Charity challenges care report's conclusion

The Scottish Parliament's Health and Sport Committee today published its report on the inquiry into the regulation of care for older people.  Whilst recommending a number of specific changes, it says that overall the current system is fit for purpose.
The Committee is calling for a review of the National Care Standards so that they better address changes such as the move towards greater integration of health and social care and the rise in the number of older people with dementia.   It is also asking the Scottish Government for responses on extending the Care Inspectorate's powers in relation to the procurement and commissioning of care services and on the suggestion that the Care Inspectorate's increased duties should be subsidised by an increase in inspection fees.   It has also raised with the Scottish Government its concerns on the widespread prescription of psychoactive medication to care home residents.
Committee Convener Duncan McNeil MSP said: "We need to ensure that Scotland maintains its lead in the regulation of the social care workforce. We believe that a review of the National Care Standards with human rights at its heart will achieve that.
"If our care services are to be of the highest quality, the workforce should be registered, investment must be made in their training and development and employers must pay staff at least the living wage."
Deputy Convener Bob Doris MSP said: "The committee has found that the current regulatory system is sufficiently rigorous and this should reassure service users and their families. However the report contains a number of key recommendations in relation to identifying areas for improvement including ensuring there is a greater role for service users, carers and relatives within the process."
Callum Chomczuk, Age Scotland Senior Policy and Parliamentary Officer, said: "We welcomed the Cabinet Secretary's announcement earlier in the autumn that the care services for older people will receive at least one unannounced inspection each year and that the planned cuts in the number of inspectors will be reversed. This step will help ensure that all care services are operating at the highest standards year round, not just when an inspection is due.
"However we are concerned that where the Committee report on Care Regulation states 'the current regulatory system is sufficiently rigorous to identify care services for older people which are failing to deliver high quality care,' that does not provide enough impetus for the Government to introduce further regulation.
"Given that one in ten care homes are currently ranked as delivering weak or unsatisfactory care, there are clearly a number of measures that could be taken to improve the care system for older people. For example in our evidence to the committee we suggested that the appropriateness of current staff selection, training and re-training of personnel must be examined as a matter of urgency and that a higher percentage of staff in all care homes must registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council to practise as nurses and in the medium term this ensuring access to specialist nurses such as dementia nurses for care homes where dementia is prevalent amongst residents. 
"Age Scotland is also deeply alarmed that the Health and Sport Committee is highlighting issues that have been previously raised by the Mental Welfare Commission with regards to medicating of individual to ‘manage their behaviour' in both 2011 and 2008. We cannot allow a situation to persist where there can be doubt that the quality of care being delivered in homes and hospitals across Scotland does not respect the human rights of patients. Service users and their loved ones must be able to have faith in the quality of care delivered." 
 Tweet