Every care home to be inspected without warning once a year

A TOUGH new inspection regime for care homes in Scotland has been unveiled by health secretary Nicola Sturgeon.

The Scottish Government is also set to bring in stricter financial monitoring of the care home sector to guard against another Southern Cross-style collapse. Two of the stricken company’s 98 homes in Scotland have yet to secure new operators.

The changes come in the wake of the deaths of two former residents of Edinburgh’s Elsie Inglis care home, which prompted a police investigation and its closure.

The health secretary said the inspection regime for care homes in Scotland was “fundamentally robust”. But she added: “I have also been clear that there are aspects of the care regime in Scotland that are worth further consideration.

“That is why I have announced a strengthening of the regulation and inspection regime and work to provide protection against the challenges presented by circumstances such as the failure of Southern Cross.”

All care homes will receive an unannounced inspection at least once a year and inspectors will be able to increase this if they are concerned about its performance, Ms Sturgeon told MSPs.

Currently, highly performing care homes with a low risk- assessment are subject to at least one unannounced inspection every two years.

Concerns grew over the care of 4,000 Scots when Southern Cross, the UK’s biggest care home provider, ran into trouble earlier this year.

Ms Sturgeon, who also announced that Social Care and Social Work Inspection Scotland would now be known as the Care Inspectorate, said: “The experience of Southern Cross raises a wider issue and that is the security of the provision of care services when a private operator runs into financial trouble.

“While the circumstances of Southern Cross are quite particular, we must act, we have a duty to act, to minimise the risk of care homes or other care services failing because of financial difficulties experienced by private providers.”

She went on: “I have tasked officials to work with the Care Inspectorate and other interested parties to bring forward recommendations on how we can provide and, indeed, be assured of greater financial robustness in the sector.”

Two Scottish care homes run by Southern Cross, Belhaven in Troon and Forth View in Leven, have yet to find new operators. The homes cater for about 100 residents between them.

“Separate arrangements are being made for these homes and they will transfer at a later date,” Ms Sturgeon said. “The process to register new operators of services has begun and the Care Inspectorate is liaising with regulators in the other UK jurisdictions to share knowledge and information on providers.”

Labour’s public health spokesman Richard Simpson said it must be an “incredibly anxious” time for residents.

“It is absolutely vital the SNP government ensure contingency plans are put in place to ensure the continuity of care of vulnerable residents in these homes,” he said. “Moving vulnerable older people from one care home to another can be incredibly traumatic, so I was deeply disappointed the health secretary was unable to give me a cast iron guarantee this would not happen.”