We’ll have to cut care home inspections to monitor abortion clinics, claims watchdog
THE CARE watchdog has come under attack after claiming orders to investigate abortion clinics are compromising its ability to inspect hospitals and nursing homes.
Ministers told the Care Quality Commission to undertake urgent spot checks of abortion clinics after it emerged doctors were illegally agreeing to carry out terminations because foetuses were the ‘wrong’ sex.
But the CQC claims the investigations are diverting its attention from crucial inspections of care homes and hospitals needed to ensure patients are not being put at
‘Enforce the law’
risk. Dame Jo Williams, chairman of the watchdog, said it will be forced to carry out 580 fewer inspections than planned this year because of the Government’s request.
She also claims 16 of its 780 fulltime inspectors have been diverted to visit abortion clinics instead of care homes and hospitals.
But Government sources cast doubt on the figures and said the organisation has already carried out the vast majority of the inspections in only four days last month.
A Department of Health spokesman said: ‘We would expect the CQC, like any good regulator, to be able to prioritise its inspections and are told that in this case they did so, so that no patients were placed at risk.’
The CQC is the official watchdog for care homes, hospitals, GP surgeries and certain other health services and is meant to carry out regular checks to ensure patients are not being put at risk. But the organisation has been repeatedly criticised in recent months – and last year it emerged it had missed barbaric abuse of adults with learning difficulties at the Winterbourne View care home near Bristol.
Only last week MPS on the Public Accounts Committee accused the CQC of putting its own reputation ahead of patient safety.
In March, Health Secretary Andrew Lansley told it to inspect hundreds of abortion clinics following concerns they were breaking the law.
An undercover investigation had revealed that some doctors were agreeing to let women have terminations purely because they were expecting a baby girl and they wanted a boy. Dr Prabha Sivaraman, who worked at a clinic in Manchester, has since been suspended by the General Medical Council for allowing ‘wrong sex’ abortions.
But, in a letter to the Department of Health, Dame Jo warns the extra work will cost the organisation £1million. She estimates 320 centres will need to be visited and this will take 1,000 days, once the necessary planning has been taken into account.
The CQC hopes to carry out around 15,000 care home and hospital checks this year.
Tory MP Nadine Dorries said: ‘It is amazing that the CQC are complaining about this.
‘As the organisation which originally uncovered some very worrying practice within the abortion industry, they are now complaining about having to uphold and enforce the law which is exactly what they are there to do.
‘They need to remember that this is about the health of women – it’s not either/or, no health provider should be allowed to break the law.’