27/01/2020
Why are we are no longer able to make the fundamental changes
needed to influence the Nursing and Care culture
Since The Edith Ellen Foundation was conceived in 2013, it has asked the question: “Why has care stagnated over the last twenty years, and is not improving?”
Our aim was to use Kindness in Care Processes and Systems to provide the answers. Kindness is defined in the Oxford dictionary as generous friendly and considerate, and the Foundation defined Kindness as Best Practice Care for the whole person, physically, psychologically/emotionally, culturally, spiritually and socially.
As a charity, together with our partnerships in medicine science and therapy, we were seeking to introduce best practice nursing and care systems. We believed in helping everyone who is involved in the care of people, as we all have a role to play – residents, family, managers and staff, associated integrated care professionals, organisations and people in their local communities.
Over the years it has successfully supported many people, but the Foundation has finally admitted that alone we cannot change systems not wishing to change. It is with great sadness that the Charity is in the process of closing once our current obligations are completed and all the necessary requirements are put into place.
It would however be inconceivable if this Foundation closed without thanking all the people over the years that have supported us, including our own Trustees and Volunteers, who understood what we were about:- putting people at the heart of services and to influence a national standard of consistent leadership skills which delivers a safe, trusted, profitable and sustainable culture of care in all nursing and care services.
It would also be unthinkable to close, and not point out the need for a more influential organisation to start asking the questions which really matter to people delivering and receiving nursing and care. For them to do that before we completely lose sight of the pride of the UK, those nurses and care workers working on in the hope of a cultural change for the better for everyone.
Leading nursing and care services, charities and organisation seem reluctant to highlight why throwing money at healthcare doesn’t necessarily make the quality of healthcare better. But we would encourage them to truly discuss why nursing and care services are deluding themselves that nothing is wrong, when too many people are dying without safe care, supportive dignity, respect and kindness.
They are the ones who should be asking:
• Why-The UK, being one of the riches Countries in the world, is showing such a step backwards in the history of the UK standards of nursing and care, when it is operating a revolving door scenario between older people admitted to hospital from care system and returned without addressing the underlying cause of their ill-health? Does it worry them we are not only wasting money, but adding to the considerable costs of health and social care? This too frequently results in the closure of nursing and residential care homes.
• Is it right to blame our aging population for monopolising all care services, when in the main, large corporations, private care and local authorities are charging huge costs for milking the health care system dry without improving staff leadership, support, training or morale?
• Why- “Dementia” has become a blame label for which nursing and care might try to hide their ignorance of basic understanding and training in caring for people’s physical conditions and their trauma, pain, emotions and feelings?
• Why -Staff and families of older people in care, (and those with complex illnesses),have rightful concerns of fears and frustrations at cruel and abysmal care, but services are bullying them into keeping quiet about the neglect and abuse in the care sectors?
• Should people in care merely be viewed as commodities to be traded in for short term profits and in their assets, which could easily be extracted from frail and vulnerable people and their families?
• Why Dementia, Mental Capacity and Deprivation of Liberty are being wrongly assessed? Is it because, in the main, end of life care might be a more viable financial option for the NHS and Social Care services to deliver on?
• Why are we seeing the delivery of the Gold Standard Pathways falling sort of compassionate care and kindness and for many a distressing pathway towards end of life, especially their families?
• Why are we not finding the increasing number of deaths from pressure sores and sepsis unacceptable, when they are always avoidable with improved prevention and diagnosis?
• Why would it appear, in the main, residential care is achievable, but the finances, training and understanding to deliver rehabilitation, nursing, continued health or end of life care is not?
• Why are we tolerating such unthinkable levels of abysmal nursing and standards? Where Standards in services are noncompliant with Care Legislation, Regulations and Guidelines and where, out of sight behind closed doors, basic nursing and care needs, hydration and nutrition can be withdrawn more easily. Is it not resulting in the unnecessary premature deaths of people with Dementia and other health conditions?
The Foundation’s decision to close was not taken lightly, but with sadness. We recognised that, although we held the answers to turning care around and build cost effective systems and a kinder environment for everyone, to be engaged on a constant high level of emotion when you cannot change the outcomes, finally becomes too much for our Volunteers to tolerate.
Unfortunately, we cannot continue in the face of such an unbelievable vacuum between understanding of how care should be improved and staff being supported to provide consistent Best Practice Solutions. This is simply beyond the capacity our small organisation. For this we apologise to everyone currently receiving care and delivering outstanding nursing and care.
We cannot conclude this announcement without thanking our two Patrons, Margaret Countess of Mar and the “author of Behind Care Homes Door” – Adeline Dalley. Who along with the family of Lady Bader, recognised that Kindness was not just saying it, but showing people you really meant it. They were this Foundation’s inspiration and example in everything we aimed for and tried to achieve, and throughout we were truly grateful, not just for their constant understanding and support, but for their own valiant efforts to champion a better quality of life for people receiving care.
Now we can’t go on any further, but others can. We sincerely hope that they take up, and carry our Kindness in Care message to the forefront of all National Health and Social Care Agendas. They have a responsibility to pull together and start discussions on the true issues concerning nursing and care services, and to succeed where we failed – in a greater collaboration on improving key leadership performances and staff training and skills to guarantee everyone’s safety and proactive kinder care.
Kate Blake and the Trustees of the Edith Ellen Foundation.
