Residents of private nursing homes and their care

A study was undertaken to examine the characteristics of residents in private nursing homes, to measure residents' dependency levels, to determine the adequacy of procedures for admitting new residents and to explore general practitioners' work with residents. Details were obtained of 61 nursing homes registered by Nottingham district health authority and of a selection of residents. Information about residents provided by the nurses in charge included aspects of self care, orientation and social integration, these items contributing to a dependency score for each resident. General practitioners completed postal questionnaires. Information was sought on the numbers of residents on the general practitioners' lists, visiting patterns, and opinions on their work with residents. It was found that almost half of the reports accompanying residents on admission were considered inadequate by the nurses in charge. The 357 residents varied widely in dependency level, need for nursing care and medication; 31% had low dependency scores. Most of the residents (57%), had been admitted from hospital, 26% from their own home and 15% from other nursing or residential homes. Higher overall dependency levels, problems with mobility and continence and need for care of wounds, catheters or colostomies were more frequent in residents admitted from hospital or nursing or residential homes than in those admitted from their own home. The 70 responding general practitioners varied widely in the numbers of residents on their lists and in their visiting patterns. The 16 general practitioners providing medical care for entire nursing homes were significantly more likely than the other general practitioners to visit routinely.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)