The aim of this review was to look at how well the health care needs of people living in care homes were met, based on commissioning and provider behaviours. The scope for the review set out to consider practice not just in individual care homes, but to focus attention on the rights of people in care homes to access NHS services that met their needs. This included GP services and pathways for continence care, NHS support for care homes to ensure quality of health care through direct provision of district nursing services, and training for care home staff.

It addressed:

• How people living in care homes access health care services.
• Whether they have choice and control over their health care.
• Whether the care they receive is safe and respects their dignity.

The inspectors visited 81 care homes from within nine primary care trust areas and spoke to managers, residents and staff as well as observing care and checking case files. The key findings of the report included:

• More than three-quarters of the care plans we checked had considered the views of the resident
• Ninety-six per cent of care homes identified the changing health care needs of residents through informal or responsive monitoring.