As per the Care Quality Commission’s report, the best care homes are the ones that look “beyond people’s medical conditions”. A good care home has to provide physical and emotional support to residents, helping them feel comfortable. If you are a care home manager and looking for ways to improve your care home, here are some questions you must ask yourself:
Question 1: Does my care home offer person-centered care?
Person-centered care emphasizes the individual needs and preferences of the person receiving care. It is based on the principles of respect, dignity and equality and recognizes the unique contribution that each person can make to their own care. Person-centered care is about more than just providing choice and control; it is also about being sensitive to individual desires and needs.
Question 2: Do I seek feedback from residents and caregivers?
One way to promote a culture of continuous improvement in your care home is to conduct regular resident and resident family surveys. These surveys should ask for suggestions on what can be improved and what is working well. In addition, it is important to ensure that staff feels supported and heard. When staff feels supported, they are more likely to be satisfied with their jobs and provide high-quality care.
Question 3: Am I an effective manager?
As a care home manager, it is important to be decisive to effectively lead your team. Being able to make decisions quickly and confidently will show your staff that you are in control and capable of leading them. To become an effective care home manager you have to:
● Show trust in staff: By distributing tasks among your team, you can ensure that everyone is able to contribute their skills and knowledge to provide the utmost care to the residents. Not only does this make better use of the team’s time and resources, but it also builds trust between you and your staff. Staff who feel trusted are more likely to perform at their best and achieve the common goals of your care home.
● Set a good example: Care home staff are the ones who interact with residents. As such, it is essential that they feel motivated and inspired by you. One of the best ways to ensure that your employees remain committed to their work is to gain their professional respect. This can be done by setting a good example and being a high achiever. When employees see that you are someone who they can look up to and emulate, they are more likely to be fully invested in running your care home successfully.
Question 4: How do I manage medication administration in my care home?
Medication administration is an important indicator of the quality of care being provided in care homes. To ensure that the best medication management practices are followed, you can switch to an electronic MAR system (medication administration records). This can help to eliminate paper-based hassles. There are many benefits of implementing the electronic MAR system. Some of them include – eMAR sends alerts to care home staff when drugs are due, eliminates paperwork and makes it easy for staff to make weekly, monthly and quarterly reports. If you want to streamline medication administration at your care home, book an eMAR demo.
Question 5: How do I ensure that the resident records are maintained properly?
Many care homes in the UK are implementing the best EMR system to ensure that the records including medical and treatment history are maintained properly and updated regularly.
Question 6: Does my care home have a homely atmosphere?
A good care home should be a place where residents feel part of a supportive community. There are several ways to create a homely atmosphere in your care home, such as:
● Involving residents’ family members in social activities can help to foster a sense of connection and belonging.
● Facilitating leisure activities helps to keep residents in your care home engaged and supports their independence.
● Providing opportunities for residents to interact with each other on a daily basis helps to build relationships. When all of these elements are present, residents will feel supported and will
thrive in their new environment.
