HC-One Chairman, Dr Chai Patel, is a member of the Demos Commission on Residential Care which launched its report on 3rd September 2014. The report outlined recommendations towards improving the provision of residential care in the UK. Dr Patel took part in the year-long Commission, which was supported by leading think tank, Demos and led by former Care Minister, Rt Hon Paul Burstow MP. The Commission was formed with the aim of developing a vision of residential care, or ‘housing with care’ that is fit for the 21st Century. Among the number of recommendations in its report, the Commission proposes more colocation in the sector, meaning combining care properties with educational institutions or community centres such as Nursery groups or Libraries. This already happens in the United States and enables Residents living in care villages to attend courses and be a vital part of a diverse community.

The Commission found that people with first-hand experience of co-location and housing with care, generally hold more positive views and are more likely to consider care homes for themselves. Another strong recommendation is to encourage surplus land, such as that currently held by NHS Trusts, to be sold so that care homes and supported living apartments can be built to meet the increasing demand of a fast ageing population and an increase in younger people with complex health needs. The Demos Commission brought together academics, industry experts and providers to explore the future of the ‘housing with care’ sector which covered all related aspects including care homes, villages and supported living for older and disabled people. As part of supporting the Commission’s report, a team from BBC 2’s Newsnight visited HC-One’s Adelaide Care Home in Bexleyheath, Kent and interviewed a small number of Residents and relatives about their experience of care.

The footage from the filming at Adelaide was aired on Newsnight on Tuesday 2nd September 2014 to coincide with the launch of the Commission’s report and Residents and relatives spoke highly of the care they receive from HC-One. Speaking about the Commission on residential care, Dr Chai Patel said; “I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to be part of the Demos Commission on residential care and to share the lessons we have learnt from caring for older people in over 200 HC-One homes all around the country. “The report is the result of 12 months of hard work, drawing on expertise from across the sector. For me it carries an important message – that residential care is an essential part of this country’s health and social care system, and it is time that its importance is recognised and championed by those in Westminster, Whitehall and town halls throughout the UK. “The report carries a number of bold recommendations for improving the sector, including combining care homes with other local services such as Nurseries, Libraries and Doctors Surgeries to create care villages within a diverse community. The research shows that the more people that come into contact with care, the more positively they view it and the more likely they are to consider it an option as they grow older.”