Care Quality Commission has 15% shortfall in number of inspectors

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has a shortfall of 133 inspectors, around 15 per cent of its target number, according to a report in the Financial Times.

The news raises doubts about the capacity of the CQC to adequately introduce the random inspections of care homes it promised last week following allegations of abuse by staff at a privately-run care home in Bristol by the BBC.

The CQC apologised in the aftermath of the BBC documentary after it became clear that concerns over staff conduct at the Winterbourne View home had been reported to the regulator on two occasions prior to the broadcast on the Panorama programme last month.

The regulator will also take responsibility for the inspection of 9,000 dentist's surgeries and 8,000 GP practices from April next year, but the CQC is not expecting to increase staffing levels.

According to the Financial Times, the shortfall was caused by the recruitment freeze imposed on quangos by the new government last year, although this was lifted four months ago for the CQC which is now in the process of recruiting more inspectors.

An investigation by the FT, published last week, found that the CQC had reduced inspections by 70 per cent in the six months to March this year compared with the previous six months, despite almost 15% of privately-run and 9% of local authority homes being considered 'poor' or 'average' by the regulator.

Meanwhile, the government has reiterated its intention to introduce mandatory safeguarding boards for all local authorities, as reported on Local Government Lawyer last month.

Speaking to the BBC at the weekend, care minister Paul Burstow said: "It comes as a surprise to people that the statutory basis for the safeguarding of vulnerable adults in this country is much weaker than that which exists for children.

"I'm committed to follow through on some recommendations we have received recently from the Law Commission to implement statutory safeguarding rules that will require the police the NHS, social services to work together."