The Care Quality Commission (CQC) have highlighted the need to ensure that staff are adequately supported, despite budget cuts. A Community Care analysis of 100 residential and nursing homes in England revealed that services were short staffed and cutting corners by not providing staff access to training and supervision. This was found to have a negative impact on the care for the residents, a link that has been identified by Heather Wakefield, head of local government at Unison, who states higher staffing levels mean more time spent with residents, leading to better quality care.
Andrea Sutcliffe, the CQC’s chief inspector of social care, identifies training, support and supervision as a necessity in adult social care settings:
“If a service does not have enough staff to deliver safe and effective care, and doesn’t give staff the time to be caring and treat people with dignity and respect, or to be responsive to the different needs that people have, then that is going to have a huge impact on the quality of life for people using that service. Obviously, this is also going to put pressure on the other members of staff within the service.”
Staff shortages, lack of training and poor supervision frameworks are intrinsically linked to less positive CQC outcomes. 100% of the inspected homes that had a ‘good’ CQC rating ensured that all staff had received appropriate training, enabling them to best care for their residents.
Interviews with staff revealed the need for good support systems in the workplace. Inadequate staffing levels lead remaining staff feeling like residents are neglected as they do not have the time to sit and have conversations with the residents, or to ensure that they are getting up and walking around, which in extreme cases has then led to an increased number of pressure sores.
Poor staff support can also have a negative impact on staff wellbeing, with people feeling nervous to ask for extra help causing them to overwork themselves. Staff that are well supported report that their residents are treated with the greatest respect, and revealed that their managers ensured they are trained and supervised effectively and are given the chance to deal with grievances in a professional way.
Supporting staff leads to greater staff satisfaction and a team who are willing and eager to contribute to the service, ensuring quality care for residents. This will be reflected in higher CQC ratings. ProRisk Care recommend that providers are proactive in their quest to evidence continuous service development, and, provided that our recommendations are implemented, our report aids the achievement of Good or Outstanding ratings with the CQC. If you require consultancy support from ProRisk Care Consultancy Ltd, please get in contact at enquiries@proriskcare.co.uk.