Special measures regime to be introduced for care homes

New measures will be brought in later this year that are intended to reverse the poor standards in the UK's worst performing care homes.

The move has come after a number of reviews that found centres for care to be treating elderly and vulnerable people without the dignity and respect they deserve. In particular, the revelations of wrongdoing at the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust convinced officials that urgent changes are needed.

As a result, care homes will be subject to new inspections from October. If found to be below standard, they will but put into an "unprecedented" regime, claimed health secretary Jeremy Hunt in Parliament today (July 17th).

Care Quality Commission chief inspector of adult social care Andrea Sutcliffe will be in charge of the inspections and assessments. She explained that the aim is for all homes to provide appropriate care, but where they are failing there will be no hesitation in shutting them down.

Ms Sutcliffe commented: "Of course we want services to improve, but where standards are repeatedly falling short, we will call time on poor care."