Public wants to see more inspections

Nearly 40 per cent of the public believes that social care services
should be inspected monthly and almost three-quarters think that
inspectors should arrive unannounced, according to the results of a
new Mori poll.

The survey was commissioned by the Commission for Social Care
Inspection to coincide with its launch this week.

Some 79 per cent of respondents support the idea of rigorous
inspection, with services being inspected at least twice a year.

The poll also finds that 73 per cent of those surveyed feel that a
person needing social care should be given the money by the
government or council to choose and buy the services they
want.

This appears to run counter to the low take-up of direct payments.
Only 9,600 people in England were receiving them in March
2003.

The CSCI replaces the Social Services Inspectorate, the National
Care Standards Commission and the joint review strand of the Audit
Commission.