Care Quality Commission says councils must help get rid of poor quality care by purchasing from providers more effectively
Nursing and Care Home lawyer Roy Botterill outlines details of the Care Quality Commission's (CQC) first major statement on the quality of adult social care.
On 3 December 2009 the Care Quality Commission (CQC) gave its first major statement on the quality of adult social care, drawing on four documents. Drawing these documents together, the CQC says:
- Councils are improving their ratings overall, however the assessment highlights concerns that are real and affect people's lives;
- Ratings for providers have also improved, however one in six providers are only "poor" or "adequate";
- Councils must help get rid of poor quality care by purchasing from providers more effectively, particularly in some areas;
- CQC has identified councils where improvements in adult social care must be a priority;
- CQC will be vigilant about spotting the impact of the economic downturn on people's access to social care; and
- CQC is raising the bar on councils and providers.
Other CQC findings include:
- For 2007-8 councils spent £16.5 billion on adult social care, £7.5 billion of which was on residential services. Eighty per cent of the places purchased by councils in the South East and 79% in the North West were places in "good" or "excellent" care homes, while the figures for West and East Midlands were 67% and 71% respectively;
- Care homes, home care agencies, nursing agencies and shared lives schemes run by councils and voluntary organisations perform better than those in private ownership. In April 2009, 87% of council services and 86% of those run by voluntary organisations were good or excellent, compared to 74% of privately-owned services. But the gap is closing - only 66% of privately-owned services were rated "good" or "excellent" in May 2008;
- When councils place people in care homes outside the council's own boundaries, most of the homes are of better quality than those within the council's area;
- Care homes for younger adults (age 18-65) perform better than those for older people (over 65) but the latter are catching up: 82% of homes for younger adults were good or excellent in April 2009 compared to 76% of those for older people; but that was 9% more for older people's homes compared to May 2008; and
- Younger adults with learning disabilities receive better than average care, while those with mental health needs are more likely to be placed in ‘poor' or ‘adequate' homes.
For more information on the legal services for care homes, please contact Lisa Botterill.