'Special measures' planned for all care homes

Failing care homes could be put into a similar failure category as poor-performing hospitals, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt is to announce.

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New measures to crack down on failing care homes

Ministers have brought in new rules which could force care homes to shut down if they are not caring for residents properly.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt is extending the "special measures system" - which is currently used for hospitals and schools - to include care homes in order to protect vulnerable people after a series of scandals.

Health correspondent Catherine Jones reports.

Warning: This report contains distressing images.

Hunt: 'Far too many' failing care homes

The Health Secretary has said there are "far too many" failing care homes.

Jeremy Hunt said that he would not want his mother, father or grandparents to live in a number of care facilities in England as he announced new measures to tackle failing care homes.

Jeremy Hunt, Health Secretary

There are many excellent home care providers and many outstanding care homes in this country but there are still too many where I would personally not want my mother or my father or grandparents to live in.

The public have been really shocked by stories of abuse and neglect and we need to give the public confidence that when these things happen they will be spotted quickly and acted on.

– Jeremy Hunt, Health Secretary.

Mr Gove said Ofsted-style ratings would be given to care homes and care services and those that are labelled 'inadequate' could be put into special measures or even shut down.

Read: 'Special measures' planned for all care homes.

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CQC defend 'special measures' for care homes

Some care homes "need that much longer" to turn around entrenched problems in the way the facility is run and warrant an extension of their time on special measures, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has said.

Chief inspector of hospitals for the CQC, Professor Mike Richards, defended his decision to keep struggling care homes running despite damning findings from the industry watchdog.

Some of them are making progress, it is just that I am not confident that they can, if you like, go it alone. So I have recommended that they have a further six months in special measures.

– Professor Mike Richards.

Sir Mike Richards: Measures gives a focus on 'quality'

The chief inspector of hospitals, Professor Sir Mike Richards, has welcomed an expected announcement by Jeremy Hunt that care homes will face tougher inspections.

The Care Quality Commission's (CQC) chief inspector of hospitals, Professor Sir Mike Richards said:

We have seen significant improvements in almost all of the 11 trusts that were put into special measures, with exceptional progress in two trusts and very good progress in a further three.

The hard work by trust staff that has underpinned this progress should be recognised.

Special measures brings a new focus on quality improvement in trusts which have previously struggled to provide high quality care.

– Professor Sir Mike Richards

'Special measures' planned for care homes

Failing care homes could be could be put into a similar failure category as poor-performing hospitals, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt is to announce.

Mr Hunt will say that most of the hospital trusts that were put into special measures a year ago have shown significant improvements.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt is set to announce new care measures for care homes. Credit: PA

From October more care services across England will now face a "tough" new inspection regime, he will say.

The services that are rated inadequate face being put into "special measures" and if they fail to make improvements following this they could be shut down, he will add.

Putting hospital trusts in special measures was a move introduced as part of the Government's response to the Stafford Hospital scandal.

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