Are we meeting the standards expected of us?
In the care industry one of the most important factors that we have to deal with is the quality of care. Whilst care quantity is always important, helping as many as we can, quality care beats high quantity care. However, are we meeting the standards of care expected of us?
While the majority of people rate adult social care (78%), NHS core services (55%) and GP practices (89%) as ‘good’ or better, there’s genuine concern over healthcare quality. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) The State of Health Care and Adult Social Care in England report recently found gradual improvements being reported. That being said, while this genuine improvement in the service quality being provided is vital, there’s major room for improvement.
The hard work put in by care staff and health departments plays a major role in making the most of what they have. Thankfully, the report found that 12 of 15 hospitals under NHS control deemed ‘inadequate’ passed a second evaluation. Meanwhile, over 80% of adult social care services which were rated as inadequate were re-inspected and improved.
Therefore, the care industry is working very hard to keep improving and growing. However, how much can be expected with such limitations?
For example, some venues operate at truly impressive levels – far more impressive than you might previously have expected. Just 2% of adult social care services, though would fall into this excellent standard. A minor 6% of NHS hospital and mental health’ core services and 4% of GP practices meet this level. We cannot take the wide-reaching prism of improvement as a sign that every facility is operating to the standard expected.
For example, many services still fall under the CQC inadequate rating. With around 660,000 people falling under inadequate care, what can be done to improve standards across the board?
Rising to the Challenge: Changing and Improving Standards
According to the report, the most important changes that we can make to failing institutions include:
- Improved leadership. The more leaders we can get in to help staff members grow and improve, the better. Staff need strong leadership, better planning and smarter resource allocation.
- Staff engagement. From empowering staff to seek out self-development to removing working barriers to boost co-operation, many solutions exist that can help to encourage staff to grow.
- Wider vision. There has to be a long-term aim for all of these facilities. The best facilities operate on a wider vision that brings everyone together and initiates dialogue across the board.
- Community outreach. A vital section of improvement comes from reaching out to local communities, community groups etc. to help improve local collaboration and pain points.
Each of these factors play a major role in the growth and development of other successful institutions. If we are serious and genuine about improving the state of care in the industry across England, we need more of the above. If resources cannot stretch far enough, then we can make sure that the personal approach stretches. The more that can be done to bridge financial gaps with better in-house collaboration and community togetherness, the better.
The quality of care has to be improved; but it comes down to more than just finance available. To genuinely improve, we must radically alter the culture within the care industry first and foremost.
