Written question asked by Lord Willis of Knaresborough (Liberal Democrat) on Friday, 10 March 2006, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 14 March 2006. It was answered by Liam Byrne (Labour) on Tuesday, 25 April 2006 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Staff Abuse

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many inquiries concerning abuse by health or social care staff there have been in each (a) strategic health authority and (b) local authority area in the last five years; what the status of each inquiry was; whether the data from each inquiry has been brought together; and what plans for action were made as a result of the inquiries.

Answer: The information requested is not available centrally. National health service employers are responsible for ensuring that their staff do not pose a threat to the safety of patients and for acting on information about the registration status of staff subject to statutory regulation.All care homes, domiciliary care agencies, adult placements schemes and nurses agencies in England are regulated by the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI), which is the independent regulator for social care. The CSCI is responsible for registering and inspecting the regulated social care sector in accordance with statutory regulations and national minimum standards to ensure consistency and improve the quality of life and level of protection for the most vulnerable people in society.Regulated social care providers, including private companies, are required to conduct rigorous pre-employment checks on prospective staff, including obtaining a Criminal Records Bureau disclosure. Since 26 July 2004, there has also been a requirement for prospective employees in these areas to be checked against the protection of vulnerable adults (POVA) list before starting work.

Secondary information