Now don’t get me wrong – if a TV programme is the only way of highlighting the terrible abuse that has happened in some places, then so be it. I will fight for the rest of my days to ensure our vulnerable population gets good quality care and I will campaign tirelessly for them to enjoy the best quality of life, not simply to experience the absence of abuse.

Poor quality care has to be called out, bad practice needs to be eliminated, but is continual negative press the best way to bring about change?

I would say the continual negative press is actually detrimental to driving quality in care.

A large part of my role is to chat to residents and relatives about their experience of the care received. Only occasionally do residents or relatives raise concerns about the level of care they are experiencing. During my time as an inspector for the 4th largest CCG , I visited many services and came across all standards of care. Some were very much left wanting in the area of quality care and environment.

As our team visited services that left much to be desired, we wondered why people still described their care as very good. Why when there were rips in the carpets, broken call bells, fraying bed sheets and chipped crockery would anyone think they were in a good place? It was something I discussed with colleagues and something I reflect on as I continue in my role as quality consultant.

My first conclusion is that, quite often, the residents of such home come from a demographic that have lived in similar conditions in their own homes! Not all people share a sense of pride in their environment, or consider it necessary to replace fraying bed sheets – as long as they don’t have holes in the middle, why get rid of them? They do not get why inspectors have to insist flooring is repaired and bedding replaced when it deteriorates to such a degree and this may be a reason for perceiving their care home as good.

Could there be any other influences on the general acceptance of lower standards? I think yes – and that’s where the negativity and sensationalism of ‘Panorama’ and the ‘Dispatches’ type expose programmes impact the drive for quality. If the general public get the impression that the issues broadcast in their programmes is common place, their expectations will be low. In the eyes of residents and relatives (and sometimes even staff) any care received that is better than abusive will be considered good care. This is the curse of low expectations. Anything above low means the provider has exceeded the expectations of their client group and gets feedback that their customers are happy.

We should not be settling for this – we should be showing the general public what GREAT care looks like, not just showing them programmes exposing abuse within some settings. By consistently broadcasting negative stories, we are conditioning people to expect negative experiences. Therefore if we concentrate on exposing the public to more positive stories, surely their expectations will be raised. By showcasing the good care given, we also raise the profile and value of the social care workforce and make it easier to attract better talent to the sector because the job isn’t tainted by continual bad press.

Raised expectations and better care should be our aim, day in day out, year in year out. Let’s publicise the good more often than the bad for the benefit of clients and staff.