Red faces all round today in Britain's multi-million pound care industry as 14 homes and four care providers are nominated for OlderLivingMatters' Worst Care of the year awards - the accolade everyone is in for, but no one wants to win. Care homes throughout the country have been nominated from Portsmouth to Penrith from Gravesend to Bristol, from London to Sussex, Essex, Loughborough, Stoke and Dorchester.
IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER, THE NOMINEES SO FAR ARE:
C&V ORCHARD, WEDNESBURY
HARRY SOTNICK HOUSE, PORTSMOUTH
EBORACUM HOUSE, BARNSLEY
COLD SPRINGS PARK, PENRITH
RAVENSWOOD, STOKE ON TRENT
KINGSLAND HOUSE, SHOREHAM
NEWLANDS, STOCKPORT
TOWERHOUSE, LONDON
NEW PARK HOUSE, STOKE ON TRENT
WESTROYD, LOUGHBOROUGH
COUNDON MANOR, COVENTRY
MAUMBURY CARE HOME, DORCHESTER
ASHLEY DOWN, GRAVESEND
ST GEORGE'S BRISTOL
SOUTHERN HEALTHCARE
ESSEX COUNTY CARE/STRATHMORE CARE
AMORE
INDIGO
All the biggest firms - Care UK, Fourseasons, Barchester, Bupa and HC-One - have a dog in the fight along with second tier provider Orchard, and a host of independent operators. The standard is particularly low, with many of the homes receiving multiple negative reports from the CQC and all sitting on a current 'Inadequate' rating - the worst possible mark. Some have never had a good report while others have received poor ratings going back to 2011. All have been slated by care inspectors, who have found examples of very poor care everywhere.
In addition to Worst Care Home of 2017, OLM will be awarding a Worst Big Five Care Home and a Worst Provider - this is a hotly contested battle between one provider, which is under police investigation, and three others with stand-out bad CQC records. There may even have to be a separate category for one provider, whose record really sets it apart.