Do you need specific qualifications to own a care/nursing home?
Posted on 7th September 2022 at 15:47
To own a care home, you must be registered with CQC. You will need to demonstrate that you have the relevant experience, aptitude, and business skills necessary to run a care home. You will also need to have a sincere desire to care for the elderly, have the appropriate management skills to organise staff and be able deal with the authorities and keep maintain good records/administration.
A provider can be one of three types of legal entity:
• individual
• partnership
• organisation.
When you apply for registration, it is important to understand which type of legal entity you are to ensure the correct application is made. Partnerships and organisations will need to nominate one individual to take on the role of care provider.
As well as a registered care provider, every care home must also have a registered ‘care manager.’ To qualify for this position, you must have at least two years’ experience in senior care management plus an NVQ Level 4 in Care and Management.
In addition, at least half of your staff must be trained to NVQ Level 2. Finding and retaining staff of the right calibre can cause problems. This may have a negative impact on the level of care you are able to provide unless you can provide sufficient incentive for good people to stay.
The following information is paraphrased from the government website www.gov.uk:
You may only manage a nursing home if you are fit to do so. You must:
• be of good character
• be physically and mentally fit
• have satisfactory information available
• have the necessary qualifications, skills, and experience
You must make sure that your service protects the health, safety, and welfare of users, and that you regularly review the quality of your services.
You must take such training as is appropriate to ensure that you have the necessary experience and skills.
You must ensure that each service user receives safe and appropriate care, by means of:
• assessing the needs of the user
• planning and delivering care and treatment to meet individual needs, ensure the welfare and safety of the user, follow any published best practice guidance, and avoid unlawful discrimination
You must protect service users against the risks of inappropriate or unsafe care, by operating systems which enable you to:
• regularly assess and monitor the quality of the services provided against the requirements
• identify, assess, and manage risks
• where necessary, amend the care provided
• ensure that decisions are taken at the appropriate level, and the appropriate people are held accountable
You must keep accurate records on each service user.
The government has changed its guidelines regularly in the last twenty years due to many contributory factors and changes have been varied. At the heart of those changes though, is the need for qualified staff; be that care home managers, owners, or auxiliary staff. It is therefore imperative that nursing homes and care homes train everyone appropriately – from owners/managers to cleaners, volunteers, and everyone in between.
References
Government Website accessed 06.09.2022
https://www.gov.uk/nursing-homes-registration-england
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