Any changes in regulation in wake of Mid Staffordshire Trust scandal must include care homes

The Relatives & Residents Association is calling for any changes in regulation, following the Francis Report into the Mid Staffordshire Trust scandal, to include the improved regulation of care homes.

An inquiry by Robert Francis QC into Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust found there had been appalling neglect of patients at Stafford Hospital between 2005 and 2009.

Mr Francis concluded that patients were routinely neglected by a Trust that was preoccupied with cost cutting, targets and processes and which lost sight of its fundamental responsibility to provide safe care. For many patients, the most basic elements of care were neglected with calls for help to use the bathroom ignored and patients left lying in soiled sheeting and sitting on commodes for hours, often feeling ashamed and afraid. Patients were left unwashed, at times for up to a month.

Judy Downey, chair of The Relatives & Residents Association (R&RA) said the Francis Report signals the “death knell for ‘light touch regulation’” said: “The Association’s helpline regularly hears about the failures of care in hospitals - and care homes - when many older people are admitted to care homes following hospital treatment. Also, when they are admitted to hospital from care homes, when they become very ill.

She added: “The response to Francis must not be to leave care homes untouched. Recent powerful documentaries, including Panorama, have shown that similar unregulated failures exist in the care of older people in care.

“Francis’ call for better hospital regulation must be taken seriously by the Secretary of State. But it is essential that any changes must include the improved regulation of care homes. R&RA has given evidence to the Health Select Committee, which endorsed its call for serious complaints to be responded to as a matter of urgency by the regulator. Most care homes residents are at the end of their lives. We know that they don’t get a second chance at good care.”

The R&RA wants care homes to have more frequent inspections and for the Care Quality Commission to have “more expertise within its inspection teams”

Ms Downey welcomed the introduction of Quality Surveillance Groups, set up in response to the first Mid-Staffs report, to develop early warning of poor quality care in the NHS, but said: “How will relatives and residents know about similar deteriorations in care homes?”

Since the report was published, 14 NHS hospitals with persistently high death rates have been placed under investigation. Department of Health permanent secretary Una O’Brien has responded to the findings and apologised “wholeheartedly” for the part it played in the failings at Mid Staffordshire Trust.

The Department of Health said it will be responding in more detail to the findings next month, and Ms O’Brien has promised: “We will take action on the recommendations from Robert Francis QC. We are committed to a renewed focus on putting patients at the centre of everything we do.”

David Behan, chief executive of the healthcare regulator, Care Quality Commission said: “We agree with Robert Francis that the NHS should maintain a positive patient-focused culture throughout. Our priority now is to develop and deliver these commitments. We will begin to move towards a new approach in the way we regulate NHS hospitals from this summer.”

One of the recommendations of the Francis Report is to have one regulator scrutinising both clinical and financial standards with the CQC swallowing up Monitor and becoming a super regulator. To vote on this issue please go to our sister site www.homecare.co.uk/news/debates.cfm