Thanet Care Homes 21% Are Poor

Four Winds Care Home Ramsgate - Inadequate Standard of Care

3 weeks ago the charity Independent Age published a report about the quality of care homes for older people in England. According to the report, which was based on  Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection reports,   whilst 74% of care homes in England were good or outstanding a frighteningly high 26% required improvement or inadequate. This report led me to conduct my own investigations into the situation in Thanet.  Thankfully, unlike other public bodies I could mention, the CQC makes its data easily available to the public. I quickly found out via an interactive map on the CQC website that there are 57 registered residential care homes in Thanet looking after children and  adults and people with a range of health problems including learning disabilities, mental illness, dementia.

Out of these 57 care homes 44 were rated as being good and 1 outstanding and 9 were rated as requiring improvement and 3 as inadequate. Of the three rated inadequate one is located in Ramsgate. It is the Four Winds care home on Brokenhurst Road.   Percentage wise this means that 79% of Thanet’s care homes are good or outstanding and that 21% require improvement or are inadequate. This puts Thanet slightly ahead of the national picture in terms of poor quality care homes. But the worrying fact remains that almost a quarter of the care homes in the district are sub-standard and providing totally unacceptable levels of care for some of the most vulnerable people. This is totally unacceptable and should not be tolerated.  

There must be a comprehensive national review of  residential  care, and care  in the community services. Services should be properly funded and provide the best possible standards of care. Staff should be fairly rewarded and not forced to depend on low pay and zero hours contracts. Services falling below acceptable standards should be closed down. This will not be cheap but a fair and progressive taxation system would more than cover the costs.  

Published and promoted by Ian Driver 45 Sea View Road. Independent Candidate Kent County Council Election 4th May. Fighting for Fairness.