New guidance issued on high quality care in care homes

New guidance aimed at ensuring older patients living in care homes receive the highest quality of care has been issued by The British Geriatrics Society (BGS).

The guidance sets out the priorities and clear indicators of how best practice can be achieved and delivered.

BGS claims the best outcomes result from comprehensive, multidisciplinary assessments, with input from healthcare specialists trained in the care of complex medical problems in later life.

Care home staff should receive support and training from such specialists to help them identify, understand and respond to each patient's individual needs; this includes providing the right food and drink, preserving skin integrity and preventing contractures.

Accessible guidance

It also recommends a number of tips on monitoring services – such as a registering patients' needs and detailed advanced care plans – to evaluate if they are having a positive impact.

Commenting on the new guidance, King’s College Hospital nurse consultant for older people Nicky Hayes said: ‘I think this is very timely. The BGS has built on its Quest for Quality to produce accessible guidance and is particularly strong on identifying the types of interventions and outcomes that commissioners should aim for.

‘With the emergence of advanced nursing and allied health professionals clinical roles and the need to ensure a workforce equipped to deliver in the future, I would like to see further guidance exploring the benefits of clinical leadership from non-medical professionals for enhancing residents health.’

Quest for Quality was an earlier work on improving care home quality published by BGS in 2011.

Further information

Guidance on commissioning and providing healthcare services across the UK; Effective healthcare for older people living in care homes

In other news

• Give older people the gift of safety – and slippers – this Christmas
• Sharp rise in number of patients forced to wait for a hospital bed