23.11.12
CQC says staff cuts harming patient care
The CQC says that cost and efficiency pressures are taking their toll on patient care.
Its comprehensive State Of Care report bringing together findings from over 13,000 individual inspections suggests that 15% of social care services are not providing care that respects people, and 23% did not have enough staff.
One in 10 NHS hospitals failed to treat people with the respect they deserve and failed to involve them in decisions about their care, the report says.
David Behan, CQC chief executive, said: “Health and care services need to rise to the challenge of responding to the increasingly complex conditions suffered by our ageing population. That means delivering care that is based on the person’s needs, not care that suits the way organisations work. It also means that different services need to work well together in an integrated way that meets the best interests of the people who use these services.
“CQC will use its increasing knowledge and understanding, gained through thousands of inspections of services, to spot growing trends that are directly leading to poor care. Where we find standards are not being met we require improvements and we will use our enforcement powers where necessary to tackle issues such as staff shortages or the failure of service providers to involve people in decisions about their own care.”
Many problematic institutions displayed common factors, the report says, including an attitude to care that is “based on getting tasks done”, not respect and dignity.
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