CQC’s dignity and nutrition inspection programme (Dani) investigated the quality of care for older people in residential care homes. I designed and implemented a multi-channel communicaitons strategy for the programme that concluded many homes (one in six) were failing basic standards. The creative film clip was produced on a tight budget within a tight timeframe, using professional actors and a Bafta-winning TV director who had all volunteered. The clip supported media coverage across all mainstream news channels as well as online/social media.
A Channel Four investigation
The demise of care home giant Southern Cross
Several individual high-profile deaths in Southern Cross care homes threw the spotlight on this failing provider rather than CQC’s own insight. The largest adult social care group in the country was also the first ever to go into administration – a tumultuous challenge that threatened to make homeless 30,000 vulnerable people in 580 homes. I led stakeholder and media response to escalating concerns about the quality of its care, while CQC targeted emergency inspections at it’s homes.
Privately, it was known the company would go into administration and I joined a working group with DH and the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services to plan the transfer of home ownership to the rest of the industry and avoid having to move any residents, considering evidence that transfering vulnerable people who are often older, has an impact on their health/outcomes.
Under a barrage of requests for information about corporate performance, I balanced the need for transparency with the fact that extreme negative coverage could tip the company over the edge. I designed a set of data, aware of the impact media coverage had on the company’s share price, and selected the team at Ch4 to share this information with, trusting them to be balanced, fair and accurate. I worked closely with partners DH and ADASS throughout the period of the company’s wind down and during the transition of the services to other providers, delivering regular updates to all audiences. The full transfer of housing stock was completed before the company collapsed and the campaign was thus successful.
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Whistle blowing
Care homes suffer huge rise in whistle blowers complaints
This is a single piece of media coverage that played a significant role in reversing CQC’s reputational damage after the Winterbourne View scandal. I worked with CQC’s team of analysts to scrutinise data and build a positive narrative when The Times’ chief political reporter FOI’ed asking for data on whistleblowing. I also briefed her verbally ahead of publication.
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