What's it like to live in a care home?
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Between January 2016 and April 2017, local Healthwatch staff and volunteers across England visited 197 care homes across 63 different local authority areas to find out what day to day life is really like for many of those living in care homes.
These homes collectively provide care for almost 3,500 residents ranging from elderly people with dementia to those with severe learning disabilities.
During these visits local Healthwatch spoke with residents, their families and staff, compiling people’s experiences with their own observations to produce 140 reports. These have all been shared with the providers, the public, CQC and Healthwatch England.
Healthwatch England reviewed what people told local Healthwatch and published a briefing on the common issues that need to improve. The research identified three key themes:
The quality of care varies between homes, but also within the same home, with too few homes getting the basics right every time.
Good care homes meet all people's health and care needs, working seemlessly with other services when their residents need additional support.
The best residential services are the ones that focus on enabling people to continue living as if they were still in their own home.