Hundreds of home care services in the region are operating despite having never been inspected by the watchdog, new statistics suggest. New analysis has revealed that 40 per cent of services in the North East and Yorkshire are either still awaiting inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) or have been rated either inadequate or needing improvement. Advertisement Advertisement Did you know with a Digital subscription to Yorkshire Post, you can get access to all of our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more.
It comes after Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the CQC, which regulates all NHS and care services in England, was not fit for purpose. Nationally, around one in five CQC services are currently uninspected. Analysis of the data has been carried out by The Carents Room, an organisation created to support the UK’s four million unpaid carers, shows that there are over 500 home care services awaiting inspection.
The CQC vows to inspect services within six to 12 months of opening. The Carents Room founder Dr Jackie Gray said the figures raise questions about the quality of care being provided. Advertisement Advertisement “The information suggests that just two out of every five of the region’s home care services are known to be of adequate quality,” said Dr Gray, a public health consultant and retired GP.
“Britain is aging as a society, so as more people need support, both they and their families deserve the peace of mind that comes with knowing that they can access decent home care services. “Sadly, our recent analysis shows that this level of reassurance is missing for many home care services in the North East and Yorkshire, so we hope the new Government can act swiftly to repair both the broken care system and the NHS.” Home care services are becoming increasingly used by the UK’s aging population.
Advertisement Advertisement They provide help in the home with day-to-day tasks like eating, getting dressed and bathing, and typically involve a care worker visiting the property. According to the CQC, there are 1,662 home care services for older adults in the North East and Yorkshire. Of those, just 987 have been rated either good or outstanding by the regulator and 507 have not yet been rated.
Comparatively in the South West, almost two-thirds of home care providers have at least a good rating. According to the CQC, all care facilities must be inspected within 12 months of opening. Advertisement Advertisement However, an independent review has found significant failings with the CQC with the Health Secretary stating he is “stunned” by the scale of the problem.
The CQC has said it accepted the findings in full. According to Dr Gray, with so many relatives under pressure to organise quick care, a ‘good’ CQC rating should be the “bare minimum” to expect for any service. “Often people enter care suddenly, after illness, injury or a hospital stay, so it is vital that adult carers – or carents – can know that the service is up-to-scratch,” added Dr Gray.
“Usually they don’t have the luxury of shopping around, and even when they do, the preferred service isn’t always available - so they have to resort to other options. Advertisement Advertisement “Arranging care with an unrated provider might feel a bit risky as these services haven’t yet been tried and tested.” While councils fund some home care services, Dr Gray highlighted that the support is means-tested, and after a few weeks, those with savings above £23,250 must organise and fund their own care.
According to Dr Gray, that’s one of the factors fuelling the growing number of unpaid adult carers – or carents – who often juggle full-time jobs and running a home with caring for older relatives. “Although carents want the best for those they love they find it hard to find suitable care services guaranteed to provide a good standard of care,” added Dr Gray, who said adult carers can find the process “incredibly challenging”. Advertisement Advertisement “Helping adult carers to navigate the system is one of the reasons The Carents Room was launched.
“Adult carers are Britain’s biggest caring cohort and will only grow in the coming years, so we wanted a platform to support and help guide them through the journey – with information and guidance on everything from finances to navigating the NHS. “And our message to anybody arranging home care services for an older person is very much buyer beware. “Make sure you ask the home care team’s management when the service was last inspected, what the inspection rating was, and read the inspection reports in detail on the CQC’s website.
” For more information, please visit https://carents.co.uk/.
