CQC urge 17,000 care homes and hospices to review their fire safety procedures

More than 17,000 care homes, hospices and private hospitals have been told to check their fire safety procedures in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has written to care providers to remind them to review their fire safety processes “to ensure they are up to date and are being applied consistently in practice”.

It comes after NHS Improvement wrote to all NHS hospitals and premises last week telling them to check fire safety and cladding.

Around 200 NHS trusts in England have been told to report back when safety checks have been completed.

They have been told to pay particular attention to tall buildings on hospital estates and those with in-patients.

In the latest letter, the CQC said particular attention should be paid to the needs of people with mobility issues or learning disabilities.

Attention should also be paid to the “fabric and size” of the building, it said.

The CQC said it knew from its inspections that fire safety issues do occur, such as blocked fire exits, fire doors wedged open and escape routes used as storage areas.

The CQC has also found examples of low awareness among staff of what to do in a fire.

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