April 2005 saw the introduction of the Residential Care Homes and Nursing Homes (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2005. The regulations underpin the essential criteria contained in the new quality standards for care services developed following the ‘Best Practice – Best Care’ document, designed to raise the quality of Social Care Services provided to the community.
April 2005 saw the introduction of the Residential Care Homes and Nursing Homes (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2005. The regulations underpin the essential criteria contained in the new quality standards for care services developed following the 'Best Practice – Best Care' document, designed to raise the quality of Social Care Services provided to the community. The legislation requires service providers to comply with essential criteria set out in the standards, and provides the new regulatory inspection body – The 'Health and Personal Social Services Regulation and Improvement Authority' with the legislative powers to register and inspect all homes against a clear set of standards.
Much of the legislation is similar to it's predecessor 'The Residential Care Homes (Northern Ireland) Regulation, 1993'. However, there is a significant emphasis in service user inclusion in all aspects of care and support. This is timely as it clarifies the necessity for empowerment and user involvement and gives clear guidance as to how this core value should underpin the practice of service providers.
The financial stability of the care home has become an issue, requiring that each residential unit maintains records of all accounts and is prepared to share these with the Health and Personal Social Services Regulation and Improvement Authority on request. Basically, this is so that the Improvement Authority can ensure the financial viability of the Care Home in order that it may fulfil it's duties and achieve the aims and objectives set out in the Statement of Purpose in line with the new standards.
The legislation also demands an increased level of communication, requiring that the director of each service provision forward a monthly report to the Improvement Authority detailing his/her findings at a monthly-unannounced inspection. Audit reports must also be made available at this time. There are mixed views and opinions regarding this issue due to the sensitivity of personal financial information. However, we believe the changes to be a positive move towards providing a better and more secure service provision for service users.