Special measures in adult social care

At the Public Board meeting on the 17th of December 2014, an update on how the CQC plans to tackle inadequate care across all adult social care services in England was shared with board members. The CQC are proposing that where adult social care services fail to improve within a year of being rated as Inadequate overall, they will face closure. Today's update follows the announcement from the Secretary of State for Health in July that asked us to develop a special measures regime for adult social care in England. Since then, the CQC have been developing what this could look like with people using services and their carers, providers and their representatives, commissioners, CQC staff and national partners. The CQC are now seeking further views from anyone who wishes to have their say on the latest proposals before final policy is agreed. To learn more about special measures for adult social care and have your say, visit the CQC website. The deadline for feedback is Friday 30 January 2015. The CQC's Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care, Andrea Sutcliffe, said: "A critical part of our role as the regulator is to hold providers of adult social care to account and ensure they are providing the standards of safe, caring, effective, responsive and well-led care that are good enough for my mum or anyone else's loved one. "Since the launch of our new ratings system in October, our reports are showing many adult social care services are providing Good care. However, where we identify services to be delivering Inadequate care, we know the effect on people's lives can be awful. "Today's proposals set out our thinking about when a provider is placed into special measures and the timescale they will have to improve. "Above all, I want to help the adult social sector improve so that people can get the high-quality care they expect and deserve. But if providers do not or cannot improve, then we will take action that will lead to closure. "We are now in the final stages of developing the special measures policy and I would like to thank everyone who has been involved so far and encourage anyone who has an interest to share their views with us." Care and Support Minister Norman Lamb said: "Whilst it is never an easy decision to close down a care home that must not be an excuse for allowing poor care to continue. It is right that where providers are not able to make improvements CQC takes action to protect vulnerable people from harm." It is expected that the final special measures policy for adult social care will be published in March 2015. Source: CQC website