In 2014 the Care Quality Commission (CQC) commissioned a survey of people who use Mumsnet and Gransnet.
The results showed that around 8 out of 10 users said that choosing care as a major source of stress.
Choosing a suitable care establishment for a parent or other older relative can be more stressful than divorce, separation, choosing a school, getting married or buying a house. 84 per cent of those who took part describe choosing care for a parent or other older relative as ‘very stressful’ or ‘quite stressful’, ranking it higher than many of life’s most stressful events.
So what is the Sandwich Generation?
Carers UK estimates that 2.4 million carers are part of the ‘sandwich generation’ – those with dual care responsibilities as they juggle care for older relatives and young children at the same time.
New CQC Ratings System
The new ratings system, which has been introduced earlier this year applies to care homes and other adult social care services.
The CQC inspections of care services are carried out by expert teams, which include members of the public (called experts by experience).
The inspections teams will check whether care services are safe, caring, effective, responsive to people’s needs and well-led.
Following an inspection, the CQC will give each service a rating on a four-point scale: Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement or Inadequate.
76% of people who took part in the Sandwich Generation Survey said they would have more confidence in a service that they knew had been rated Good or Outstanding. And 86% said that having an independent body that they could share concerns with would give them more confidence in care.
Below is the infographic by the CQC showing the survey results visualised.
http://www.cqc.org.uk/sites/default/files/sandwich-generation-survey-summary-300914.pdf
If you would like help achieving and maintaining a CQC Outstanding Rating for your care home or social care establishment, get in touch with Albert or Stuart on 016977 41411.
Thank you for reading.