CQC Releases New Research

A leading lawyer has called on residential care homes to act on new research which highlights that many do not have a registered manager in place.

The survey by the Care Quality Commission revealed that around 1,000 homes do not have such a person in place, despite it being required under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 which came into force on October 1st.

While the body has stated that the findings do not mean the safety of residents is at risk, it added that the lack of a manager could impact on how quickly potential problems are identified and addressed.

Commenting on the report, Irwin Mitchell’s Victoria Blankstone, who has dealt in a number of cases related to quality of care in homes, said it was vital that the issue highlighted is addressed.

She said: “While the lack of a registered manager may not be regarded as a major problem to the Care Quality Commission, homes need one in place to comply with legislation.

“I urge all of the homes which do not have a manager in place to begin the process of rectifying the situation.

“Anything that will ensure residents are getting the best level of care needs to be considered and acted upon immediately.”