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January 2011
incorporating The Number One magazine for the care sector
no.176 • £4.75 In association with
Real concern over delay in home opening By Dominic Musgrave AN MP has joined the criticism of the CQC’s registration process, which she claims is delaying the opening of a new state-of-the-art care home in her constituency. The Cedars, which has been developed by Ideal Care Homes, will provide a home for 42 people living with dementia. However, the development, which has been ready to receive new clients since September, cannot open its doors to those requiring care until it is officially registered. She said: “While I fully endorse the full and proper scrutiny of all registration applications, the oversight in the processing of this particular application is causing real concern. “I have approached the CQC and have received a standard reply but, following my visit to the home to take up relatives’ concerns, have now approached them a second time with a plea that they look at the individual circumstances and use their discretionary powers to comply with all sections of the registration - but within a timetable that is helpful to us here in Stoke on Trent.” Company chairman Lawrence Tomlinson said he has submitted all the relevant paperwork to the CQC,
but has still not had any acknowledgment as to the timescale for the registration. He added: “I would urge chief executive Cynthia Bower to address the many flaws within her organisation as a matter of urgency to prevent more innocent people from losing out. We have achieved registered provider status as a company, submitted a registration application for The Cedars, recruited and trained a staff team and built the home – but now find ourselves in the extremely frustrating position of not being able to operate it. “The current CQC system for registering homes is simply not working. Not only do we lose out as an operator, but local people waiting to be employed by us are unable to earn a living and vulnerable elderly people remain in below average facilities.” ECCA chief executive Martin Green has called on the inspectorate to act on these problems. He added: “CQC must ensure it not only has simple and efficient systems in place, but that there are enough skilled personnel to deal with any difficulties within the process. Over reliance on web-based systems will never deliver a solution to a very complex registration process.”
Healthcare market study to launch
A well-known Yorkshire chef has joined forces with a West Yorkshire care provider to put the spotlight on nutrition in later life at the official opening of their flagship Leeds development. Brian Turner CBE - who rose to fame through his association with some of Britain’s most celebrated restaurants, including Claridges and the Michelin-starred Capital Hotel in Kensington – worked with Westward Care’s Headingley Hall resident chef, Raj Govindan, to dish up a traditional Yorkshire luncheon tailored to meet the specific dietary requirements of older people.
THE Office of Fair Trading has announced plans to launch a market study into private healthcare. The study will examine the nature of competition in the market and whether the market is fully competitive. Now, ahead of the formal launch in Spring 2011, the OFT is calling on the industry to submit their views on what should be included in the study. So far, preliminary research has raised questions about whether the market is working well for private healthcare patients. Sonya Branch, OFT senior director of services and public markets said: “We are keen to establish whether patients and buyers of private healthcare services, including the NHS, are getting the full benefit of choice and competition. As this is a complex area, we want to engage with providers, patients and government first to ensure that we identify and focus on the correct issues prior to launching the market study in 2011.” Comments can be submitted by e-mail to: privatehealthcare@oft.gsi.go v.uk. Plans are to launch the study in Spring 2011 before publishing a final report by the end of 2011.