Toothless watchdog’s five prosecutions in two years

THE Care Quality Commission has successfully prosecuted just five care homes in the past two years.

Despite the huge number of homes failing inspections, the vast majority are given repeated warnings.

Some of the worst have been in special measures for more than a year but have been allowed to keep running. If a care home does not meet basic safety requirements, it is given an overall inadequate rating. There are currently 535 across the country.

In the most severe cases, where residents are deemed to be at immediate risk, the CQC can force the homes to shut down and residents are moved out.

Inadequate homes that are not closed are immediately put into special measures, which means they are on warning to improve urgently.

Within six months inspectors will visit again. In the meantime, the CQC can use enforcement powers to make improvements. It can fine providers or stop them taking new residents.

The five homes prosecuted successfully by the CQC in the past two years incurred fines of up to £190,000.

Homes are taken out of special measures only when their overall inadequate rating improves.

If real improvement is not shown, the watchdog can then move to shut the home down.

Of the 916 adult care services that have had a first rating of inadequate, almost a third have shut down.

In some cases the provider will choose to close before being forced to stop running. The CQC would not say how many homes it has actively forced to close.

Over two years 1,605 different types of enforcement action were taken.