Care Home Professional – August 2019

NEWS U PDAT E

12 CARE HOME PROFESSIONAL | August 2019

T

he government has agreed

to review the Funded Nurs-

ing Care (FNC) rate for

2019/20 following a legal challenge by

Care England.

The announcement by the De-

partment of Health and Social Care

(DHSC) came after Care England

threatened judicial review proceedings

over the nursing subsidy with assis-

tance from David Collins.

A DHSC spokesperson said: “The

department has agreed to review the

S

outh coast care home pro-

vider, Colten Care, has been

awarded its fifth CQC ‘outstand-

ing ’ rating.

Amberwood House in Ferndown,

Dorset, joined the top 3.5% of adult so-

cial care services following an inspec-

tion in October.

CQC inspectors identified a range

of strengths particularly in the home’s

leadership and effectiveness, com-

menting: “Some people who come in

for respite care decide to come and live

at the home as their experience is so

2019/20 NHS-funded Nursing Care

rate and any outcome will be an-

nounced in due course.”

The DHSC earlier this year an-

nounced a 4.7% hike in the FNC rate

after raising the rate 2% in the previ-

ous year.

Care England’s legal challenge was

based on concerns over the assump-

tion that providers will not employ

more than 10% nursing hours through

agency nurses, that providers were

capable of making efficiency savings of

good. They could go home but choose

to stay because they like it so much.”

Inspectors also praised the home’s

care quality monitoring and audit

procedures, admissions process, sup-

port for nurses’ career progression and

induction programme for new staff.

Jim Smith, who recently celebrated

his 93rd birthday at the home, said: “I

am as happy now as I was on the day I

moved in more than a year ago. I have

no complaints but 100,000 thank-yous.”

Fellow resident Florrie Hughes said:

“This is a lovely home with a devoted

3.1% and the calculation of inflation.

Professor Martin Green OBE, Chief

Executive of Care England, said: “We

welcome the move by the DHSC to

look again at the 2019/20 rate and we

will ensure we participate openly and

fully with the review.

“We hope this can be conducted

speedily and a new rate decision made

that increases the current rate to that

which properly reflects the costs of

providing nursing to many thousands

of people living in nursing homes.”

team. Colten Care is very lucky to have

such loyal staff.”

Amberwood House’s CQC inspec-

tion took place before former Home

Manager Gill Irish left to take up the

reins of Colten Care’s Chichester home

Wellington Grange.

Returning for its celebration party,

Gill said: “I have always been very

proud of Amberwood House and still

am. Staff are at the heart of what makes

it such a special place. They are incred-

ibly friendly and caring.”

CEO Mark Aitchison said: “The drive

to be outstanding runs through the

homes, our culture and our DNA. Eve-

rybody can be immensely proud of what

is being achieved and the real difference

they are making day in, day out.”

Colten Care’s four other outstand-

ing-rated homes are: Linden House in

Lymington, Woodpeckers in Brock-

enhurst, Canford Chase in Poole and

Kingfishers in New Milton.

Its other 15 inspected homes are all

rated ‘good’. New home Bourne View,

which opened in Poole in March 2019,

has yet to be inspected.

GOVERNMENT AGREES TO REVIEW FUNDED NURSING CARE

RATE FOLLOWING LEGAL CHALLENGE

COLTEN CARE CELEBRATES FIFTH

CQC ‘OUTSTANDING’ RATING

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