Dignified Care?
Commissioner welcomes second responses on dignity and respect
Following her statement on 18 July 2011, Ruth Marks, Older People’s Commissioner for Wales, has considered the second responses from the Welsh Government, Local Health Boards, Velindre NHS Trust and local authorities to the recommendations in her “Dignified Care?” Review.
She has judged that they have made significant progress in meeting her recommendations to improve dignity and respect for older people in hospitals in Wales.
The following bodies have provided enough information to persuade the Commissioner that they will comply with her 12 recommendations:
- All local authorities
- Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board
- Hywel Dda Health Board
- Powys Teaching Health Board
The Commissioner is seeking further information from the following bodies to persuade her that they will comply with all of her recommendations:
- Aneurin Bevan Health Board
- Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board
- Cardiff & Vale University Health Board
- Cwm Taf Health Board
- Velindre NHS Trust
- The Welsh Government
Ruth Marks commented “After the initial responses to the recommendations set out in “Dignified Care?”, I requested further information from bodies, outlining how they would make my recommendations a practical reality.
“The second responses I have received show that more work has been done by many of these bodies to prove their commitment to providing dignified care. Some bodies have still to give me enough information to show that they will comply with every recommendation. ”
The Commissioner will issue her final verdict on the responses to her “Dignified Care?” Review by the end of October 2011.
“Dignified Care?” Full responses
“Dignified Care?”: Further information
‘Dignified Care?’ Update – September 2011
Those subject to the Review initially had until 15 June to respond to the recommendations. Although all bodies responded, the responses did not fully assure the Commissioner that all of her recommendations would be complied with. The Commissioner therefore gave one further month for satisfactory responses to be submitted.
Additional responses are currently being assessed by the Commissioner, who will make contact with the Health Boards, the Trust, Local Authorities and the Welsh Government by 13 September. She may request further information if she is still not assured that her recommendations will be complied with. The Review will finish by the end of October 2011.
The Commissioner will use a variety of methods, with support from a range of sources, to ensure that those subject to the Review are putting into practice the action they said they would take to meet her recommendations. By doing this she will continue to safeguard the interests of older people across Wales and encourage best practice in their treatment.
18 July 2011
Commissioner sets out initial response to public bodies on “Dignified Care?” Review
Ruth Marks, Older People’s
Commissioner for Wales has considered the initial responses from the
Health Boards, the Trust and the Welsh Government to her “Dignified
Care?” Review.
All the bodies subject to the review responded by the
deadline and there has been much that is encouraging in these
responses. However, more needs to be done to show that the
recommendations will be met in full. Bodies will have one month to
respond to the Commissioner’s request for more information in order to
persuade her that they will fully comply with her recommendations.
Ruth
Marks commented “I welcome the positive response there has been to my
Review and its call for change. I want to acknowledge the work which
has been done to address my recommendations, and have been glad to see
some very good responses. The bodies subject to Review have recognised
the issues I set out and begun to address them. I now want to see them
build on many of the answers they have given. I want my Review to make
sure older people are treated well and with dignity when they stay in
hospital. All the recommendations are central to achieving this, which
is why it is so important that the bodies persuade me that change will
happen.
“I have written to all the
Health Boards, the Trust and the Welsh Government setting out which
responses adequately address my recommendations and which must be
improved.
“Once bodies persuade me
that they will meet my recommendations, I will work with others to
monitor whether or not they are doing so in practice.”
Dignified Care?’ update – June 2011
On 14 March 2011 the Commissioner published her report ‘Dignified Care? The experiences of older people in hospital in Wales’. In the report she made twelve recommendations to Local Health Boards in Wales and Velindre NHS Trust, five to the Welsh Government and one to Local Authorities and Local Health Boards jointly.
The Commissioner has requested that these bodies respond to the recommendations by 14 June 2011, outlining what they are doing, and will do, to comply with the recommendations. Once the Commissioner has received the responses, she will take one month to assess whether they are adequate responses.
If a response is found to be inadequate, the Commissioner will issue Written Notice to the body concerned pointing out the inadequacies of the response and asking for an adequate response.
Where a response is adequate, the Commissioner will monitor the implementation of what bodies have said they will do.
The Commissioner will keep a publicly available register (web and hard copy) which will record a summary of the responses received and the results of any further action taken by the Commissioner. This will not be available before July 15th.
To help her assess the responses, the Commissioner will be advised by members of her staff and also by five others. These five are:
Dr Anne Evans
Prior to retiring, Anne was Medical Director of Rhondda Cynon Taff’s Teaching Local Health Board and Medical Director of Merthyr Tydfil Local Health Board. She has had many years of experience of service improvement for vulnerable patients and clinically in working with older people in hospitals and the community.
Meirion Hughes
Meirion is a retired Director of Social Services and former Acting Chief Executive within Denbighshire County Council. He worked within the NHS as Chair of the Denbighshire LHB and spent a term as Chair of the Welsh NHS Confederation. In 2009 he was a member of an Independent Review of Continuing Health Care in Wales. Meirion is also a trustee of Age Cymru.
Professor Marcus Longley
Marcus is Professor of Applied Health Policy and Director of the Welsh Institute for Health and Social Care. He worked in the NHS for 14 years and for two years with the Welsh Health Planning Forum before joining the University on Glamorgan in 1995. His interests include patient involvement in shaping policy and delivering services, integrated working across public services and the future of health care.
Dr Win Tadd
Win is a Reader in the School of Social Sciences (Cesagen) at Cardiff University. Prior to this she was Senior Research fellow in the Department of Geriatric Medicine Cardiff University. Win spent many years as a nurse and senior lecturer in the UK and Australia. Her research interests focus on the ethical aspects of ageing and care of older people and for the past 12 years the focus of her work has been on dignity and dignified care for older people in the UK and Europe.
Professor Bob Woods
Bob is Professor of Clinical Psychology of Older People at Bangor University. He is Co-Director of the Dementia Services Development Centre Wales and an Ambassador for the Alzheimer's Society. Recent research has focused on caring relationships and the evaluation of interventions designed to assist people with dementia and carers.