Terrified families of residents of failing nursing homes were too terrified to speak out for fear that their loved ones would be evicted.
The terror of so-called “revenge evictions” has stopped many people from raising the alarm with the Care Quality Commission watchdog.
The panic among those paying staggering sums is so widespread that it will become the centerpiece of an ongoing investigation into a “failed” regulator that has actually been subjected to special measures.
Independent research by Care Rights UK, a charity set up to defend people in care, found that two thirds of respondents to care placements or care supporters were “not confident” or “not at all confident” about the CQC’s ability to ensure health and life Social care services provide people with safe, effective, compassionate and high-quality care.
However, what is more disturbing is that 56 percent of people who experienced poor-quality care did not report their concerns because many feared malicious consequences such as eviction.
An industry scandal where one in five care homes was deemed “requires improvement” or “inadequate” has been described as a “betrayal of the most vulnerable”.
One person giving evidence to the audit on condition of anonymity said: “The CQC seems almost powerless. It is common practice for care providers to seek reasons to evict or threaten to evict residents if family members raise concerns. Security teams will tend to excuse incidents rather than investigate and are almost afraid to challenge because there are shortages in available jobs and in their eyes a bad job is better than no job at all.
“Family members try to make the best of very bad situations, without professional support.”
The report, designed to capture regulators’ experiences of care, includes first-hand testimony from families and care workers collected between November and May.
It shows how almost everyone is afraid to speak out about substandard care, even though some are forced to spend £1,500 a week.
One respondent, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “I raised the issue of my dad’s security in the care home and CQC, as well as social care (but) the day after I was kicked out of the care home.”
The future of the quango, which was set up to regulate and ensure safety in nursing homes, hospitals, GP and dental surgeries, ambulance services and home care, hangs in the balance after Health and Human Services Secretary Wes Streeting called it “unsuitable towards the goal.”
His dismal assessment and vote of no confidence in the CQC followed the publication by Dr Penny Dash of an independent interim report which found significant internal failings at the regulator, hampering its ability to identify poor performance.
Dr. Dash will now conduct two more assessments focusing on patient safety and is likely to hear incredibly candid testimony from those who say they have been let down by the very organization that has a statutory duty to look after and defend their interests. Its full report is expected to be published early next year.
Helen Wildbore, director of Care Rights UK, said: “The CQC’s failure to act has put older and disabled people at risk for too long and resulted in a worsening of poor care. In our darkest hours, during the pandemic and when the care sector was in crisis, CQC failed people when we needed them most.
“We hear every day through our hotline about the devastating impact this situation is having on people’s lives. For the most vulnerable people we support, change can’t come fast enough.”
Baroness Ros Altmann, 68, former Pensions Minister and care campaigner, said: “The whole social care system is a real disaster and in 21st century Britain too often frail and vulnerable older people are abandoned. Despite money flowing into the NHS, the social care sector has been left behind in the dark ages. It’s time to put an end to the betrayal of the weakest.”
Streeting said: “Patient safety is the cornerstone of a healthy NHS and social care system. That’s why we’re taking steps to reform the CQC to eliminate poor performance and ensure patients can once again trust its assessments.
“This government will never turn a blind eye to failures. An overly complex system of health care regulation and supervision is not good for either patients or healthcare providers. We will review the system to ensure it is effective and efficient and protects patient safety.”
The CQC said: “Care homes are people’s homes and no one should have to live in fear of being punished for raising concerns. While we realize that most people receive notice from their service provider due to a change in their needs, unfortunately, after talking to the person and their family, we realize that this is not always the case. It is unacceptable that people are treated unfairly when they raise concerns. We are confident that appropriate action will be taken if we find that service providers are failing to meet their obligations.
“While the CQC has no power to intervene in decisions made by care providers to issue an ‘opt-out notice’, we are checking how providers deal with complaints, looking at how quickly and ‘well-run’ a care home is, and also checking with the people who live there and their relatives, whether they know how to report concerns and whether they feel heard.
“We take this issue seriously and continue to look at how we can improve the way we can analyze data provided to us by providers, as well as take into account information provided to us by people using services and raising concerns. We encourage people to tell us about concerns they may have about the care they or their loved ones receive so that we can take action if necessary.”
