Independent care homes are invariably smaller (10-27 beds) with approximately 25% owned and managed by families or small groups of local shareholders, and the lions share of approximately 75% being within the voluntary sector Each company may own a small number of homes, (1 to 25 care establishments). Each has a small management team with a senior clinical member of staff with a nursing background, often referred to as “Matron”.
The role of the care home is to provide 24 hour care for patients’ resident within the home. These residents come from the local community. Some patients will remain resident within the care facility on a permanent basis whilst some (the minority) will reside in the home for a short period of respite care.
The care staff are legally responsible for assessing, managing and ensuring the delivery of the specific care needs of each resident. The Matron along with the care home owner is legally and professionally accountable for the care provided by the homes staff to those patients within their sphere of responsibility. This includes the prevention and treatment of pressure damage.
To enable the delivery of appropriate level of care, staff utilise various care aids and equipment. These are purchased from manufacturers or distributors by the home staff. Often the responsibility for purchasing pressure relieving equipment is held by the home Matron or owner. If the latter is undertaken the Matron will have a clinical influence over which equipment is appropriate for the patients care needs. On occasions centralised purchasing will take place if the home is part of a local care group or chain. Often the choice of pressure relieving equipment used will be influenced by the personal preferences of the local community tissue viability nurse. This may be governed by local contracts with their employing PCT. Although independent care homes are not forced to adopt these approved manufacturers significant professional pressure may be brought to bear on home owners and Matrons to conform.
Pressure relieving equipment provision within independent care homes is a contentious issue. Most local authorities accept that this equipment is necessary to facilitate appropriate patient care but few actually determine what level of equipment each home should own. In addition, there is generally no additional funding give to care homes to purchase this equipment from social or health acre budgets. Homes are therefore forced to raise funding for this equipment from any profit margins accrued, from fund raising or from individual donations.
Other forms of independent care homes include Voluntary Care homes. These are typically nursing home/s provided by religious groups such as the Charitable Sisters of Mercy or provided by a specific medical charitable organisation such as SCOPE. These can be of a larger size (90 bedrooms for instance), with each matron purchasing for each home, but occasionally operating through centralised purchasing.
Squirrel Medical manufacture a series of dynamic air mattresses specifically for the independent care home sector.
