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Social Care: Employers

Answer

The Care Quality Commission (CQC), as regulator of social care, inspects care providers against statutory regulations and national minimum standards and has powers of enforcement, which it may use at its discretion, depending on the nature/severity of any breach of regulations. The range of powers is: a formal non-statutory caution; a notice requiring improvement within a specified time period; conditions that place restrictions on registration (for example, preventing the provider running a particular service or preventing further admissions to a service); prosecution of organisations and/or individuals—resulting in fines or, in extreme cases, imprisonment; and ultimately cancellation of registration, which closes the service down. From 2010, the CQC will be introducing a new system of registration under the Health and Social Care Act 2008, which will give it additional powers designed to bring providers back into compliance where they are not providing acceptable levels of care. The full range of powers will be: a formal non-statutory caution; a new statutory warning notice, requiring improvement within a specified time; conditions that place restrictions on registration (for example, preventing the provider from running a particular service or preventing further admissions to a service); a new power to issue a fine in lieu of prosecution (penalty notice); a new power to suspend registration for a specific period; prosecution of organisations and/or individuals—resulting in fines or, in extreme cases, imprisonment; and ultimately cancellation of registration, which closes the service down.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

3561; 710 c304-5WA

Session

2008-09

Subjects

Home care services Standards

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk