Interview with Jayne Connery from CCFTV

Jayne Connery founded Care Campaign for the Vulnerable (CCFTV) some five years ago after witnessing her own mother’s negative personal experience in a care home. Being left saddened and upset back then to find that care delivery was at best mediocre and at worse neglectful. In the interview with Jayne, it seemed that she and many other older vulnerable people often with no capacity, experienced little tenderness in a place that was referred to as a ‘care home’. Yet it was clear most carers wanted to care but that the care was often falling very short.

The purpose of CCFTV was to draw attention to the plight of so many people often without an advocate to speak out for them and to call for much closer scrutiny of the care they received every day. Issues Jayne’s mother faced, she witnessed first hand, meaning that she often had to step in and address shortcomings.

On Tuesday 29th October 2019 Care Campaign For The Vulnerable will be hosting a ‘Question Time’ theme panel and audience discussion on the subject of mandatory CCTV in care homes, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Gerrard’s Cross Buckinghamshire, starting at 6pm. We asked Jayne about how she came up with the idea for the event and what she hopes the event will help to promote for CCFTV.

What ignited the idea of holding a ‘Question Time’ Style interview?

I think it’s very important to keep the discussions open and ongoing regarding safety monitoring in communal areas in care homes. This idea of a question time style interview came to me while discussing ways forward at one of our monthly meetings with my experts in care team and it’s good to bring to the table the many benefits on use of safety monitoring in care homes.  Everyone has an emotive opinion on this subject and it’s good to debate.

Fiona Bruce and David Dimbleby are both well known for challenging the people they interview, who will be taking up this role during the evening?

Fiona Bruce or Richard Dimbleby would certainly be a real bonus!!!!  I have a few individuals who I feel would be perfect for this role but I’m not saying yet!!

Who would you like to see on the panel?

I think it’s important to get a cross-view, so we will want professionals in care for and against as well as families. We want this debate to be balanced and just not a biased one. However, the aim is we are hoping those against this will have minds changed for the use of safety monitoring during this debate.  I’d like to see a representative from the CQC and CEOs of a care home service – it will also be good to get care businesses and the public involved too.

What topics do you hope will be discussed?

Topics will be the reasons for and against, privacy and dignity as well as the types of systems currently out there and why families and carers now want to see safety monitoring in care homes as stated in many recent poll surveys notably Care Home Professional

What are the benefits of holding such an event?

The benefits are to keep Safety monitoring in care very much at the forefront of everyone’s minds. Through CCFTV the subject is gaining much positive momentum and we just want to keep up the pressure, but we also want to be seen to talk about what reasons may be holding back the mandatory use in care homes.

Do you think that these kinds of public discussions are pivotal to the CCFTV campaign?

Any event or raising awareness getting people talking regarding better transparency in care is a good thing. We mustn’t forget this will affect most of us in the future. Safety and transparency in care homes affect those in care homes now and many of us in time to come. It’s imperative we keep up the momentum and we can only do this by talking and raising awareness.

Almas Industries 100% support CCFTV in their work to make safety monitoring compulsory in all communal areas of care homes. We are proud to be part of #teamccftv.