A number of high profile closures of residential care homes in Conwy over the past 12 months has highlighted the need to re-visit our reviewing process in relation to placements in residential and nursing care. The high volume of placements that need reviewing has always been difficult to manage owing to capacity issues.
Furthermore, CSSIW have identified the need for more timely reviews within their annual report for the county. This has resulted in the need for a specific action plan.
What’s changed?
A working group has produced a Reviewing Framework.
Practitioners are now more aware of the need to undertake timely reviews and how this benefits and safeguards the service user and their carer.
There is productive liaison with Monitoring Officers within the reviewing process.
Continuing Health Care Training has been rolled out to all practitioners and this emphasises the importance of timely reviews to ensure service users are appropriately placed/funded.
At the time of writing, there are 30 outstanding reviews in Abergele, 29 in Colwyn Bay, 57 in Llandudno and 27 in Llanfairfechan.
A locum SW has been appointed and will be tasked with completing all “overdue” reviews. (Start date 20/4/15).
Reviews will then be allocated on a 3 monthly basis enabling practitioners to undertake the review in a timely, well planned manner.
What difference has it made?
This is a work in progress.
There will be a more coordinated response to reviewing service users in Residential/Nursing Care. The number of overdue reviews will decrease significantly.
With regard to the Working Group – Reviews will be seen as a priority within the county and there will be robust framework including a Review Policy.