In my professional life working in many different care homes, I have been saddened by the lack of understanding about the increasing need for a higher set of gerontology skills and lack of recognition of the need for dedicated specialist generalists in the care of older people.

Care homes are dealing with people with the most complex conditions and probably is the only sector that is managing long term conditions on a daily basis. This is unlike the NHS who is set up to treat acute episodes of illness. At both ends of life specialists are beneficial as in the case of new-borns and premature babies which I have seen at first hand with my new grandchildren, twin boys who needed very skilled holistic care, similar to when someone reaches the end of their lives, who require a different set of skills to support end of life care. This is to enable the person to flourish in their humanity and have close contact with their close family members that have significance to them.

However, I was heartened to read today as a result of the pandemic possibility of a significant move towards much needed change. This must be non political, cross party, systemic, co-ordinated fully integrated and funded national care system. Having parity for a workforce of status and pay for a job that is valued and properly taught with a legitimate career pathway is well overdue. The country will need to have an additional half a million workers over the next ten years or so. We developed and piloted Elizabeth Care to provide a graduated learning route in the specialist care of older people that goes beyond the level of skills training to address educational and behavioural approaches underpinned by an outcomes based person centred framework designed to deliver relationship activated care. This is designed to help implement best practice in person centred ways, to meet the bespoke needs of individuals within a relationship triangle with the older person, their family and the staff delivering care enabled by an empowering management.

Ref: The 360 Standard Framework.