Care Inspections UK

Independent Care Inspections (ICI), an independent Registered Inspection Body that inspects adult health and social care homes, has become the first company to be awarded UKAS certification to enable it to inspect services for compliance with the latest British Standard for Adult Residential Care BS8606:2019.

The certification enables ICI, the only inspection body in the UK to receive it, to inspect care homes offering residential, nursing, dementia, learning disabilities, acquired brain injury, and mental health services.

UKAS is the National Accreditation Body for the United Kingdom. It is appointed by government to assess and accredit organisations that provide services including certification, testing, inspection, and calibration.

ICI was subjected to rigorous assessment of both its standards and inspection methods and is continuously assessed to maintain competence as a registered inspection body.

ICI supports a care home in improving care and better outcomes for residents and offers a guarantee that regulatory ratings will improve. Its inspections differ significantly from those of the State regulators in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland because they are evidence-based rather than judgements. This means that a care home can understand what is compliant and what needs to be addressed.

The comprehensive report that is produced provides authoritative and objective evidence that will support care homes’ improvement plans by identifying strengths and weaknesses, risk factors and the effectiveness of risk management.

It also provides reliable, evidence-based information for potential residents and their families when making a placement decision. Operators can commission an ICI inspection to ensure that the service will meet the expectations of the regulators at the next regulatory inspection.

Investors and senior management can utilise regular ICI inspections to provide a longitudinal assessment of how quality is trending to give stakeholders reassurance that internal quality systems remain robust.

Chief Executive of ICI Kevin Groombridge chaired the drafting and technical committees for the development of health and social care standards which resulted in the British Standard for Adult Residential Care BS8606:2019 being published in 2019. He has also a member of the International Standards Organization- Aged Societies committee that is developing standards for elderly care serviced.

Kevin Groombridge said: “ICI inspections are different to those carried out by the state regulators as they are solely evidence-based. They enable homes to improve the quality of care in a sustainable way, with all evidence made available to the care homes to facilitate improvement action plans.

“UKAS certification is important to demonstrate that our standards, procedures, and the way we carry out visits is rigorous, thorough, and fair.

“Independent inspection bodies have been talked about for a very long time and we are pleased to be leading the way in demonstrating that it is something that works to the benefit of care homes and, most importantly, their residents and families.

“An ICI inspection will support the operator in achieving a strong focus of continuous improvement so that quality becomes embedded in all aspects of the care home. The aim being to seek out non-compliances and act on them in a proactive manner.

“The ICI inspection also strengthens the management of risk by pin-pointing areas of concern and providing objective evidence on which to act and be measured against.

“A care home needs to know when it is meeting standards, ICI will provide this evidence so the operator can focus action into areas that need close attention rather than being concerned about the fault-finding approach that is a weakness of the current regulatory based state inspection system.”

ENDS

NEWS RELEASE: ISSUED ON BEHALF OF INDEPENDENT CARE INSPECTIONS

CONTACT: Caroline Walker on 01325 363436

Notes to editors:

As an independent Registered Inspection Body, ICI undertakes inspections of care homes and issues detailed inspection reports to assist operators of care homes, care home groups, financiers and insurers, to achieve a higher level of compliant care, and to identify deficiencies or risks to the care home. ICI can assess homes against all English, Scottish, Welsh, and Northern Ireland Care Home Regulatory and Inspection Standards, and in addition assess care home compliance to the British Standard for Adult Residential Care – BS8606:2019.