Care home inspections “monumentally behind” in England

More than 6,000 care homes in England have not had a full inspection from regulator the Care Quality Commission (CQC) since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, according to recent research.

The CQC says the frequency with which it inspects care homes depends on the rating of the property, varying from every two and a half years for those deemed “outstanding” to every 12 months for those assessed as “requires improvement”.

However, investigations by independent review body Care Inspections UK (CiUK) found that 250 homes in the latter category were among the 6,000, meaning they were overdue an inspection by around four years.

Dr Kevin Groombridge, chief executive of CiUK, said: “The government needs to get real about the fundamentally flawed CQC; not only is it monumentally behind but its metrics are skewed; it bases its ratings on subjective and biased opinions, rather than evidence and data and leaves care home operators out in the cold, offering criticism without support.

“Even when it carries out an inspection, the CQC can take up to four months to complete its report. It’s simply not good enough.”

In response a CQC spokesperson said: “We know that we need to increase our rate of inspections to make sure that we update the ratings of providers, minimise the number of unrated services, and give the public confidence in quality of care.”

Meanwhile, north of the border, there are fears the care home sector could be facing a major crisis in the next few months.

Dr Donald Macaskill, chief executive of industry body Scottish Care, told The Herald newspaper the situation was being driven by a range of factors, including rising wage bills following the recent national insurance increase, an ageing population, reduced government spending and difficulties recruiting staff.

Dr Macaskill added: “Some perceive that the fallout will be in six months, nine months, a year’s time. But if you can’t pay wages or raise money from the bank, the bottom will fall out of the sector in three months.”