Since the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and Data Protection Act 2018, we have experienced a considerable rise in the number of Subject Access Requests (SAR) made to our employer clients. Requests can be burdensome, time-consuming and costly to deal with but there are some practical ways to minimise these problems.

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In April 2015, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) assumed responsibility for prosecuting providers for all health and safety related incidents. Four years on, we take a look at the situation, examine the trends and analyse the sanctions CQC has been applying.

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Boris Johnson has taken the keys to Number 10 as the country’s new Prime Minister. But what will his premiership mean for adult social care?

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Since the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and Data Protection Act 2018, we have experienced a considerable rise in the number of Subject Access Requests (SAR) made to our employer clients. Requests can be burdensome, time-consuming and costly to deal with but there are some practical ways to minimise these problems.

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The government has announced today that, under new powers proposed to be given to the Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA), businesses in breach of consumer law could be directly fined by the CMA without them having to go through the courts.

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The Conservative Party has set out proposals for the future funding of the elderly. At the heart of its proposals is an increase in National Insurance payments for the over 50s and the option for wealthy homeowners to pay voluntary contributions for those wishing to secure better care should they want it.

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If called to attend a pre-inquest review hearing, it is vital you are fully prepared so you can contribute meaningfully to the discussions and to protect your interests.

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Care is an inherently challenging area to work in. As a social care provider you may well become involved in inquest proceedings, following the death of a service user.

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After an energetic game of ping pong between the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the Mental Capacity (Amendment) Bill was approved by the House of Lords on the 24 April 2019, which means it is now just waiting for Royal Assent before becoming law.

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We recently reported that CQC were about to impose a severely restricted word limit on the factual accuracy process. They had not previously announced this change publicly but had posted a new factual accuracy form on line. They admitted (when asked) that they were about to impose the word limit.

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In this important update for care providers we will look at:

• new government guidance on how to calculate holiday pay
• Mencap sleep-in case heads to the Supreme Court
• new National Minimum Wage increases, and
• new penalty charges for “aggravated” breaches of employment rights.

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CQC is imposing a new 325 character limit on factual corrections to draft inspection reports. This means that for every point you wish to contest, you will have to explain your correction in approximately 50 words. To illustrate the new brevity required, in this article, the fiftieth word would be here.

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