There are
"still dark corners" among Britain's care homes that need to be
investigated to restore public confidence, a former health minister has warned.
Alistair Burt
joined Tory backbencher Peter Heaton-Jones (North Devon) in demanding urgent
action to address standards in Britain's care homes, amid claims too many are
"simply not coming up to scratch".
Among their
concerns were care homes banning families who complained about their relative's
treatment - a practice dubbed "completely unacceptable" by Health
Minister Nicola Blackwood.
Speaking in an
adjournment debate on the issue in the Commons, Mr Burt (pictured) said:
"For the great work that's done in care homes, there are still dark
corners, and it's those corners that a light must be shone on.
"In order to
protect families, it's essential that the sort of things that have been brought
out, both by my honourable friend's campaign and what we've seen in the media
the past couple of days, have got to come to an end to give the public
confidence."
Mr Heaton-Jones,
who led the debate, told MPs there were a growing number of cases where
relatives were being banned from care homes for complaining about care.
He added: "In
some cases, it has been known to lead even to the eviction of the elderly
person from the home.
"Private care
homes are defined in law as ultimate landlords. Quite simply, they can decide
who goes on the premises, or not.
"A private
care home also has the power to prevent health professionals from visiting the
home. Just think about that for a moment."
MPs heard that on
Wednesday, ahead of this debate, the CQC published new guidance saying care homes
must keep records of such incidents.
Mr Heaton-Jones
also raised concern about the proportion of care homes rated as either
inadequate or requiring improvement, which accounted for around 200 of the 450
most recently inspected establishments.
He also said the
CQC was more than a year behind schedule with a major inspection programme,
while the complaints procedure for care homes was a "bewildering
labyrinth" of different organisations.
He added: "We
have a growing number of cases where care homes are simply not coming up to
scratch."
In reply, Ms
Blackwood said a new, tougher inspection regime had been brought in and was
leading to improvements in standards.
She added that the
CQC had been ambitious in its original timetable for inspections, but was now
on course to complete this work by March.
As for complaints,
Ms Blackwood said there was a statutory requirement for care home providers to
operate a complaints system, which was enforced by the CQC.
She added: "We
do know that this system is not working perfectly.
"Despite the
progress we're making we still hear too many stories that highlight people's
real concerns about the quality and safety in social care, and we are
determined to do better.
"We also hear
that those receiving care or their families can be reluctant to make a
complaint for fear of consequences, especially if it's about the care home
where they're living.
"Indeed, only
this week there was a story on the Victoria Derbyshire Show about care homes
banning relatives who make a complaint about the quality of care.
"We find this
completely unacceptable. It is right that people and their families should feel
able to raise concerns without fear of reprisals."
SOURCE: careappointments.co.uk, The Press Association
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