News

Plans for a single inspectorate for social services have been greeted with a mixture of shock, concern and support.

The new Commission for Social Care Inspection will merge the Social Services Inspectorate (SSI) with the care home functions of the National Care Standards Commission (NCSC).

The announcement came just three weeks after the National Care Standards Commission took over responsibility for the registration and inspection of social care.

Health secretary Alan Milburn said the current arrangements were causing "fragmentation and confusion".

He said the new body would have a key role in driving up standards and strengthening accountability between social services and the public.

The Commission for Social Care Inspection is expected to be operational within two years. The new body's commissioners will be chosen by an independent public appointments commission.

Anne Parker, chairperson of the NCSC, said: "Until the new bodies are established we will continue to regulate all of the services that fall under our remit and work with service providers to improve their quality."

The NCSC does not expect that users will experience significant changes, although it admits that the plans are at too early a stage to make accurate predictions.

"The standards-based approach will remain and at this stage we do not expect them to change," said a NCSC spokesperson.

"The cycle of registration and inspection for children's homes and care homes will continue as planned. It could be that the only differences will be a change of address and a different style on the forms."

But Sheila Scott, chief executive of the National Care Homes Association, said the news would be traumatic for owners who have had a stressful year preparing for the NCSC.

"What we need is a period of stability. Everybody needs to be convinced that the system is going to work well so the last thing we need is this confusion," said Scott.

"Why has this decision been made now when the NCSC has only been in existence for 18 days. All these changes should have been thought out two years ago."

Michael Leadbetter, president of the Association of Directors of Social Services, said: "It makes sense to move the two sets of inspectors together and we have been lobbying hard for a rationalisation of the inspection regime."

There is particular support among those departments which feel the SSI will be seen to be more independent because it will be at greater distance from government influence.

"The really hard part will be combining the different cultures of the NCSC, which is already trying to merge the cultures of 230 local authority inspectorates, with those of the SSI," added Leadbetter.

There will be a legal requirement for the Commission for Social Care Inspection to co-operate with the proposed Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection.

The Department of Health said it would keep reviewing the possibility of a single commission to cover both social and health services. It has currently ruled out the option because it can not justify its extended scope and the organisational upheaval required.

The Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection will merge the private and voluntary healthcare functions of the NCSC with the Commission for Health Improvement and Audit Commission's health value for money work.

Role of the proposed merged body:

- Inspect all social care organisations to ensure they meet national standards and produce reports of inspections.

- Register services.

- Inspect local authority social services departments.

- Validate all performance assessment statistics on social care.

- Publish star ratings for social services departments and recommend special measures when necessary.

- Publish annual report to parliament on progress on social care and analysis of the use of resources.