13.07.2015 Views

Improving Quality of Life for Older People in Long-Stay Care ...

Improving Quality of Life for Older People in Long-Stay Care ...

Improving Quality of Life for Older People in Long-Stay Care ...

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS
  • No tags were found...

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

to identify and liaise with other relevant stakeholders, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g the IHSAB,representatives from the HSE <strong>in</strong>spectorate, residents and carers, nurs<strong>in</strong>gand midwifery plann<strong>in</strong>g and development units etc. when develop<strong>in</strong>g thesestandards so that standards reflect overall health policy and strategies.While all <strong>of</strong> these <strong>in</strong>itiatives are to be welcomed, particularly the HAIRC <strong>in</strong>itiativewith its focus on quality <strong>of</strong> life, it is essential that there is greater <strong>in</strong>tegration <strong>of</strong>these separate <strong>in</strong>itiatives <strong>in</strong> order to avoid overlap and duplication. Coord<strong>in</strong>ation <strong>of</strong>the sett<strong>in</strong>g and measurement <strong>of</strong> quality standards is necessary at a national level <strong>in</strong>order to ensure consistency and a comprehensive uni<strong>for</strong>m approach to quality <strong>in</strong>long-stay care. The overall goal must be the development <strong>of</strong> national care standardsthat cover quality <strong>of</strong> life as well as quality <strong>of</strong> care, <strong>for</strong> application <strong>in</strong> all care sett<strong>in</strong>gs.It is imperative that any national <strong>in</strong>itiative recognises the importance <strong>of</strong> quality <strong>of</strong> life<strong>of</strong> older people <strong>in</strong> long-stay care and develops policies accord<strong>in</strong>gly.2.8 International Developments58The <strong>in</strong>creased awareness by governments <strong>of</strong> the need to monitor and improvethe quality <strong>of</strong> long-stay care is reflected <strong>in</strong> the numerous policy <strong>in</strong>itiatives developedand implemented <strong>in</strong> many OECD countries. Three broad approaches have beenused to monitor and guarantee better quality <strong>in</strong> long-stay care. Firstly, there hasbeen <strong>in</strong>creased monitor<strong>in</strong>g by regulators and purchasers; secondly, the commitmentto quality improvement on the part <strong>of</strong> providers <strong>of</strong> care has been enhanced; andthirdly, market competition and consumer <strong>in</strong><strong>for</strong>mation have been strengthened(OECD, 2005).It has been accepted <strong>in</strong> most OECD countries that providers <strong>of</strong> long-stay careshould be more accountable and should con<strong>for</strong>m to a set <strong>of</strong> external standards.These standards are <strong>of</strong>ten a precondition <strong>for</strong> the licens<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> <strong>in</strong>stitutions and thefailure to adhere to such standards and regulations may lead to a nurs<strong>in</strong>g homelicence be<strong>in</strong>g revoked. Traditionally, standards have focused on care rather than onquality <strong>of</strong> life, but this has begun to change <strong>in</strong> recent years, albeit slowly. Examples<strong>of</strong> various government <strong>in</strong>itiatives to improve the quality <strong>of</strong> long-term care <strong>in</strong>cludethe <strong>Care</strong> Standards Act 2000 <strong>in</strong> the UK, the Nurs<strong>in</strong>g Home Re<strong>for</strong>m Act <strong>of</strong> 1987 <strong>in</strong>the USA, the Aged <strong>Care</strong> Act 1997 <strong>in</strong> Australia and the Health and Disability Services(Safety) Act 2001 <strong>in</strong> New Zealand. The care standards outl<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>in</strong> these Acts arequite complex as they tend to cover a wide range <strong>of</strong> criteria <strong>in</strong> respect <strong>of</strong> structure,<strong>Improv<strong>in</strong>g</strong> <strong>Quality</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Life</strong> <strong>for</strong> <strong>Older</strong> <strong>People</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>Long</strong>-<strong>Stay</strong> <strong>Care</strong> Sett<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>in</strong> Ireland

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!