CQC examination reveals South East hardest hit by care home coronavirus deaths
A woman who lost her father in the worst days of the covid pandemic has welcomed a new report by the Care Quality Commission into the deaths in residential homes. The CQC admitted that the virus has been ‘devastating’ for so many homes and said that lessons have been learned. Jean Adamson, whose father Aldrick […]
The 14 Kent care homes in Sittingbourne, Dartford, Ashford, Dover and more rated ‘outstanding’
Fourteen Kent care homes have been rated the best in the county by an independent watchdog. Inspectors from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) regularly visit care homes to find out whether the service is safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. There are four ratings given to health and social care services – these are Outstanding, Good, Requires […]
The 7 Kent care homes rated ‘inadequate’ by the Care Quality Commission
The seven Kent care homes that have been rated the worst by a watchdog can be revealed. Independent inspectors from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) regularly visit care homes to find out whether the service is safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. There are four ratings given to health and social care services – these are […]
CQC Announces Detail Of New Inspection Strategy
As a result of COVID-19, routine inspections were suspended in March 2020. Since that time CQC has been adapting to the problems caused by this and reviewing the way they inspect. On 14 June 2021 CQC announced further changes to the way they monitor regulated services by issuing the following statement: “The developments we’re announcing […]
Livi becomes first online GP provider rated ‘outstanding’ by CQC
Livi has become the first online GP provider to be rated ‘outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). In 2020, just 5% of GP practices were awarded the ‘outstanding’ label and only one other digital healthcare provider has previously been given an overall rating of ‘outstanding’ – paediatric service The Children’s e-Hospital. Livi enables patients […]
GUEST COLUMN: Everything you need to know about the registration process
Abi Spence, a Registration and Inspection specialist for Quality Compliance Systems (QCS), offers guidance for new provides on the registration process. For new providers seeking to open a service, registration is a mandatory first step. Providers cannot open without it. But often it is not an easy hurdle to negotiate. It can be a long […]
Bedford care home staff found guilty of ill-treatment and neglect after secret film footage
Three members of staff at a Bedford care home have been found guilty of ill-treatment and wilfully neglecting an elderly resident after her family installed cameras to capture the treatment she was receiving. Willows Care Home on Shakespeare Road was home to the 88-year-old great-grandmother, for two years after she began to suffer from dementia. […]
London home care branch becomes first in UK to receive three consecutive outstanding ratings
Home Instead Wimbledon and Kingston has become the first home care provider in the country to have received three consecutive CQC outstanding ratings. Home Instead has maintained its rating from its last inspection in 2018 with achieving ‘outstanding’ for being effective, responsive and well-led. In its report, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) highlighted how well-led […]
CQC sets out plans to scrap routine on-site GP practice inspections
The CQC has set out plans to move away from routine on-site inspections of GP practices, as part of a consultation process to improve how the it assesses primary care services. Changes proposed the CQC could see practices assessed less frequently, with on-site inspections only triggered by ‘changes in quality’ as opposed to happening within […]
Plans for Carlisle care home with 80 rooms approved
PROPOSALS to build a Carlisle care home with 80 ensuite rooms has been approved. The Angela Swift Development Group, a builder based in Harrogate, has got planning permission for the site of the former Langrigg House care home, on Langrigg Road, Morton. The £7m development will provide residential, dementia and respite care for elderly people and about […]
Royal Cornwall Hospital NHS Trust told to ‘make improvements’ after incidents put patients at risk
An NHS Trust in Cornwall has been told to make improvements by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) following a series of incidents which put the safety of patients at risk. Three hospitals run by the Royal Cornwall Hospital NHS Trust were visited by health watchdogs in December after reports of seven ‘never’ events earlier in […]
CQC to explore ‘longstanding concerns’ over potential ratings bias against BAME GPs
The CQC is planning to investigate ‘longstanding concerns’ that black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) GP partners may be more likely to score lower in practice ratings. CQC primary care chief inspector Dr Rosie Benneyworth said the regulator is looking to collect and monitor ethnicity data on partners as part of its registration process to […]
OPINION: Why regulators are right to re-assess complaint handling frameworks
In a CHP exclusive, Philippa Shirtcliffe, QCS’s Head of Care Quality, says the COVID-19 pandemic highlights the need for the CQC to readdress its complaints handling approach. According to the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in 2019, there were 11,593 complaints, while in 2020, with the country in the grip of a coronavirus pandemic, the CQC received […]
Only councils can support greater independent living under new reforms, report finds
Tens of thousands more adults could be supported to live independently in their own homes each year, but only if councils are able to continue to deliver social care services under government reforms, according to a new report. The Future of Adult Social Care report, conducted by care specialist Newton and commissioned by the County Councils […]
Nursing home ‘did not notify CQC of deaths’ and residents were at ‘risk of harm’, report finds
Staffing levels were also found to be inadequate A damning report into a Nottinghamshire nursing home found its residents were “at risk of ongoing harm”. Beeston Lodge Nursing Home in Meadows Way was subject to an unannounced inspection on December 11 last year after concerns were raised about poor care at the site. The home, which […]
Profit before patients: NHS mental health services are already partly run by private companies
The coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic has seen a number of healthcare contracts handed out to private companies. The pandemic, however, is by no means the start of the process of privatising the NHS. In fact, the NHS has long been on the table for private companies to run its services. As part of our #followthemoney series, we’ve been looking at two […]
UK’s only gender identity service for children rated inadequate by CQC
The CQC found more than 4,600 young people on the waiting list for treatment at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust. An NHS mental health trust which provides treatment to transgender children has been rated inadequate by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), after inspectors found vulnerable young people “were waiting too long for treatment”. Tavistock […]
Calling all unpaid carers: CQC want to hear your feedback
Both positive and negative feedback is welcome from unpaid carers who provide care and support to family members, friends and neighbours, that may be affected by a disability, physical or mental ill-health, frailty or substance misuse. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) and Healthwatch England are making a call for feedback from carers across the south […]
Special needs services improving after damning report, council says
Services for children with additional needs in Shropshire have been improved since a damning report last year, council and health bosses have said. A raft of measures have been put in place in the last 12 months in an effort to turn around special educational needs and disability (SEND) provision across the county, which was […]
CQC launches formal consultation on new strategy
The CQC is asking care home providers for their thoughts on its new strategy in a formal consultation which was published yesterday. In its new document, the CQC sets out four themes designed to enable more effective regulation and help it become more flexible in managing risk and uncertainty. The four themes are: 1: People and […]
LEGAL VIEW: Safeguarding referrals – to notify or not to notify the CQC?
Maddi Gaunt, solicitor at Ridouts, looks at when care home providers should make a statutory notification to the CQC. All providers will (we hope) be familiar with safeguarding referrals. These need to be made to the relevant safeguarding authority when certain incidents, events, or near misses arise in the provision of care services. Many events […]