Care home standards ‘hit by cuts’

Care home patients could suffer due to the cuts in public sector spending, a leading care body has warned.

Dame Jo William, chairwoman of the Care Quality Commission (CQC),said care home owners would have less money to spend on staff training, building repairs or providing entertainment for residents due to the cuts.

She told the Independent that financial issues were going to weigh “very heavily” on quality issues with owners asking themselves where they could cut corners.

Figures from The Association of Directors of Adult Social Services show the amount of public money available for each nursing home is likely to fall in real terms by around 3% a year for the next three years because of the public-sector spending cuts.

However, Dame Jo claimed the Commission would take an increasingly tough line to ensure essential standards are still met.

“Money is a challenge,” she said.

“Our focus has to be on essential standards and how we monitor those standards. We will be looking at those services that are risky and are likely to put the public at risk.

“Quality in our terms is making sure a service is safe – but it is also about how you’re treated. It’s about staff remembering your birthday, calling you by the right name and engaging with you as well as maintaining your dignity.”

Dame Jo revealed that more than a third of 234 health and social care institutions recently inspected revealed “worrying” lapses in standards.