Homecare standards at new high

1.32.55pm BST (GMT +0100) Sun 14th Jun 2009

• HOMECARE in Richmond upon Thames is better than ever: that is the result of a survey, carried out by Richmond Council on behalf of the Department of Health, in which 90 % of people responded positively about the care they receive.

Almost two-thirds of local people who receive support took part, with 58 % saying they were very or extremely happy with local services, an improvement of 12 % from when the survey was last carried out three years ago. The news comes in the same week as the publication of Place Survey results, which showed the borough to be the best place in London to live according to its residents.

Commenting on the Homecare survey, Cllr Denise Carr, Cabinet Member for Adult and Community Services on Richmond Council, said: "The results of the survey are very encouraging, particularly following the recent judgment by our residents that the borough is the best place to live in London. It is the job of the Council and our partners to maintain and improve these standards and how we care for the elderly is a fundamental part of this. However, there is room for improvement. Older people and their families rely on us to help make their lives as comfortable and fulfilling as possible, so it is only right that we tailor our services around what they have told us. We will work with our partners to ensure that local care services continue to improve."

A peer review scheme has been set-up to look at the services provided in the 18 older people's residential and nursing homes in the borough. A number of older people have been recruited as volunteers to visit the homes and speak to older people about their experiences.

Kim Hitchcock, Quality Monitoring Co-ordinator at Age Concern, said: "The peer review scheme is a good opportunity to seek the views of local older people about care homes in the borough. By visiting and meeting with the residents of the care homes we find out directly what is important to them and any areas which could be improved. The scheme is progressing well, our volunteers have been trained and are very committed to the scheme, and we will work with the Council to respond to any issues raised."