New Inspection Scheme for Care Homes and Home Care Agencies

Wednesday, 16th July 2014

The government is shortly expected to announce the extension of a system of special measures designed to improve failing hospitals to care homes and home care agencies in England.

The process was introduced by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) a year ago at 11 failing trusts. Most have since made progress - although only five have been or are being taken out of special measures.

The proposed scheme will cover 25,000 care services and could lead to the closure of those that fail to improve.

The system is not expected to start until April 2015 as the ratings regime it is based on will only be rolled out in the social care system from the autumn.

The ratings, based on a system first used in schools, give health and care services a rating of outstanding, good, requires improvement or inadequate.

Nadra Ahmed, chairman of the National Care Association, told the BBC that anything that safeguarded vulnerable people "has got to be good". But she said she did have concerns about how the new measures would be implemented and the financial pressures on care homes put into special measures, questioning whether a home in special measures would be able to continue to function.

Judy Downey, the chairwomen of the Relatives and Residents' Association, said it was not clear how the system would change.

"The CQC have always had the power to close a home on an emergency basis, they can give warnings to improve, they can impose fines. I really don't see what this adds," she said.

Since its introduction in 2013, this process has seen hospitals placed into special measures be closely scrutinized by regulators, experience management changes, buddying schemes with successful trusts and an improvement director being parachuted in to oversee any changes that need to be made.

Ministers hail the process a success - even though not all of the 11 original trusts identified as failing have improved enough to leave special measures.

It is believed that the failure regime may also be rolled out to GP surgeries in the future.

For more details on this story please visit: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-28308104