Providing quality in care homes in Leeds

People working in Leeds health and care are linking with service users and their representatives to make sure delivery of care in the city reflects best practice and community need at a time of increased demands and tight resources.

An event aimed at shaping and improving the quality of the older people's care homes in Leeds being held at the Civic Hall on Friday will hear from leading decision makers and people from across the care system, who will be discussing how to further improve the quality of care homes in Leeds. The event provides an opportunity for stakeholders to come together to hear different perspectives from the Leeds older people’s care home sector and to join the discussion about how they work together as one city to deliver the best outcomes for those living in care homes.

Councillor Rebecca Charlwood, Chair of Leeds Health and Wellbeing Board, said:

“We know that Leeds has delivered a range of solutions to meet the challenges we face in the care sector in recent years, and I am determined that we continue to lead the way in delivering high quality and sustainable solutions to the challenges we face.

“Best practice for delivering care changes over time as needs change and different options become available. Thirty years ago the experience of people in care homes would be very different to today and expectations from residents were different too. We know that we have to reflect what is needed today and in years to come, making sure there is a wide range of quality provision so we have effective care homes available that will be suitable for anyone who needs it.

“As we work to improve the quality of care, we know we need to consult and engage with all partners, not just care home providers and those living there and their families – but also NHS partners, voluntary sector, older people and those responsible for monitoring quality, such as the Care Quality Commission.”

“This event will help to make sure people in Leeds receive high quality care and that care homes are given every incentive to provide this high quality care.”

Councillor Peter Gruen, Chair of the Adult Social Care, Public Health and NHS Scrutiny Board, said:

“Our Scrutiny Board has heard from many people over the last few years as council plans to change the provision of care homes have been debated. Quite understandably families want the best for their loved ones and so take a close interest in how the city’s care homes are run.

“We have shared their concerns with other parts of the council and local providers and sought to ensure decisions are only taken after robust scrutiny.

“I hope this event will allow us to make decisions and work together to improve quality based on good evidence and in the interests of those who use care homes today and in the future.”

“Health, care and independent sector leaders in the city have joined ‘My Home Life’ a national group, aiming to improve quality across the country as part of wide-ranging work in the city to link up and improve the way care is provided across the city.”

Betty Smithson, representing Healthwatch Leeds at the event, said:

“Healthwatch has been keen to make sure decisions aren’t taken without taking resident’s opinions into account and we have been pleased with the focus on quality which has been taken. Taking decisions at a time when there is so much change, including central government funding and the types of facility available certainly isn’t easy and Healthwatch know the council has taken the opinions of the wide range of people they have consulted seriously.

“I am glad the council and NHS have engaged with people and made sure the voices of service users and their families are heard and they can be involved in the decision making process.”

Peter Hodkinson, Chair of Leeds Care Association and Managing Director of Westward Care Ltd, said:

“Leeds has a very wide variety of care homes, and typically there are almost 100 homes in and around the city providing residential and nursing care to people, mostly self-funded. There are over 70 homes providing care to people funded by the council and these range in size, as well as reflecting different community needs.

“Leeds Care Association understands that people want high quality services for themselves and their families, and I hope that the quality of provision available throughout the city can show them they can get the level of care they expect.”

Speakers at the event will include:

• Councillor Rebecca Charlwood, Chair of Leeds Health and Wellbeing Board.

• Councillor Peter Gruen, Chair of Adult Social Care, Public Health and NHS Scrutiny Board

• Debbie Westhead, Deputy Chief Inspector for the North Region, Care Quality Commission

• Peter Hodkinson, Chair of Leeds Care Association and Managing Director of Westward Care Ltd

• Mark Phillott, Head of Commissioning, Adult Social Care and Jo Harding, Director of Nursing and Quality, Leeds West Clinical Commissioning Group

• Alison Gordon, Clinical Operations Manager, Dementia and Specialised Citywide Community Teams, Leeds & York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and Julie Budd, Clinical Team Manager for the LYPFT Care Homes Team

• Betty Smithson, Healthwatch Leeds

• Cath Roff, Director Adults and Health Leeds City Council

More information about My Home Life is at http://myhomelife.org.uk/