A social care champion has given a “cautious welcome” to a new ratings system for care homes and home care services in Wales.
Mario Kreft MBE, chair of Care Forum Wales, said he believed it had been introduced too soon without sufficient safeguards or proper funding. As a result, he fears some care homes and domiciliary care companies will be unfairly labelled as failing organisations.
Under the new system, care homes and home care services will be graded on four different aspects of care. Inspections by regulators Care Inspectorate Wales will focus on well-being, care and support, leadership and management and the environment at the home.
Care homes will then be legally obliged to display their ratings at the home and online.
While supporting the idea behind it, Mr Kreft has concerns about the speed of the implementation and what he called “the unfairness of the post code lottery of social care funding in Wales”.
He said:
“In principle, we like the idea of promoting quality in the social care sector in a way that the public can understand, so we’re giving the ratings system a cautious welcome but with some important caveats.
“Unfortunately, there is a total disconnect in terms of resources because Wales is blighted by a post code lottery of fees that promotes unfairness and inequality. If you’re having a national ratings system for care homes you also need a national framework for fees to provide care.
“In some parts of Wales there are care homes receiving £12,000 per resident more than others but they’re all being rated against the exactly the same criteria. If a care home in the neighbouring county is getting an extra £400,000 a year that will undoubtedly have an influence on the ratings.
“Despite this gaping chasm in eligibility for funding they are subjected to the same criteria in terms of ratings and subjected to the same regulatory regime. It’s making life very hard for care homes on the wrong end of the post code lottery who are struggling to survive. It’s going to be a lot more challenging for them to be rated as excellent.”
