Care homes facing increased regulation
Charities
19th March 2010
New legislation will have a significant impact on the UK care homes sector and will make it more important than ever for providers to ensure they are fully compliant with all national standards and have effective insurance cover in place.
The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010 are due to come into force on April 1st 2010 and have been approved by the House of Lords, establishing the role of the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and making registration by all health and adult social care providers compulsory from this date. If organisations fail to register and provide proof that they are meeting required standards, they will not be permitted to operate in the sector.
All health and adult social care services in England are regulated by the CQC, including those managed by private companies, local authorities and voluntary bodies. It has a range of enforcement powers, which will be in force from April 1st - such as penalty notices and warnings - and is charged with improving care services at all levels.
As a result of growing recruitment in the sector, legislative changes and increasing levels of demand from the UK's ageing population, Giles Insurance Brokers Ltd. has emphasised the importance for care homes of having fully comprehensive and effective insurance policies in place to guard against injuries, damage to property or buildings, failure to comply with regulations and other challenges that can face facilities.
Paul Glen, a director of charity and care homes at Giles Insurance, explained: "Care homes and those working in the sector are under increasing scrutiny and are subject to a growing range of rules and legislation. This makes it more important than ever for management to ensure that they and their facilities are properly covered in case of an incident.
"With greater demand for care services from an older population, attempts are being made by politicians to improve both provision and regulation in order to meet future needs. The burden of legislation is likely to continue expanding as more funding is provided to serve the needs of more people."
There are more than 25,000 adult social care providers in the UK, many of which are small and the majority in the private sector. Recent figures published by the Daily Mail indicated that Britons are facing a "postcode lottery" in terms of local authority funding and provision of care, making private sector providers all the more important. The news source revealed that residents in some parts of the country are three times more likely than those in others to have care paid for by their council, with many older people forced to sell their homes each year to pay for their own services.
Meanwhile, recent government figures have indicated that interest in careers in social care has reached record levels, partly in response to a nationwide campaign that included television and print advertising to encourage applications. More than 28,000 people have registered their interest in working in the sector on the Carejobfinder.org website, run by the United Kingdom Homecare Association with funding provided by the government. This has been described as "brilliant news" by care services minister Phil Hope who pointed to the personal and professional advantages of working for such employers.
