The Care Commission
Encyclopedia
The Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care (SCRC), known as The Care Commission has the responsibility for the regulation
and inspection of all care services in Scotland
which are registrable under the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001.
The Care Commission was established in April 2002 as an independent regulator set up under the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001. The key principles of the Commission are threefold; keeping people safe
; promoting dignity
and choice
and supporting independence
. http://www.carecommission.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=62&Itemid=101
As of April 2011 the Care Commission has been replaced by Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (SCSWIS) who now regulate all care services in Scotland.http://www.scswis.com/ From 15th September 2011, the working name of Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland changed to the 'Care Inspectorate'.
.http://www.carecommission.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=16&Itemid=112
The regulation is carried out by means of RICE, which is an acronym for Registration, Inspection, Complaints investigation, and Enforcement.
Registration ensures that the service, before opening, must demonstrate that it will be provided in line with legal and good practice requirements, and in conformity with the National Care Standards
.
Inspection
monitors the quality of the service. Inspections are often unannounced, and usually result in recommendations or requirements on the service. The inspections are summarised in a report available on the internet through the website of the Care Commission.
Complaint
investigations may be initiated by communication from service users, their relatives, or members of the public. The investigation can often, as in inspection, result in recommendations, requirements, and less often in enforcement action.
Enforcement occurs where a service has not complied with legal requirements despite these having been made clear to the service. It usually consists of additional conditions on further operation: where these are not met, the enforcement can ultimately lead to the closure of the service.
These changes are part of a wider project known as Regulation for Improvement. The focus on improvement is centred on how well people who use the service have a say in its quality, and in how it is operated.There is also more emphasis on inspection officers taking part in aspects of the service. For example, the inspection might include being at meetings, seeing activities in the service, etc.
Services are given grades on four Quality Themes:
Quality grades vary on a six point scale - Unsatisfactory, Weak, Adequate, Good, Very Good and Excellent.
A grading scale is also used by HMIE
when inspecting schools. There are integrated inspections involving the Care Commission and HMIE. The Care Commission gives specific weighting on grades to ensure that less than adequate performance clearly brings down the overall grade. This provides a greater motive for improvement in those areas.
The aim of the grading system was to provide a clearer indicator of quality and of where improvements were needed. The changed approach has been welcomed: it allows a greater focus on the point of view of the service user, and allowing funding authorities to make clearer, quality based decisions about ongoing funding. See
Bill Duncan's article in Journal of Care Services Management
, the Scottish Government in November 2008 announced :
"... there will be two new improvement and scrutiny organisations from April 2011 - a single body for healthcare services and another body for social work and social care services, including child protection and the integration of children's services. The new bodies will take on work in these areas currently done by:
Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education (HMIE)
NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (NHS QIS)
Social Work Inspection Agency (SWIA)
The Care Commission
With the exception of independent healthcare regulation, all of SWIA's and the Care Commission's work will be carried out by the new social work and social care services body, Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (SCSWIS). HMIE's current work leading on the inspection of services to protect children and developing a model of inspection for children's services will transfer to SCSWIS. The work of NHS QIS, plus the regulation of independent healthcare currently carried out by the Care Commission, will transfer to the new healthcare body, Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS). "http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Health/Scrutiny
Since this announcement, the affected organisations including the Care Commission have been working closely together to ensure a smooth changeover to the new structures.
Regulation
Regulation is administrative legislation that constitutes or constrains rights and allocates responsibilities. It can be distinguished from primary legislation on the one hand and judge-made law on the other...
and inspection of all care services in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
which are registrable under the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001.
The Care Commission was established in April 2002 as an independent regulator set up under the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001. The key principles of the Commission are threefold; keeping people safe
Safe
A safe is a secure lockable box used for securing valuable objects against theft or damage. A safe is usually a hollow cuboid or cylinder, with one face removable or hinged to form a door. The body and door may be cast from metal or formed out of plastic through blow molding...
; promoting dignity
Dignity
Dignity is a term used in moral, ethical, and political discussions to signify that a being has an innate right to respect and ethical treatment. It is an extension of the Enlightenment-era concepts of inherent, inalienable rights...
and choice
Choice
Choice consists of the mental process of judging the merits of multiple options and selecting one of them. While a choice can be made between imagined options , often a choice is made between real options, and followed by the corresponding action...
and supporting independence
Independence
Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state in which its residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory....
. http://www.carecommission.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=62&Itemid=101
As of April 2011 the Care Commission has been replaced by Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (SCSWIS) who now regulate all care services in Scotland.http://www.scswis.com/ From 15th September 2011, the working name of Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland changed to the 'Care Inspectorate'.
Services Regulated
The Care Commission has the responsibility for the regulation of a range of services in Scotland providing care to children, adults and older people. The following is a full list of services regulated by the commission. http://www.carecommission.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17&Itemid=70- Adult placement services
- Care homes for people with drug and alcoholAlcoholismAlcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
misuse problems - Care homes for people with learning disabilities
- Care homes for people with mental healthMental healthMental health describes either a level of cognitive or emotional well-being or an absence of a mental disorder. From perspectives of the discipline of positive psychology or holism mental health may include an individual's ability to enjoy life and procure a balance between life activities and...
problems - Care homes for older people
- Care homes for people with physical and sensory impairment
- Housing support services
- Services for people in criminal justice supported accommodation
- Short breaks and respite careRespite careRespite care is the provision of short-term, temporary relief to those who are caring for family members who might otherwise require permanent placement in a facility outside the home....
