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<p>Each local authority is responsible for the quality of social care services it
commissions. There is no national register or oversight of complaints in social care.
However, local authorities are required, pursuant to the Local Authority Social Services
and National Health Service (England) Regulations 2009, to keep a record of each complaint
received, the subject matter and outcome and timescales for responding.</p><p> </p><p>
</p><p> </p><p>They are also obliged to make a summary of this information available
to the public via an annual report. The Government believes that we should be committed
to ensuring the system for resolving complaints about care is compassionate, personal,
responsive, timely and ensures lessons are learned.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The
Department established a national complaints programme board in December 2013. A comprehensive
programme has been developed with national partners, including the Care Quality Commission
(CQC), NHS England, Healthwatch England, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman,
the Local Government Ombudsman, the Local Government Association, Monitor and the
NHS Trust Development Association, to bring about important changes to the way complainants
are supported and complaints are handled across the health and social care systems.</p><p>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>We are informed by the CQC that it is committed to strengthening
its approach to assessing complaints and concerns during inspections. During an inspection,
CQC inspectors will use key lines of enquiry to ascertain the standard of care. A
mandatory key line of enquiry used during inspections of adult social care is whether
the service routinely listens and learns from people’s experiences, concerns and complaints.</p><p>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Under the Care Act, local authorities will have a new market
shaping duty, meaning that they should work with local people and communities and
engage with their local care providers to facilitate a diverse supply of high quality
services.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Care Act reforms should increase transparency
and support more effective competition in local care markets. This will help providers
of high quality care to attract more people, and to grow and diversify their share
in the market.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>We have just issued statutory guidance
to local authorities about their new market shaping duties. Together with Association
of Directors of Adult Social Services and the Local Government Association, we are
developing a series of commissioning standards to improve local authority commissioning
practices and encourage more flexibility, allowing providers to engage with them in
new ways. We are keen to move commissioning from a “time and task” based to an outcomes-driven
activity.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
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