Nursing association urges speedier care home manager registration
The Care Quality Commission is taking far too long to process the registration of newly appointed care home managers, according to the Registered Nursing Home Association.
Frank Ursell, RNHA chief executive RNHA chief executive Frank Ursell claims that from the moment the CQC is notified of a manager’s appointment it takes about eight weeks before the individual becomes officially registered.
Mr Ursell said: “On average, the CQC receives 200 applications a week for care home manager registrations, so at any moment in time some 1,600 care home managers are in post but not actually registered in the formal sense.
“They are doing all the vital tasks that managers are supposed to do, but there is no piece of paper saying they are registered with the CQC. That it takes the CQC so long to sort out this administrative requirement is as perplexing as it is frustrating. Surely, in this day and age, it could be done much faster.”
According to Mr Ursell, this slow registration process may, in some cases, lead to newspaper headlines suggesting that a large number of care homes are operating without a manager in charge.
He added: “While, inevitably, departures of managers occur as a natural part of individuals moving on with their careers or retiring – and leaving a gap for the care home concerned to fill as soon as possible – the fact is that up to about 1,600 homes have managers in post who are not counted as registered. The problem therefore looks much bigger than it actually is.
“Possibly the most feasible solution would be for the CQC to get its own act together by improving the efficiency of its own internal systems and processes. While everyone appreciates that the regulator must be satisfied that a new manager is a fit and proper person to be in charge of a care home, there is no fundamental reason why the process has to take a full eight weeks. It should also be borne in mind that, in their recruitment processes, care homes themselves are mindful of the need to carry out their own checks before offering someone the job.”
The Serious Case Review into the abuse that took place at Winterbourne View highlighted the dangers that can arise when care services do not have a registered manager.
According to a paper to a recent CQC board meeting from chief executive David Behan, nearly 4,000 locations that provide adult social care services do not have a registered manager in place and of these more than a quarter have not had a registered manager for more than two years.
A spokesperson for the CQC said: “High-quality and safe care relies on effective safeguarding procedures. The highly important role of the registered manager is to establish a patient environment that is synonymous with our national standards of quality and safety.
“We require care providers in England to have named registered managers in post for all regulated activities. Also, they must inform us of any staff changes to these positions, including when they are vacant.
