Southern Trust working with local care homes to improve resident experience

by Gráinne Connolly

The Southern Trust and the Public Health Agency are working with local Care Homes to help improve the experience of people living in care homes.

The Department of Health has identified Transformation Funding to help improve the quality, safety and experience of people living in Care Homes across Northern Ireland.

A number of proposals are being developed to support care homes and Trusts in the provision of care for residents including; education and training, recruitment and retention of staff, reducing unnecessary hospital admissions for residents and enhancing care home support teams.

Local care home managers have participated in a workshop hosted by the Trust in order to share best practice in enhancing the quality and safety of care for residents.

(Front) Monica McAllister, Assistant Director of Older People’s Services Southern Trust, Kathy Fodey Senior Programme Manager, Public Health Agency, Melanie McClements, Director of Older People and Primary Care and  Heather Trouton, Acting Director of Nursing, Southern Trust.

(Back) Gary Cousins, Nurse Consultant for Care Homes, Public Health Agency, Aileen Mulligan, Head of Service Care Home Support Team, Southern Trust, Stephen Barry, Southern ICP, Catriona Campbell Project Manager Care Homes Transformation (Education & Training), Clinical Education Centre.

Director of Older People and Primary Care for the Southern Health and Social Care Trust, Melanie McClements explains:

“We aim to support as many people as possible to live independently, for as long as possible in their own homes.

"However we do recognise that as people live longer with more complex needs, there is a need for high quality nursing and residential home places to provide extra support for those people with the most complex needs.

"Our local care homes provide excellent care to some of our most vulnerable people  and we are delighted to work together with them to help address the challenges we face and improve the overall quality of life for our care home population into the future.”