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It has been a good week for the Care Quality Commission. On Tuesday it released figures showing inspections of adult social care services grew by a third over the last three months.

Today, it announced that it is partnering with Age UK, Challenging Behaviour Foundation and Choice Support to provide experts to help with its work. More partners are to follow.

It'll be a welcome move from those who have voiced concern over lack of expertise at the regulator following the Winterbourne View abuse scandal. Several people have told me that they believe one of the reasons the CQC was not quick to act when a whistleblower told it about the abuse at the hospital, was because it no longer has learning disability experts on the books, who might have kept staff alert to the dangers of learning disability hospitals.

• There is no strong link between a community's wealth and its 'Big Society' resources, with some deprived areas comparatively rich in community wealth. A poll of local authorities suggested that even in areas facing the steepest budget reductions, ingredients of the Big Society are often strong.
• In new heat maps illustrating Big Society resources, Barking & Dagenham and Harlow councils are least well placed to benefit from the Big Society, with the South West and North of England regions faring strongest.
• Communities faced with 'double deprivation' - those lacking both financial wealth and community resources such as volunteering - should be targeted for extra help to cope with the withdrawal of traditional state services.
  

Insurance experts have backed a compulsory insurance system to fund long term care for adults, the Telegraph reports.

The Telegraph highlights the response from the Association of British Insurers (who would probably stand to gain under any insurance system, unless it is entirely administered by the state) which says a voluntary system won't work.

This doesn't make them any different from anyone else, most people responding to the consultation said the same thing.

But the comments section on the Telegraph story reveals quite a heavy amount of opposition to compulsory funding, most people seem to think their National Insurance will cover it.

In its own way this story is a microcosm of the problem facing Andrew Dilnot and the ministers implementing his reports recommendations.

Sources in the industry tell me the Care Quality Commission (CQC) is set to raise its fees for care providers later today.

One provider said they received just a few days notice of the higher fees, wrecking their financial plans.

The CQC conducted a consultation on this earlier in the year. It's not clear at this point how far fees will rise, or how many providers it will effect but in the consultation it estimated a rise of £5.7m overall.

Providers had calculated this could equate to an increase of over 80% for some providers.

Needless to say, care service providers were pretty irritated in January. Some said that the regulator did not provide a good value service.

I can't imagine they'll be overly happy about it now and it's difficult to imagine the bill not being picked-up by councils or the public.