Adult social care services in England that fail to improve within a year of being rated as Inadequate overall will face closure as part of plans to tackle failing care shared at today's (Wednesday 17 December) Care Quality Commission (CQC) Public Board Meeting.
Today's update follows the announcement from the Secretary of State for Health in July asking CQC to develop a special measures regime for adult social care in England.
Since then, CQC has been developing what this could look like with people using services and their carers, providers and their representatives, commissioners, our staff and national partners.
CQC is now seeking further views from anyone who wishes to have their say on the latest special measures proposals before the final policy is published in March 2015.
Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care at the Care Quality Commission, 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 CQC’s 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."
More information about the special measures proposals for adult social care and access to the web feedback form is available here: http://www.cqc.org.uk/ascspecialmeasures
The web form will remain open until Friday 30 January 2015.
Twitter: @CareQualityComm #specialmeasures
For media enquiries, call the CQC press office on 020 7448 9401 during office hours or out of hours on 07917 232 143. For general enquiries, call 03000 61 61 61.
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Find out more
Read our proposals for a special measures framework for adult social care and share your views on our plans.