The importance of nursing homes and the quality of care for the elderly in the UK cannot be understated. Old people are the most rapidly-growing section of society in the UK and it will not be long until the number of people living in care homes, which already stands at over 420,000, will hit half a million.

Making the decision to move an elderly person into a care home is one of the most difficult, emotionally wrought moments of anyone’s life. It is something that we all wish was not necessary, and that is not a damning indictment on care homes. It would simply be much easier if it were possible for all elderly people to continue the independent lives that they did as younger people. But the reality is that many older people require round-the-clock care and the best place for them to get it is in a care home or a nursing home.

Care home neglect

It is a sad truth that, over the last few decades, a significant number of people who work in nursing homes have been found to have been abusing their position of trust by treating their elderly patients badly. At times this ill-treatment is frighteningly deliberate and purposefully harmful, while other incidents have involved care standards being allowed to slip to levels that constitute neglect on the part of care home staff.

Neglect can take many forms, some more harmful than others, but all are completely unacceptable and the Care Standards Act was introduced in 2000 to ensure that any care home whose practices were found to fall below acceptable levels are exposed to the full force of the law.

Forms of care home neglect

Proper nutrition is one of the first things on people’s minds when they inspect a nursing home for its suitability. Often, during a tour of a nursing home, we are shown a sparkling kitchen where sumptuous meals are being prepared and we are left with no incline that our loved ones might ever go hungry. But malnutrition and dehydration are surprisingly common problems in care homes, with some patients suffering terrible hunger and thirst as staff fail to meet their responsibilities.

The safety and cleanliness of living quarters are of paramount concern to elderly patients and their families. The thought of any elderly person being left alone in dirty, unhygienic, unsafe rooms hardly bares thinking about, but it happens on an all-too frequent basis.

Other worryingly common problems that arise out of the negligent attitudes and behaviours from care home staff include inadequate medical care for elderly patients who require particular medications, and also the failure to prevent harmful accidents from occurring within care homes by carrying out proper supervision and assistive care.

Compensation for care home negligence

Nursing home care is not cheap and the responsibilities of care home staff should not be taken lightly. If an elderly person is harmed in any way due to negligence on the part of care home staff, that person is entitled to compensation and it is important that old people are given access to that compensation where appropriate.