How to Balance Comfort, Safety, and Compliance for Care Homes in the UK

Did you know that approximately 350,000 older people will need care beds by 2050? Besides, the healthcare sector will experience a shortfall of roughly 58,000 beds by 2035. While the demand for care beds is rising in the country, it allows you to design and deliver a safe and comfortable care home facility for old people in the UK.

If you think building and maintaining a care home facility in the country is as easy as building a Residential property, think again. A reliable residential care home must have a wide range of activities for residents, a qualified nurse, and properly maintained rooms and facilities.

If you want to know how to build a safe and comfortable care home facility for old people, this blog is for you. With us, learn to make a comfortable care home with safety and compliance.

Comfort: Developing a Homely Environment

New spaces can be complex for old people to cope with at first. To make them feel comfortable in the new environment, your care home facility should comfort them. They must feel safe and comfortable talking with any staff member; they should have enough space for comfortable living.

Moreover, the place should provide a comfortable common space for social communication.  You can maintain a beautiful garden with colourful flowers and plants. If staff at the facility offer security for the residents, they can socially engage in the common space. If they communicate with other people freely, they will respond better to treatment.

Besides, your care home should be suitable for people with all difficulties. Some may come with dementia or other mental health issues. You should ensure they get a safe home and that others don’t feel troubled.

This is why you would need expert workers with proper training to make the space comfortable for everyone. Property design and staff behaviour are essential for maintaining a cosy space.

Safety: Design for Resident and Staff Welfare

When you design a care home, you must design a safe space for residents and staff. Let’s find out how to make a safe care home space for all.

• Patient safety
  Elderly people often do not have control over their muscles. It may cause them to fall on the ground and injure themselves.

Data suggest that approximately 8,500 people aged 80 or above fall on the ground daily in the UK. To prevent such an incident, you may install non-slippery floor tiles, install a grabrail at the side of the staircase, etc.

Besides, your staff should be trained to make the area free of infection and diseases. Regular cleaning will ensure that patients are safe from infectious diseases.

• Staff safety

Most care facilities challenge workers with work pressure and consequent burnout. If your care home facility is designed to reduce the workload of the workers, it would be a great source of motivation for them.

Install restrooms and common rooms for staff to take frequent breaks while working. A centralised medical facility would be great for care at home staff to get necessary supplies easily.

Compliance: Care Standards

The Care Quality Commission in the UK provides guidelines regarding service standards in the UK care homes. Under the Health and Social Care Act 2008, the commission regulates practices in care homes.

At care homes, sufficient staff must be available to meet residents' needs. Residents should not be neglected or denied freedom in the facility. If the Care Quality Commission finds a breach of any regulations, it might take  Legal action against you.

Balancing Comfort, Safety, and Compliance

Always ensure that the care home facility you design offers optimal facilities to the care recipients. Leverage modern technologies to deliver better care facilities. For example, smart technology can detect patient faults and alert the responsible staff immediately.

Besides, you can design your buildings to meet various needs. Rooms should be built that can be adapted to different needs. Moreover, you can involve all the stakeholders in designing a care home and improving the safety of residents and workers.

Concluding remarks

You can start building care homes that offer safety, comfort, and compliance with regulations. However, if you hire a professional care home builder, it will be easier to maintain all aspects of resident safety. Moreover, you would have to consider the safety and security of staff. They will provide better service to the residents if they have a comfortable workplace. It will help you maintain safety and comply with health regulations.