Social care bulletin | April 2017
We are a multi-disciplinary group of specialist lawyers, who provide a complete range of legal and regulatory services to care providers. This bulletin will focus on CQC changes, fees and funding, service user contracts and employment status.
CQC’s next phase of regulation
With plans announced by CQC for the next phase of regulation within the adult social care sector, we look at what changes you can expect to see.
Find out more about the implications on registration, inspections, ratings, and hospices here.
Crack-down on service user contracts?
The CMA (formerly the Office of Fair Trading) announced its intention to carry out a 12-month market study into care homes in the UK.
Click here to understand what this could mean for you.
Fees & funding in the care sector – could the crisis be averted?
After six years of punishing budget cuts and stagnant or below inflation increases in local authority fee rates, the care sector is, as CQC states, “at tipping point”. If you are a provider who relies on local authority contracts, you could feel that you are at the sharp end of the funding crisis.
We look at the financial challenges, Government response, and how the gap could be plugged.
Does self-employed status pose a risk to social care providers?
We are increasingly seeing domiciliary care and supported living providers engage workers on a ‘self-employed’ basis or via service or umbrella companies.