Homecare Association demands urgent action on CQC failings
The Homecare Association has learnt nothing new from Dr Penny Dash's interim report on the Care Quality Commission (CQC). We have been raising concerns about CQC’s performance for years. CQC neglected homecare during the COVID-19 pandemic and continues to neglect homecare.
Homecare providers are waiting months for registration and years for inspection. Almost a quarter of homecare registered locations (23%) have never been inspected. CQC has not published inspection reports on nearly 40% of homecare services for 4 to 8 years. 90% of CQC’s income is from fees charged to providers, who are receiving very poor service and value for money.
The approach to inspection adopted by CQC means the ratings are not an accurate reflection of service quality. This means people searching for or drawing on care services can have little confidence in CQC’s published reports.
The financial implications of CQC’s failings are huge for a sector which struggles to cover costs at the best of times.
Dr. Jane Townson OBE, CEO of the Homecare Association, commented:
"The CQC's failure to fulfil its primary duty risks the safety and wellbeing of those drawing on services. It is outrageous that social care providers are left waiting interminably for registrations and ratings, directly impacting local capacity, quality of care and sustainability of providers. We want and need an effective regulator and are dismayed that CQC's incompetence is actively harming the sector it's meant to regulate and protect. The board of CQC is clearly not fit for purpose."
While the Homecare Association cautiously welcomes the government's four-step plan, we would like to remind the Secretary of State there is more to health and care services than hospitals.
Like Professor Ara Darzi who has been asked to lead a review on the NHS, Professor Sir Mike Richards has experience only in hospital services.
The Care Quality Commission is responsible for oversight of over 27,000 registered locations of social care, over 12,500 of which are community-based services and over 14,500 are residential care.
We call on the review to give equal focus to social care, including CQC assessment of local authorities, and insist on swift, tangible improvements and complete transparency in the process.
We call for:
1. A complete overhaul of the CQC's inspection and assessment system
2. Immediate action to clear the backlog of uninspected and unrated providers
3. A significant investment in recruiting experienced, sector-specific inspectors
4. Regular, mandated reporting on the CQC's progress in addressing these failings
The Homecare Association stands ready to work with all stakeholders to ensure that regulation in the care sector is robust, fair, and truly serves its purpose of protecting the public and maintaining high standards of care.
We will be monitoring the situation closely and demand to see substantial improvements before the publication of Dr. Dash's full report in the autumn.
In response to the interim report, Kate Terroni, CQC's Interim Chief Executive, said:
We accept in full the findings and recommendations in this interim review, which identifies clear areas where improvement is urgently needed. Many of these align with areas we have prioritised as part of our work to restore trust with the public and providers by listening better, working together more collaboratively and being honest about what we’ve got wrong. We are working at pace and in consultation with our stakeholders to rebuild that trust and become the strong, credible, and effective regulator of health and care services that the public and providers need and deserve.
You can read the full quote here.