The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has published its fourth annual State of Care report, which considers how care is delivered in hospitals, care homes, dental surgeries and in the community.
CQC carried out more than 35,000 inspections in 2012/13 across the care sectors that it regulates. In around 90% of cases, people were found to be treated with dignity and respect and were receiving care, treatment and support that met their needs, which was also safe. However, the CQC expressed its ‘disappointment’ that poor care was found in one in 10 of all hospital inspections. The report states:
• Hospitals did not improve their assessment and monitoring of the quality of the care they provided.
• There was no improvement in safety and safeguarding, or in treating people with dignity and respect.
• In around half of cases across all sectors where the CQC found poor care, it had a ‘major’ or ‘moderate’ impact on people.
In particular, the report highlights concerns over care for the elderly – stating that more than half a million people aged 65 and over were admitted as an emergency to hospital with potentially avoidable conditions in the last year. In fact, one person in five aged 90 and over is going into hospital as an avoidable emergency admission and the numbers are continuing to rise. Despite some improvements, people in hospitals who have dementia also continue to have poorer outcomes. In 2012/13 the number of patients with dementia who died in hospital was more than a third higher (36%) than similar patients who did not have dementia. Those with dementia stayed in hospital on average 27% longer than matched people without dementia. The report also raised concerns over NHS community healthcare services – one in eight inspections still found that patient safety was being put at risk, while staffing was also an issue, with one in 10 inspections finding a problem. David Behan, chief executive of the CQC said: “Those responsible for care in local areas need to work together quickly to address the number of avoidable emergency admissions to hospital. GPs, care homes, home care agencies, community health services and hospitals, with local commissioners, must plan effectively to make sure our older and more vulnerable people are cared for in the way they deserve. “Where care can be provided for people outside of hospitals, it is better for them and eases pressures on hospital services. However, this year’s State of Care report also shows we found examples of excellent care and I urge struggling providers to learn from their successful counterparts.”
