Joint review of healthcare support for older people living in care homes in North Wales
Healthcare Inspectorate Wales and Care Inspectorate Wales have carried out a joint review into how we can work together to ensure the healthcare needs of older people living in care homes in North Wales are met.
The review was in response to a report by the Older People’s Commissioner for Wales, “A Place to Call Home”, published in 2014.
The aim of this review was to investigate:
- How Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) meets the healthcare needs of older people living in residential and nursing care homes, either directly through the provision of services, or through its contracting arrangements with primary care providers.
- The experience of Care Home Managers in accessing healthcare support for people from the NHS
- How Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW) and Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW) can work in a more integrated way to improve outcomes for people living in care homes.
We looked at care homes delivered by the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board in six counties in North Wales: Anglesey, Gwynedd, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire and Wrexham.
An advisory group was established to help shape and inform the review. This included representatives from providers, the health board, local authority commissioners, Older People’s Commissioner and policy colleagues from Welsh Government.
The review considered accessibility, timeliness and effectiveness of a range of healthcare support.
Feedback was variable across most of the service areas considered, but some common issues emerged which need to be addressed in order to provide seamless, good quality care, to individual residents and patients.
The report identifies 16 areas for improvement. HIW/ CIW will follow up on these as appropriate.