The Regulation of Adult Social Care
It is a time of continual change for providers of social care. The Health and Social Care Act 2008 requires all providers of a regulated service to be registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Providers must register each regulated activity with the CQC by October 2010. The National Minimum Standards are being replaced and providers must demonstrate that they are able to comply with new outcome-based standards. The Act also provides the CQC with a new range of tougher enforcement powers, including the power to prosecute and cancel registrations. Other changes affecting this sector include the new provisions to safeguard vulnerable adults, with the Protection of Vulnerable Adults (POVA) scheme being replaced with the Vetting and Barring Scheme.
