Having recently looked around several homes in the district for a place for my mother I think this system of rating is a really good idea.
As far as I am concerned all homes should have three stars. I visited two real gems where the staff were lovely, well trained and provided stimulation and activities. Unfortunately I also visited a few where the only positive things I could say would be "safe-ish" and "warm".
Two of them would have been unacceptable even for my dog. Admittedly she is fussy but I think the smell and the food would have made her gip.
The attitude of the staff in these homes was also poor. One care assistant could not look at my mother to speak to her, even after I had mentioned that she needed to do this because of slight deafness.
Whether this was because of the wheelchair or lack of confidence I don't know. Both these homes were in the two-star category so please don't be fooled into thinking that two stars always means good.
I wonder if any of our councillors would agree to spend a full week in one of these places with less than three stars, eating, sleeping and trying to fill their days without dying of boredom. It would be interesting to know if they found them acceptable.
Maggie Gee