Mention the words "residential care" and "documentary" to most people in the social care sector and it would be no surprise to hear that the shocking BBC Panorama exposé on Winterbourne View would be the first thing that springs to mind. So when the care home provider HC-One announced that its managing director, Pam Finnis, would be featuring in Channel 4's Undercover Boss series, many were surprised at the move by the organisation that took over a third of Southern Cross's homes last year.
The basis of the programme is that a boss observes workers doing their jobs by posing as a newcomer to the workforce. Finnis explained on the programme that she wanted to show that the company "provides the kindest care". She added in an interview with the social care network: "People have said that it was a brave move, but so much hard work goes on in care, and I wanted people to see that. I wanted to help change public perceptions around care."
HC-One was set up in November last year and now cares for more than 10,000 residents in 241 homes around the country, employing more than 14,000 staff. "We are also such a new company that I wanted to see what staff and residents thought," Finnis explained.
She added: "I made it very clear to Channel 4, right from the start, what I felt would have been appropriate to film and what would not have been. It was not an undercover type exposé.
"The opportunity for me to go undercover offered a very different scenario, visiting homes as managing director. As anywhere, people act differently when the boss comes in. I think I am down to earth, but people often see the title, instead of who I am."
Responses to the programme were mixed. On Twitter, viewers were split. Some championed two of the care home staff featured in the programme – one who regularly came into work on her days off and another who stayed in the job despite being unable to afford to pay his phone bill because he loved the work. Others challenged the "ignorance" of senior management who accepted that they do not employ enough night staff.
Finnis acknowledges the strain that care home providers are under; despite the private care industry being worth £10bn, 80 per cent of residents at HC-One homes are funded by local authorities, which are currently being forced to cut down on adult social care costs. "It's frustrating and can be unpleasant", she states, "but we need to be as positive as possible."
She feels that the programme did offer a positive reflection of aspects of elderly care, however: "As a whole I think the show was received positively. I received lots of emails about it; one care home administrator said to me: 'Thank you, this is what care is really like'."
The end of the show, which was broadcast on Monday 30 July, saw Finnis present her recommendations to the company board following her time "undercover". She describes the measures that the company is implementing and looking at changing as a result of the experiment.
"We've announced NVQ enhancements. This week we told staff that those with a NVQ 2 or 3 will receive a 15p per hour increase in pay – and this is across all departments. In terms of the pay review, we are collecting data and looking at rates that we will pull together and present to the board.
"The 'kindness in care' criteria has been finalised, and we will be rolling out the monthly awards in care homes across the country in September. Winners will also receive shopping vouchers. We've invested a quarter of a million in them.
"We're putting in more training and support systems, including e-learning programmes, an online forum and courses on raising awareness around dementia. We also need to look at training and supervision for night staff to ensure that we give them the same level of support as day staff. I want every member of the team to feel valued."
When questioned about the feedback that she gave to staff – she told one care worker that he had not correctly explained to a resident that staff were using a hoist – the managing director justified her criticism by explaining that the company had to learn lessons from the experience.
"Because there were things identified throughout the programme, I couldn't then not bring them up at the end of the show. Some people may have found it uncomfortable, but we have to learn lessons. People would have questioned me if I didn't raise it at the end of the programme. It wasn't meant to be detrimental."
There was no doubt that there were risks for HC-One in being featured in the series, as anyone can see by taking a look at the #UndercoverBoss hashtag feed on Twitter. Ultimately, however, Finnis suggested that the fact that the company that stemmed from Southern Cross readily welcomed cameras into homes may signal a change in the care sector.
"Southern Cross was a huge company. Could we have done things differently? Possibly. There, I couldn't make a difference, but HC-One is a new company with a different management structure. I can invest in ways that I couldn't before. I can affect change.
"I know people said that it was a brave thing to do, but I don't think it was brave – it was honest."
This article is published by Guardian Professional. Join the social care network to receive regular emails and exclusive offers.
