Information about THE SUPERVISORY ORGANISATION(s) in

1. COUNTRY/REGION: Scotland

Website of the supervisory organisation:

http://www.careinspectorate.com/

Is this website in English or partly in English?

English

Contact person(s)

Karen Anderson

Name and function

Director of Strategic Development

Address

Care Inspectorate
Compass House
11 Riverside Drive
DUNDEE
DD1 4NY

Email

karen.anderson@careinspectorate.com

Telephone number

01382 207100

2. THE STRUCTURE OF THE SUPERVISORY ORGANISATION(s)

The Head of the Supervisory Organisation (name and function).

Annette Bruton, Chief Executive

Size of the Supervisory Organisation:

See below.

Number of inspections/supervisions or number of inspectors or number of full time equivalents of people working in the organisation; number of hospitals or health institutions under supervision

As at 2012/13, we regulated 14,231 care services in Scotland. They include childminders, care homes, care at home, daycare of children, adoption and fostering, housing support, secure care, school accommodation, nurse agencies, and offender accommodation.

In 2012/13, we completed 8,835 inspections in total.

Number of people working in the organisations

As at 31 March 2013, we employed 584 members of staff, with around 85% directly concerned with scrutiny, inspection and regulation on a daily basis.

Other relevant information about the Supervisory Organisation in your country or region

The Care Inspectorate is the independent scrutiny and improvement body for a wide range of care services for people of all ages in Scotland. Our regulation work includes registering and inspecting care services, dealing with complaints and carrying out enforcement action, where necessary, to make services improve. We also scrutinise the quality of social work, including criminal justice social work, in Scotland’s 32 local authorities. We have also developed new joint inspections of services both for children and older people, working with education, police, health and social work to make sure that in each local area, different agencies are all working well together to deliver positive outcomes for people in local communities.

Web address

http://www.careinspectorate.com/

3. THE SCOPE OF THE SUPERVISORY ORGANISATION(s)

Is there supervision on health care in general?

Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) has responsibility for scrutinising NHS services in Scotland. However we work very closely with HIS, along with other partner agencies to carry out joint inspections of services for children and older people in each local area.

During inspection of regulated care services our staff look at a number of areas that influence the quality of care, including healthcare needs. We have a team of healthcare advisers and consultants who provide support and guidance on a range of health and care needs for our staff and service providers. They work in partnership with the NHS and health and social care providers to develop improvement tools and policy, and influence the integrated health and social care policy and strategy.

Is there supervision on hospitals

The responsibility for supervision of hospitals lies with Healthcare Improvement Scotland.

Is there supervision on other health care institutions like nursing homes / convalescent homes?

Yes, the Care Inspectorate has responsibility for scrutiny of all care homes in Scotland. This includes care homes with nursing provision.

Is there supervision on the production and the use of medicines?

During inspection our staff look at a number of areas that influence the quality of care, including medicines management. We also have two healthcare advisers in medicines management, who visit services to review health related issues and complaints and help providers improve the quality of care in specific areas.

Is there a supervisory relation with health care professionals? If yes, what kind of relation

We do not have supervisory responsibility for staff – this lies with the workforce regulator for that specific profession, for example the Nursing and Midwifery Council, Scottish Social Services Council etc. However, any concerns we had about a member of staff would be passed to the relevant regulator.

Other relevant information about the scope of the supervisory organisation.

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4. METHODS OF INSPECTION OR SUPERVISION

What methods of inspection or supervision are used in your country/region?

Our inspections of regulated care services are risk based, mostly unannounced and take place against frequency criteria set out by the Scottish Government. Since 2013, inspectors work in specialist teams meaning that, in so far as possible, they inspect the type of service they have a practice background in. During inspections our inspectors speak to people who use care services, their families, and staff. We observe practice and read case files and notes. We have the right of access to care services day or night, however we do not have right of access to directly inspect care delivered in people’s own homes without their permission. During our inspections we look at four quality themes:

Quality of Care and Support – how the service meets the needs of each individual in its care

Quality of Environment – including whether the service is clean, set out well, easy to access by people who use wheelchairs or have dementia, is safe

Quality of Staffing – the quality of care staff, including their qualifications and training

Quality of Management and Leadership – how the service is managed and how it develops to meet the needs of the people it cares for.

Grading care services

Services are graded using a six point grading scale:

6 – excellent

5 – very good

4 – good

3 – adequate

2 – weak

1 – unsatisfactory

Grades are recorded in the service’s inspection report and on the website.

Other information about the methods of inspection in your country / region

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Other regulators commission other organisations to monitor against standards

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5. WHAT IS THE COMPETENCE OF THE SUPERVISORY ORGANISATION IN YOUR COUNTRY?

Is the supervisory organisation entitled to use compulsory measures (sanction/repression/enforcement)

We can make requirements of services which are reported publicly and followed up to ensure compliance. We can also impose extra conditions of registration and serve formal improvement notices requiring changes within a required timescale. This can include closure of the service. 

Is the supervisory organisation entitled to take precautions and implement measures to prevent accidents or incidents?

See above.

Does the supervisory organisation have the authority to close institutions or stop non proper healthcare

We can cancel registration if requirements are not complied with. We can make application to the sheriff for emergency cancellation of registration based on a “serious risk to life, health or well-being”, or impose an emergency condition of registration which remains in place until removed.

Is the supervisory organisation allowed to interfere in other ways? Can remove licence, enforce recommendations for social care centre.. If yes, in what way?

See above.

Other relevant information about the competence of the supervisory organisation

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6. INTERESTING ONGOING DEVELOPMENTS IN YOUR COUNTRY/REGION

An approach which only looks at individual services doesn’t go far enough, so we are implementing new ways of checking that services work together to improve the outcomes for young people and older people in every part of Scotland. These joint inspections bring together experts from different scrutiny bodies to ensure people are supported well.

The joint inspections allow strategic inspectors to support further good practice and improvement in council social work departments. In addition to joint inspections, each council is paired with a link inspector to ensure good scrutiny and contact with the Care Inspectorate outwith formal inspection periods.

We are currently undertaking joint inspections of services for children and services for older people.

Joint inspections of services for children

At the request of Scottish Ministers, the Care Inspectorate leads on joint inspections of services for children and young people across Scotland.

These inspections look at the difference services are making to the lives of children, young people and families. They provide public assurance about the quality of services aimed at giving children and young people the best start in life, and make recommendations about what needs to improve.

Working against a framework of quality indicators to support partnerships in assessing the quality of their work, inspectors take account of the full range of work within a community planning partnership area, including services provided by health visitors, school nurses, teachers, doctors, social workers, police officers and the voluntary sector. The inspection teams are made up of inspectors from the Care Inspectorate, Education Scotland, Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary for Scotland (HMIC). Each inspection team also includes specially-trained ‘young inspectors’ who can speak to children and young people about their experiences.

Joint inspections of services for older people

A joint approach is being undertaken by HIS and the Care Inspectorate to examine the effectiveness of collaborative working, primarily between health, social work and social care services for older people.

The model and methodology for scrutiny and improvement considers how well health and social care systems work together to deliver the best outcomes for older people by providing support that allows individuals to live in the community at home or in a homely setting. The aim is to build on the previous experience of multi-agency inspections and proposals for the integration of health and social care systems.