CQC publishes 18 more reports from its review of services for people with learning disabilities

4 April 2012

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) today publishes a further 18 reports from a targeted programme of 150 unannounced inspections of hospitals and care homes that care for people with learning disabilities.

The programme is looking at whether people experience safe and appropriate care, treatment and support and whether they are protected from abuse. A national report into the findings of the programme will be published later this year.

These 18 inspections covered locations that provided a range of services including assessment and treatment, rehabilitation and longer term care.

Inspections were focused on two outcomes relating to the government’s essential standards of quality and safety: the care and welfare of people who use services, and safeguarding people who use services from abuse.

Major concerns were identified against both outcomes at Harkstead Barns.

At Harkstead Barns, the inspection team found that people were not being protected against the risks of inappropriate or unsafe care and treatment because  care plans and health action plans were not being reviewed or updated to reflect changes in people’s needs. They also found that systems to prevent and identify abuse were inadequate.

All the services where concerns are identified have to tell the CQC how and when they will improve. Those failing to meet essential standards could face enforcement action by the regulator if improvements are not made.

Overall, six locations are compliant with Outcome 4, seven have minor concerns, four have moderate concerns and one has a major concern. On Outcome 7, ten locations are compliant, five have minor concerns, one has a moderate concerns and two have a major concern.

Six locations are compliant with both outcomes, with a further seven having no more than a minor concern with both outcomes.

The batch contains eight NHS, four independent health care and six adult social care locations.

CQC inspectors were joined by ‘experts by experience’ – people who have first hand experience of care or as a family carer and who can provide the patient or carer perspective as well as professional experts in our learning disability inspections.

Today, we have also published interviews with experts by experience on our web site. Two people with experience of care and two family carers talk about their contributions the inspections and about what being involved in the programme has meant to them.

Read the interviews in our article Experts by experience make their mark

Where inspectors identified concerns, they raised these immediately with the providers and managers of services.

The national report will be based on the findings from all the 150 inspections and will make conclusions about the overall state of this type of service.

Ends

Notes to editors

For media enquires call the CQC press office on 0207 448 9401

The reports will be published on CQC’s web site on Wednesday 4 April. http://www.cqc.org.uk/LDReports6

The reports published today are for the following providers and locations. The table shows our findings in relation to the two outcomes we focussed on, but some reports also show concerns in respect of other outcomes.

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.

They are checking two outcomes:

• Outcome 4 Care and welfare
• Outcome 7 Safeguarding adults from abuse.

But where our inspectors find problems with other outcomes, they will report on these.

Our inspection teams are led by CQC inspectors 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.

We set up an advisory group to help it plan the programme. Our Chair, Dame Jo Williams, chairs the group. The members come from a range of voluntary, charitable and other organisations that work with or represent people with learning disabilities and their families.

The learning disability inspection programme was launched in response to the abuse revealed by undercover filming by the BBC Panorama programme. We apologised for failing to respond to warnings of abuse at Winterbourne View. Matters concerning Winterbourne view are the subject of serious case review.

Further information

There is information on this website about How to share concerns and complaints about a social care service, a council, independent healthcare services, the NHS or CQC.

You can telephone us about your concerns on 03000 616161

The Challenging Behaviour Foundation has a list of organisations offering independent support to families with disabled relatives. Click on the name of an organisation to read more information.

Support for families

Families provide long-term love, care and support for their disabled relatives, and speak up for them. Even when people leave home, they do not leave the family. Families continue to offer a lifetime of involvement and support, and know a great deal about their relative’s needs and wishes, likes and dislikes.

When the services and support for a relative go wrong it can be very difficult for families to deal with. They may be faced with a barrage of information and decisions to take, as well as coming to terms with what has happened. It is important that families know where they can get impartial information, and find out what support is available to them. There is a list below of organisations which you may find useful.

It is important to note that family carers must be consulted and involved in key decisions about the care and support of a relative who is unable to make these decisions (unless you have specifically asked not to be involved). There is a proper legal process that must be followed, under the Mental Capacity Act 2005. For example, your relative cannot be moved to another service without involving you, and others who know your relative well, in the decision-making process. For more information about this, see Making Decisions: A guide for family, friends and other unpaid carers. Copies available by phoning 0300 456 0300.

Organisations providing independent support

Other useful contacts