- 05/07/2016
- Posted by: Mike Hedges MS
- Category: Press Releases
Mike Hedges AM welcomes Legislation to increase transparency in social care unveiled
New proposals to increase transparency in the social care sector so that people can make informed decisions about the care they, or their loved ones, receive have been announced by Welsh Labour’s Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport, Vaughan Gething.
Mike said…. ‘ I welcome this transparency in the social care fund. The more information people can have, the better informed will be their decision making. I urge people thinking of accessing social care to use this new facility’
Under the plans, providers of regulated services in Wales, including care homes, will have to prepare and publish an annual return, setting out the type and quality of the services they offer. These will be published on the website of Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales (CSSIW), the regulator of care services, alongside their latest inspection report and will include details about staffing levels, staff turnover, formal complaints and a range of other important matters to help people make those crucial choices about the services they use.
At the same time, local authorities will be required to produce similar reports on how they have carried out their social services functions. This will make it easier for people in Wales and CSSIW to compare services across local authorities and should be a driver for improvement.
The plans also involve a review of the regulation of the social care workforce to ensure it is in-line with UK-wide best practice and is adaptable to the wider transformation of the sector. This includes the requirement for Social Care Wales to keep a register of all social care workers in Wales outlining individuals’ qualifications, knowledge and skills, as well as a list of people removed from the register.
The reformed system of workforce regulation will help ensure vulnerable people are appropriately protected, as well as upholding the rights of individual workers.
The proposals are key parts of the first phase of the implementation of the Regulation and Inspection of Social Care (Wales) Act 2016. The Act, which received Royal Assent on 18 January 2016, will reform the system of regulation to ensure people receive dignified, safe and appropriate care. The proposals will also define the type of advocacy services that will be subject to regulation under the Act. The aim of this is to focus regulation on the areas where it will do most good.
People across Wales are encouraged to have their say on the new proposals through taking part in the Welsh Government’s consultation. The consultation closes on 20th September and can be found here.
