Care home campaign

Sir Michael Parkinson is campaigning for dignified care for the elderly after finding NHS conditions unacceptable during the last months of his mother's life.

Sir Michael Parkinson has just finished his year as the Government's National Dignity Ambassador. He agreed to take up the role after his mother experienced poor NHS care at the end of her life. Now he's published a report about his findings and is calling for an open public debate about the way we treat older people in this country.

Sir Michael visited various places that provide care, including hospitals, care homes and hospices and describes stories of good and bad care and describes some care homes as "little more than waiting rooms for death, hopeless and depressing".

Delivering dignified care

When he asked staff and managers what stands between them and delivering more dignified care while doing their job, most said bureaucracy. Almost universally, they said it wasn't the idea of targets they found difficult to accept but the way those targets were implemented; common sense seemed to be missing. The savvy managers and the good leaders are those who involve their staff in deciding how to achieve the targets while making those targets work for them and their patients, and not the other way round.

Funding issues

Undoubtedly, more money, staff and time would help with care standards, but what struck him is that most hospitals and care homes run on pretty much the same amount of funding and all face similar issues around staffing and time, so why is it that some provide wonderful care and others quite the opposite?

Sir Michael believes strong leadership is the key - not just from the top of the organisation but also from individuals lower down. He found on his visits, particularly to the smaller,care providers, much of what is good about the place stems from a good manager or one or two committed individuals.

He also says staff need to be trained but providing care with dignity and respect is more about values and culture. He suggests training should involve getting staff to ask themselves every now and again 'How would I feel if that person in care were me or one of my parents or grandparents?'

Maintaining independence

Sir Michael says: "maintaining independence is a fundamental aspect of one's sense of dignity and self-worth' and describes 'Extra Care Housing Schemes' as a good way of providing this: The scheme provides staff on site 24 hours a day but people live in self-contained bungalows and apartments as opposed to just having bedrooms. There are options for communal eating and activities but people have a choice.

Another important aspect of the campaign is recognising people who go the extra mile so they are encouraged to do it more often and so others are inspired to do the same.