One of the actions we said we would take in the wake of the Panorama programme on Winterbourne View was a programme of unannounced inspections of services for people with learning disabilities.
This is a targeted programme of inspections of hospitals and care homes that care for people with learning disabilities. It is looking at whether people experience safe and appropriate care, treatment and support and whether they are protected from abuse.
The inspections
Inspection teams are making unannounced visits to 150 services. More than 100 are NHS and independent services that provide services such as assessment and treatment, rehabilitation and longer term care. The others are adult social care locations.
We will check two outcomes:
- Outcome 4: Care and welfare
- Outcome 7: Safeguarding adults from abuse
Where our inspectors find problems with other outcomes, they will report on these.
If we find breaches of the regulations, we will take the necessary action.
What we do
First, we review the information we hold about the provider and location. Then we carry out an unannounced visit, usually lasting two days.
During the visit we watch how people are being cared for, talk with people who use services and their families or advocates, speak with staff, check the provider’s records, and look at records of people who use services.
The inspection teams
Our inspectors are joined by two ‘experts by experience’ - people who have experience of using services, either first hand or as a family carer and who can provide the patient perspective and a professional advisor.
Advisory group
We have set up an advisory group to help us plan the programme. Our chair, Dame Jo Williams, chairs this group. The members come from a range of voluntary, charitable and other organisations that work with or represent people with learning disabilities.
Timetable
We have now completed all the visits. We will publish a national report in Spring 2012.
Reporting
We will publish a report for each location we inspect. The reports will use the standard CQC reporting structure and will report predominantly on the two outcomes listed above. If, in collating evidence for these two outcomesm, likely breaches of other regulations are found these will be reported on under the most appropriate outcome/regulation.
Where improvement or compliance actions are required this will be detailed in the report. If enforcement action is undertaken this will be reported when the provider has had the opportunity to make and have considered any written representations. However should be believe urgent action is required this will be undertaken using the relevant powers.
We will publish reports in batches, starting at the end of November. A national report of our findings will also be produced following completion of all the inspections.
Find all the reports published so far, including easy read versions
