Special measures regime & care homes

It was interesting to read this morning that the government is planning to extend the special measures regime to care homes.

This system was introduced by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) last year and applied to 11 failing hospital trusts.

From next year, a similar regime will be applied to care homes and also home care agencies.

It means that up to 25,000 service providers will be subject to the special measures regime, and could face closure if their standards are not up to scratch.

From this autumn, the CQC will introduce a ratings system which will be applied to care homes and home care agencies. The special measures regime will be based on these ratings and is expected to come into force from April 2015.

Care homes and home care services will receive a rating of outstanding, good, requires improvement or inadequate; this is similar to the OFSTED ratings applied to schools.

The new system of ratings and special measures should help give users of these care services added confidence, but there will always be unintended consequences when such systems are introduced.

Concerns have already been expressed about the financial implications for care homes placed in special measures, with some commentators expressing doubts that homes placed in special measures will be able to continue to function.

What this highlights is the importance of checking the financial strength and stability of a care home or home care service provider before choosing them.

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