Question Author
Morning Sqad !
It would seem to me that this latest care home scandal brings up two related but separate issues.
Firstly, that the CQC is simply not doing its job with any perceptible degree of alacrity. In the home in question, members of staff were previously suspended due to serious allegations made by other members of staff, but they were reinstated, and subsequently continued their abuse. The management of the home didn't feel the need to inform the Police or the Social Services of these allegations, and neither did they inform the CQC. The CQC should have stepped in at the first occasion. It appears that they weren't even aware that these first allegations were being made. So, clearly a regulator that isn't effective. If more money is needed to make the CQC work properly...well so be it.
Secondly...we need to have an urgent debate about the whole issue of long term care, otherwise these rogue care homes are going to continue to be making the news for all the wrong reasons. I am simply not prepared to believe that nothing can be done about this and that we should all sit around, with our heads in our hands in despair ( which I am not suggesting is what you are saying of course )
At present, its crisis management, never a very effective or efficient way to run a business. Again, if more money and resources are required to cope with the growing demand for long term care, lets have a debate about raising taxes. I know that the whole issue of taxes is a potentially toxic subject, especially with an election coming up but party politics shouldn't allow this issue to be kicked into the long grass. We need a long term solution to a long term problem ....immediate political expediency shouldn't get in the way of us finding a solution. This problem isn't going to go away.