Reading the new edition of Care Talk, I was warmed by the voice over article in which a selection of front line care staff was asked: “What they would change about social care if they had a magic wand?” One of their key points was to have a more positive portrayal of the sector in the media. I couldn’t agree more.
In my view there has never been a more rewarding time to be developing an elderly care business and at home level there are a lot more good news stories around the country that rarely get reported in the press. I’m not sure whether it’s the satisfaction of knowing one can make a difference to people's lives, or see the appreciation of relatives and even staff as they too, see the results of combined and happy effort - in our case, often started by simply providing really comfortable and attractive care homes. Or is the fact that all of this can be delivered at such fantastic value? Who knows?
However, one could be forgiven for thinking that the social care sector is on the ropes when a lot of people are constantly soaked in bad news most of which is usually ‘complaint’ based, be it financial or regulatory. Banks are tight, local authorities are reigning back on budgets and, of course, CQC has a job to do. But let's be realistic. Money pressures on some companies are largely due to over clever financial engineering, after which there has been no money left to invest in the properties of the care properly. Some care home operators might go under but even Southern Cross is unlikely to completely fail.
Today is about delivering the care homes of tomorrow. It is not a time to be distracted by the problems that beset a few, however publicly they get aired. Do you know it costs only £2.77 an hour for a private client to live in an Ideal Care Home? What’s happening in the sector at the moment is not the end of the world, but the beginning of a new one.
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