Abuse - Article 2 - CQC

Fundamental role is to make sure care homes are safe, effective and high quality

The CQC (Care Quality Commission) was established in 2008, going live in April 2009.  It was formed from the 3 predecessor organisations.

• The Healthcare Commission
• The Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) and
• The Mental Health Act Commission (MHAC)

The CQC fundamental role is to make sure that hospitals, care homes, dental and general practices and other care services in England provide people with safe, effective and high-quality care, and to encourage them to improve. 

It carries out this role through checks it carries out during the registration process all new care services must complete, inspections and monitoring of a range of data sources that can indicate problems with services. 

However, we are seeing more reports of Care Home Failings, Institutionalisation and Safeguarding Failures.  Residential establishments, unlike hospital, can easily be closed, sold, or reopened with a new identity.  The UK best selling current affairs magazine Private Eye reported in November 2015 that most of the 34 homes closed under the then Chief Executive of the CQC Cynthia Bower after failing their inspections later reopened with a new name or under new ownership.

These homes reopened but with with similar problems.  Under CQC guidelines these homes would then be listed as "new service" and "uninspected", therefore no back link to reports on the same establishment were formed.

CQC did not follow up inspections if problems has been identified and the home closed only to reopen.  They had found 152 homes re-registered as new, when they had only changed owner or name. The Commission had identified safety concerns in more than 40% of the homes it had inspected, and 10% were rated as inadequate.  

In April 2016 it was reported that 44% of care homes in the South East inspected over an 18 month period were rated as inadequate or requiring improvement. Only 0.9% of the 1200 homes inspected were rated as outstanding.

In 2011 Panorama Investigated Winterbourne View and in 2012 the BBC published an article on Ash Court, both distressing demonstrated a high level of neglect and abuse behind their closed doors.  And despite the fact that the commission's primary function is to enforce national standards including safeguarding the vulnerable and "enabling them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect" the CQC responded by stating that they "should not be criticised for failing to protect people from harm" and could not be expected to spot abuse "which often takes place behind closed doors."

That is where the Edith Ellen Foundation can help, we offer a range of support to ensure that failing care homes and Service Providers can protect the vulnerable.  That they can safeguard from abuse, harm, and neglect.

And because Abuse covers such a wide spectrum we offer a comprehensive Safeguarding Vulnerable People course, to enable Care Staff to understand how their opinions or actions can be described as abuse.