Residents to inform Welsh inspections

A new inspection regime for older people’s and children’s care homes in Wales will take more heed of residents’ views, while good performers will be checked less often.

Inspectors will spend more time interviewing residents about their experiences of services and what they feel needs improving.

The best-performing providers may be inspected every two years while struggling homes will be given closer attention, under the process introduced by the Care Standards Inspectorate for Wales from 3 April.

Providers found to have falsified answers in their self-assessments could also be de-registered.

Under the former system, inspectors visited every home and assessed them against every standard once

a year, but providers are now expected to carry out a self-assessment against all the standards, which inspectors will then use to prioritise their work.

Barry Latham, senior policy adviser at Care Forum Wales, said: “Inspectors used to have very little time to talk to residents, but now they can learn more about how residents feel about the services they receive.”