wales' chair, Mario Kreft, said he supports the overall aims of the Review and its stated methodology but expressed his disappointment that no provider expert was to be included on the Review advisory panel.

He said CFW's disappointment would be shared by many providers.

He said: "As far as we can see, no-one who has lived in, worked in, managed or owned a care home is represented on the Panel. In our view, this misses the opportunity for partnership working and to engage the sector fully into the Advisory Panel."Care Forum Wales could have brought to the review a greater balance and expertise in assessing the evidence of the link between the commissioning process and the funding formulas and their impact on providing care services in these challenging times."

However Mr Kreft added: "We look forward to contributing to the Review and working with the Commissioner to find ways of addressing the inequalities in the provision of services for older people and highlight the initiatives and partnerships that will continue to improve our services into the future."