'Report cards' to assist care service choice

Published on Wednesday 5 December 2007 00:56

CHILDMINDERS, care homes and nurseries are to get tough new ratings to help the public choose the best services, it was announced yesterday.

The Care Commission, which regulates and inspects care facilities, said their current reports were often hard for people to interpret and decide if a service is of a good standard.

But from next April, all those caring for children, elderly and other vulnerable groups will get an "at-a-glance" report card which they will be expected to show new users of their service.

Charities last night welcomed the move, which follows a number of high-profile cases of abuse and neglect in care services.

The new report card will give services a rating of one to six - six being excellent - for areas such as care and support, environment and staffing. All services will have a report card within the next two years, with the first being published next July, the commission said.

Jacquie Roberts, chief executive of the Care Commission, said: "There is no doubt that if the grading system shows two similar services in the same area being awarded different grades, it will encourage the poorer-performing service to improve.

"It also means we can more effectively target the services where improvement is required and devote more resources in this direction."

A spokeswoman for Help the Aged Scotland said: "[This system] means that rather than reading through a long and complex report, there will be an easy way of getting an idea of whether you can trust a home, what level of service it provides and so on."

However, the spokeswoman added: "Our worry is that, in the past year, we have seen a decrease in the number of registered care home beds for older people. This means that whatever the result of the grading system, families will not have the option to choose another home if they are not happy with the one they are offered."

Tom Roberts, from charity Children 1ST, said: "Anything that makes it easier for parents to choose safe, good-quality childcare for their children is to be welcomed.

"The scorecard system will make it easier to identify childcare providers who are providing a less-than-ideal service. We are also pleased that, to achieve high scores, providers must show they have sought the views of families using their service."

VULNERABLE SUFFERING

MANY examples of poor care services in Scotland have been highlighted in recent years.

In one case this year, a Care Commission investigation found pensioners at a nursing home had lost weight after being served up "unpalatable" food.

Investigators found that lunch portions were "very small", and that an "unusually high" proportion of residents relied on nutritional supplements.

Inspectors also found evidence to support complaints that vulnerable residents were verbally abused at Cockenzie House Nursing Home in East Lothian. An improvement notice was given to the home.