Shocking Truth Of Standards In BUPA Care Homes
Recent investigations into BUPA care homes highlight the shocking level of neglect and mistreatment in such facilities. Opt for live in care as a superior choice.
When the inevitable time comes in a person’s life, where extra support is needed either with personal tasks such as bathing and getting to the toilet, or assistance of a medical nature, then a nursing care home may seem like the obvious solution. The promise of round-the-clock supervision, social interaction with peers and regular nutritious meals being prepared are all benefits that offer peace of mind both to a potential resident and their loved ones. Unfortunately, residential care facilities are frequently appearing in the media, as undercover operations highlight the truth of living standards in such accommodation.
Shocking Conditions
A recent Channel 4 ‘Dispatches’ documentary has reported the ‘institutional abuse’ that occurred in a BUPA UK dementia care home, based in Chester. One of their undercover reporters, Eilis, was able to get a job there and recorded his findings throughout his short employment at the care home. A medicine cabinet was frequently left unlocked, leaving the possibility of patients being able to access a full range of drugs. Additionally, an unsecured door with no alarm was left open which allowed a dementia patient to wander outside in the early hours of the morning – a potential hypothermia risk if the person was to fall.
However, perhaps even more shocking than this negligence, was the inhumane treatment of residents at BUPA’s Crawfords Walk home. A nurse was found to have instructed night staff to wake residents up at 3.30am for bed baths, and another care worker refused to check a patient’s wound after it became stuck to an incontinence pad. These hygienic towels were also at the centre of yet another severe point of desperate neglect, as it was found that incontinence pads were rationed in the care home. One carer was seen reusing a pad with visible urine and faeces on it, while another worker shouted at a patient for needing to be changed.
Intervention By The Care Quality Commission
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is now involved and is threatening to prosecute BUPA as it believes that a third of their care facilities lack basic standards including leadership, safety and general care. While it is fair to say that not all care homes are as diabolical as this one, it is also true that stories like this are becoming commonplace in the media.
The Alternative To Care Homes
With terrible worries about care home standards, coupled with their astronomical cost of around £1,000 a week for residential care, many older people and their families are naturally interested in an alternative solution. For many, contacting a live in care agency is the answer. By opting for support at home, a live in caregiver can move into your existing property and provide an entirely personalised care plan depending on the requirements of the individual. Whether you need someone to run errands such as go to the shops and prepare meals, or require help getting up and down the stairs and remembering to take medication, then live in care is an ideal solution. By opting to remain in the comfort of your own home, you will continue to be surrounded by your own belongings, familiar faces nearby and even the possibility to keep a pet if you so wish. Live in care is also generally much more affordable than a care home. You might expect to pay around £695 per week for live in care, which is roughly £300 cheaper than the prices that BUPA charge.
If you are searching for a care solution for yourself or a loved one, then consider live in care which will provide affordable comfort in your existing home.