Last year’s conference in Iceland, ‘Older and Better’, brought to light how providers are universally facing the challenges of ageing populations with a growing prevalence of neuro-degenerative conditions like dementia. Keynote speaker, Dara Ní Ghadhra, Chief Operating Officer at specialist care provider, Cornerstone Healthcare explains.
Populations the world over are getting older and with that comes higher incidence of ill health. Private providers play a key role in caring for people with physical and, increasingly, cognitive degeneration, yet the question of who pays, how much and whether profits are morally acceptable is an ongoing debate.
The ‘Older and Better’ conference in Reykjavik brought together more than 250 delegates from countries such as Canada, Sweden and the UK, to look at how adult social care operates, how it’s financed and what could be learned from each territory.
Iceland was the location because, currently, independent providers are not permitted to make profit from the care services they offer. The Icelandic health minister, Willum Þór Þórsson, was in attendance, for the first time at a conference like this, a suggestion of the challenges and whether time for change has come.
Iceland is certainly not alone in struggling with a growing need for care, and increasing numbers of adults who are physically fit but are living with neuro-degenerative conditions. Delegates shared that specialist facilities such as Cornerstone Healthcare Group were not common, so there was great interest in how we have developed a service that meets the specific needs of this client group.
Discussions also highlighted how, in the UK, we enjoy a relatively privileged position of having privately operated care facilities that are profitable and can reinvest in the services they offer.
Some do find it unpleasant that discussing the care of our most vulnerable members of society goes hand in hand with talk of financial gain, but the stark fact is there is little investment coming from elsewhere.
Independent providers and their investors have plugged a gaping hole in the sector. In the 1980s, virtually 100% of care settings were operated by local authorities. Now, that’s virtually zero. This model has ensured a continuation of supply but also allowed for the development of care environments tailored to the needs of individuals, both in terms of building design and the care provided.
Tailored care is essential to give residents the quality of life. It minimises the need for medication or additional staff because complex behaviours are well-managed. Most importantly, it prevents placement breakdowns which can be costly and very distressing both for residents and their families.
Staff in complex specialist settings are often more skilled because, for a greater part, homes are now providing a service, previously provided by hospitals, , and their level of training, and ability to make independent decisions needs greater financial reward. Without private investment, we wouldn’t be able to offer our staff the renumeration they deserve.
And we, like many other providers, can only attract inward investment because of the return that’s available. That profit can then be re-invested in new care services, such as our new facility we are opening in Wincanton in early 2024, and another that will follow in early 2025.
Of course, it’s not a perfect system here in the UK. There will always be those who take too much out of the system while care and levels of staff pay are pitifully low. But this is why the sector needs top level, independent regulation and realistic fees from funding bodies.
The ‘Older and Better’ conference opened the door to discussions about how care in Iceland is financed and structured, and we will continue to share our experience and expertise as that conversation continues.
But what is clear is that the time has come for the sector to lose its embarrassment about making money from care through people who are willing to re-invest.
@CornerstoneHCG
cornerstonehc.co.uk
Image depicts Dara Ní Ghadhra, Chief Operating Officer , Cornerstone Healthcare