Whistleblowers at the watchdog that inspects NHS hospitals, GPs and care homes say the organisation has been left in a “mess” which could pose serious risk to patients. Care Quality Commission (CQC) staff gave i an insight into the turmoil of the organisation and suggested “brutal” changes imposed by senior management were to blame for multiple failings at the body responsible for health and social care oversight in England. NHS and care sector staff have also told i that the CQC is failing in its basic duties.
They claim inspections can be “superficial tick-box” exercises conducted by some staff who lack the experience to spot systemic failures. Our investigation found that CQC inspection paperwork that previously took weeks to complete is now taking months to finish, with staff struggling to tackle a hefty backlog of cases. Waits of five years without any inspections at NHS and care facilities are “common”, according to one CQC worker.
One care home manager told i the facility went almost seven years without a visit. It comes after a separate i investigation discovered a significant fall in safety standards at Voyage Care – one the UK’s biggest providers – since it was bought by Kuwait’s state fund. It found that 110 of the 280 care homes have not been re-rated by the CQC for five years.
Voyage said 28 of its care homes which were rated “requiring improvement” have been waiting reinspection for more than 12 months. The revelations also follow Jul.