The Isle of Wight has ranked number 1 in the UK in an independent national review of care homes and home care.
The findings form part of the TrustedCare care quality league table that compares the performance of 47 counties over the past 5 years.
The TrustedCare report ranks counties in order of the proportion of care homes and nursing homes within the county with a Care Quality Commission (CQC) rating of Good or Outstanding.
On the Island, the percentage of registered homes rated Good or Outstanding rose from 70% in 2017 to 97% in 2022.
Laura Gaudion, the Isle of Wight Council’s director of adult social services, said:
“This achievement is a testament to the dedication, hard work and determination of our local care home and home care providers and their hardworking staff teams.
“They are incredibly dedicated to delivering the best care and support to some of the most vulnerable members of our Island community.
“We have been really fortunate to work in partnership with Mountbatten Hospice to create a programme of learning and development aimed specifically at raising the standard of care and support on the Island. This has paid dividends!
Article continues below this advertisement “To have been recognised nationally for the hard work of all those involved in delivering care and support is an amazing achievement during these challenging financial times. We continue to work together to do everything we can to deliver the best outcomes for our residents.
“Most importantly we have been making a real difference in people’s lives and that’s what gives us the motivation to do our best every day.”
Councillor Karl Love, Cabinet member for adult social care and Public Health, has said:
“Today’s news demonstrates the commitment of our Island carers and the significant effort made to create the best possible care environments for Island residents.
Article continues below this advertisement “The findings of the report are a real tribute to both care and support providers on the Island, and the Isle of Wight Council teams and volunteer carers who support them.
“Even in times of financial challenges, the care sector has been hugely supportive and adaptive in the world, which is changed by Covid, we will continue to see greater use of technology and innovation to help people live independently.
“We remain committed to collectively working together for the people of our island”.
While the care homes that there are no doubt provide an excellent service for the people in their care, the same cannot be said of the council who are absolutely woeful when it comes to providing care for those who need it. My elderly mother is basically being left to die in a caravan because the council will not lift a finger to help her, so councillor Love should keep his mouth shut and get on with sorting out the council’s dreadful service.
Sorry about your mother, can she not live with you ?
We do live together in a one bedroom caravan, she has the bedroom and I sleep in the lounge (if it can be called a lounge). She is 88 with dementia and I am 59 with kidney cancer, having had one kidney removed. I have been caring for her for 11 years, never claiming a penny in benefits, but now when we both need help the council will not lift a finger. There is always suicide I suppose.
Island Echo. There is a story for you to investigate!
Respect sir, you both deserve better, stay strong.
Thank you.
Well done to all the dedicated staff and carers. That really is quite an achievement.
Well, I don’t know where they got those statistics from because we experienced the worst care possible from three of the top rated care homes here on the island. Many others I speak to are experiencing the very same as well, it is a shocking state of affairs. Until you have a loved one yourself being appallingly cared gif yourself, don’t rely on the CQC to make judgments as it’s false or from people who are not bothered about their loved ones of don’t live here to witness it first hand! Communication and handover to inexperienced new carers on weekends and just basic care in general are not ‘outstanding’ or even good right across the board especially in our hospital as well. It’s disgusting!
I agree, it’s not even good really in many care homes here. Staff are kind, often but don’t have skill and knowledge or even the savvy to take initiative and read notes etc ask for help. Easier to leave people if nobody is asking about them. I’ve heard many horror stories from friends and others join in with their stories when speaking about it too. It’s not good at all
Funny how mines not been published, hard to hear the truth I guess ….
It was! I’m glad too because it’s a shame the good carers are outnumbered and must bang their heads against brick walls endlessly. The system is broken and is beyond repair.