Radical reform for regulation proposed

The Commission for Social Care Inspection proposes to overhaul
social care regulation and inspection.

The proposals for care services in England, published this week,
include more unannounced visits and using mystery shoppers to check
the quality of services.

The best care providers will get lighter-touch inspections, which
will allow inspectors to focus on the worst performing
services.

Other proposals include regulations based on what users say they
want, new registration categories, providers legally required to
carry out self-assessment as a condition of continued registration.

There will also be a new registration licence that will enable
someone to provide a range of services to adults without having to
continually re-register.

The CSCI said it wanted a raft of measures in a new legal framework
by 2006.