- Support services
- Adoption agencies
- Care homes for children and young people
- Childcare agencies
- Early education and childcare up to the age of 16
- Foster careFoster careFoster care is the term used for a system in which a minor who has been made a ward is placed in the private home of a state certified caregiver referred to as a "foster parent"....
and family placement services - School care and family placement services
- School care accommodation services
- Care at home
- Hospice care
- Independent hospitals / Independent specialist clinics
- Nurse agencies
Scope and statistics
Care Commission annually regulate over 15,000 care services used by 320,000 people. The commission currently has 571 staffEmployment
Employment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. An employee may be defined as:- Employee :...
.http://www.carecommission.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=16&Itemid=112
Methods of regulation
The form of regulation carried out by the Care Commission is largely laid down in the Regulation of Care(Scotland) Act, 2001, and associated Statutory Instruments.The regulation is carried out by means of RICE, which is an acronym for Registration, Inspection, Complaints investigation, and Enforcement.
Registration ensures that the service, before opening, must demonstrate that it will be provided in line with legal and good practice requirements, and in conformity with the National Care Standards
National Care Standards
The National Care Standards are a set of standards for care services in Scotland.They were set up by the Scottish Government, as required by the Regulation of Care Act 2001. The standards were devised after considerable consultation with service providers, service users, various expert bodies and...
.
Inspection
Inspection
An inspection is, most generally, an organized examination or formal evaluation exercise. In engineering activities inspection involves the measurements, tests, and gauges applied to certain characteristics in regard to an object or activity...
monitors the quality of the service. Inspections are often unannounced, and usually result in recommendations or requirements on the service. The inspections are summarised in a report available on the internet through the website of the Care Commission.
Complaint
Complaint
In legal terminology, a complaint is a formal legal document that sets out the facts and legal reasons that the filing party or parties In legal terminology, a complaint is a formal legal document that sets out the facts and legal reasons (see: cause of action) that the filing party or parties In...
investigations may be initiated by communication from service users, their relatives, or members of the public. The investigation can often, as in inspection, result in recommendations, requirements, and less often in enforcement action.
Enforcement occurs where a service has not complied with legal requirements despite these having been made clear to the service. It usually consists of additional conditions on further operation: where these are not met, the enforcement can ultimately lead to the closure of the service.
A changed approach
In 2008 the Care Commission changed its approach to inspection. While still based on the National Care Standards, the criteria for assessing quality were grouped and organised into "Quality Themes". These are inspected, and then graded in the report of the inspection. Services are expected to self assess and to grade their performance, and to involve their users in assessing the quality of the service provided.These changes are part of a wider project known as Regulation for Improvement. The focus on improvement is centred on how well people who use the service have a say in its quality, and in how it is operated.There is also more emphasis on inspection officers taking part in aspects of the service. For example, the inspection might include being at meetings, seeing activities in the service, etc.
Services are given grades on four Quality Themes:
- Care and Support,
- Environment
- Staffing
- Leadership and Management.
Quality grades vary on a six point scale - Unsatisfactory, Weak, Adequate, Good, Very Good and Excellent.
A grading scale is also used by HMIE
Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education
Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education is an executive agency of the Scottish Government, responsible for the inspection of public and independent, primary and secondary schools, as well as further education colleges, community learning, Local Authority Education Departments and teacher...
when inspecting schools. There are integrated inspections involving the Care Commission and HMIE. The Care Commission gives specific weighting on grades to ensure that less than adequate performance clearly brings down the overall grade. This provides a greater motive for improvement in those areas.
The aim of the grading system was to provide a clearer indicator of quality and of where improvements were needed. The changed approach has been welcomed: it allows a greater focus on the point of view of the service user, and allowing funding authorities to make clearer, quality based decisions about ongoing funding. See
Bill Duncan's article in Journal of Care Services Management
Future changes
After the release of the Crerar Review, on the simplification of regulatory processes in ScotlandScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, the Scottish Government in November 2008 announced :
"... there will be two new improvement and scrutiny organisations from April 2011 - a single body for healthcare services and another body for social work and social care services, including child protection and the integration of children's services. The new bodies will take on work in these areas currently done by:
Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education (HMIE)
NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (NHS QIS)
Social Work Inspection Agency (SWIA)
The Care Commission
With the exception of independent healthcare regulation, all of SWIA's and the Care Commission's work will be carried out by the new social work and social care services body, Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (SCSWIS). HMIE's current work leading on the inspection of services to protect children and developing a model of inspection for children's services will transfer to SCSWIS. The work of NHS QIS, plus the regulation of independent healthcare currently carried out by the Care Commission, will transfer to the new healthcare body, Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS). "http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Health/Scrutiny
Since this announcement, the affected organisations including the Care Commission have been working closely together to ensure a smooth changeover to the new structures.