Public Law Expert Comments After Latest Review

Health and social care providers need to address the concerns raised by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to ensure the most vulnerable members of society get the best possible support, according to an expert at Irwin Mitchell.

The CQC has published the first of five reports into standards at sites which care for those with learning disabilities and found that just one of the five services inspected as part of the review fully complied with government standards.

According to the organisation, problems seen at sites could be traced back to the failure of organisations to implement proper leadership and governance.

Yogi Amin, a Partner in Irwin Mitchell’s Public Law team who acts for vulnerable adults and the families of those who have suffered as a result of safety failings in care homes, has called for lessons to be learned from the report.

He said: “Care homes and hospitals have a responsibility to ensure that vulnerable members of society are given the best possible and most suitable support that they need. Sadly, our work has shown that this isn’t always the case.

“Care providers and health care authorities need to work quickly to show they are responding to the concerns in this report, as well as demonstrate that standards are improving.

“So many people and their families rely on the services provided at care homes and hospitals and it is vital that such operations are running in the expected manner. Lessons must be learned to ensure that the same mistakes can be prevented in the future.”