We are showing support for today’s very first Professional Care Workers Day – organised by the National Association of Care and Support Workers (NACAS) – as we know how important care workers are in making sure people, their families and carers, receive high quality, safe, effective and compassionate adult social care.
As the independent quality regulator of care services, through our inspection work we are privileged to see, hear and report about examples of amazing care from staff that we know is really valued by the people they support.
When we make an assessment of whether a service is caring, we are really looking at the contribution staff make. And the good news is that across the country, and all types of services, over 90% of services are rated Good for Caring and a further 3% are Outstanding.
For example, see what our inspection recently found at Nightingale House care home in London. Accommodating up to 215 older Jewish people mostly living with dementia, we found that an old Morris Minor car had been put in the garden specifically for a person who had expressed a fondness for this type of car, an office had been created for another person who missed working and a former architect was encouraged to participate in planning meetings about building projects at the home.
There is also more evidence of staff going the extra mile in our recent Outstanding inspection of Dannys Dream – a domiciliary care agency in Hull providing personal care to people living with a learning disability. We found one person had been admitted to hospital with a health condition and staff stayed on at the hospital to offer support for the person's elderly relative and the hospital staff. The staff at the club laundered the person's clothing and arranged taxi transport for their relative. We saw staff had altered their shifts at short notice in-order to ensure support for the person. One member of staff had stayed with the person whilst they went down to theatre as this was upsetting for their relative.
Celebrating Professional Care Workers Day, Andrea Sutcliffe CBE, our Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care, said: "I am delighted that we have the opportunity to celebrate the dedication, skill and commitment of thousands of social care workers who make a difference every day to so many people across the country.
"But while most adult social care services are Good or better for Caring, we know this is not the overall picture of quality everywhere meaning that many staff are providing great care despite the system not because of it.
"We also know that what people do in adult social care is not valued or recognised as it should be. It is not low-skilled – it is highly skilled. It is not an easy job – it is a difficult job. Care workers support people with complex needs; need to have great communication skills, emotional intelligence and gallons of patience.
"That’s why I am so pleased that we have today. Let’s use this as an opportunity to say thank you for a job well done; to celebrate the difference care workers make; and to promote the importance of adult social care and care workers and their enormous contribution to society."
Follow all of the action from today’s very first Professional Care Workers Day on Twitter @CareQualityComm @NacasUK #ProfessionalCareWorkersDay
Let’s use this as an opportunity to say thank you for a job well done; to celebrate the difference care workers make; and to promote the importance of adult social care and care workers and their enormous contribution to society.
Andrea Sutcliffe CBE, Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care