CQC: Healthcare sector pressures are impacting patients

Many healthcare providers around the UK are allowing their quality of service to slip in the face of mounting challenges facing the sector, according to a new report.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has collated findings from more than 13,000 inspections and found that issues around staffing and providing the right skills to care for people with complex conditions are beginning to take a toll.

Around ten percent of NHS hospitals were found to have failed to treat patients with due respect or involve them in decisions about care, while 23 percent did not have adequate staffing levels.

Meanwhile, 15 per cent of social care services were found to not be providing services that respected people, which is a potentially serious issue given the rising demand for nursing home care at present.

David Behan, chief executive of the CQC, said more efforts must be made to deliver "care that is based on the person's needs, not care that suits the way organisations work".

Other findings from the report include the fact that the NHS is likely to experience even greater challenges in future due to the ageing population, which will lead to a rise in the number of people with dementia and complex or multiple illnesses.