New CQC home care inspections welcomed by government

The government has welcomed news that the Care Quality Commission (CQC) is to carry out a new programme of inspections for providers of home care services in the UK.

Announced earlier this week, the programme is set to begin in April 2012 and will cover around 250 providers of domiciliary care services, focusing on the respect, care and welfare of patients receiving services.

These will accompany the body's existing monthly scheme of more than 1,000 unannounced inspections of adult social care services, coming as part of a wider review of home care standards in the UK.

According to the Department of Health, improving standards in this area is vital due to the fact that most patients prefer to stay in their own homes for as long as possible and must therefore be treated with dignity and respect.

CQC chief executive Cynthia Bower noted that this can be a difficult sector to monitor due to its relative lack of transparency, making the new inspection scheme essential.

Care minister Paul Burstow added: "The CQC's programme of unannounced inspections for home care providers is part of a key coalition government policy of shining a light on poor care and rooting out bad practice."