How I Turn Around Failing Care Homes

In this episode of the Care CEO Success Stories podcast, host Adam James of Springup PR speaks to Lucy Corner, Managing Director of Cornerstone Care Solutions. Lucy, a dual registered nurse with a background in the NHS, unravels the nuances of reviving care homes on the brink of failure through her extensive background in nursing and her proficiency in transforming struggling homes Lucy provides invaluable insights for care providers seeking operational and financial success including: •     Lucy's journey from managing nursing homes to establishing Cornerstone Care Solutions as well as how she found that she had, "a skill for the financial side and quite enjoyed the strategy of looking at failing homes." •     The scenarios that often precede a care home's decline, emphasising the impact of high turnover among managers and staff and how it is often down to "issues with the culture and lots of whistleblowing staff, lots of incidents, accidents, problems." •     Insights into red flags to watch for, including financial indicators like "late payment of wages" and quality red flags such as residents losing weight and developing pressure sores. •     Providers are urged to proactively monitor financial and quality indicators. Lucy recommends, having a second oversight of the service with an operations manager or a quality monitoring team. •     How external consultants can play a crucial role. Lucy emphasises, "We can do quarterly, six monthly or even monthly reviews of a service to let people know how they measure and whether they're improving, staying the same or getting worse." •     Lucy stresses the paramount importance of prioritising quality care, and how "people need to know what's going on in their care homes." •     With changing inspection methods, Lucy advocates a "robust documentation of improvement plans," and evidence showcasing "continuous enhancements." She explains how, with the new methodology with CQC, there'll be a portal that you can upload this evidence.