United Kingdom Homecare Association “extremely concerned” over home care staff allegations

The , which represents home care providers, has said it is “extremely concerned” at reports that a small number of home care companies are failing to carry out criminal checks or ensuring workers are not barred by professional bodies.

The BBC's Inside Out programme found out through a Freedom of Information request to the Care Quality Commission (CQC) that dozens of people with criminal records, who were working unsupervised as carers in people's homes, had not been risk-assessed.

This is despite CQC guidance which says carers who might pose a greater risk to vulnerable people, perhaps because of previous convictions, need to be risk-assessed in order to see if they are suitable.

A spokesman for the United Kingdom Homecare Association (UKHCA) said: “Over 430,000 workers deliver millions of hours of safe and effective homecare in the UK. It is vital the public have confidence in the suitability of the people who provide their care. Providers who identify shortcomings in their procedures must take immediate corrective action.

“Criminal record disclosures are an important part of an effective recruitment procedure, in addition to verifying the candidate’s prior work history, taking up references and conducting a full interview. The Association stresses, however, that not all convictions appearing on a criminal record disclosure mean that a candidate is unsuitable for care work.”

He added: “There is a duty on employers to undertake a risk-based approach to all the information that is available to them, including the nature and severity of any previous offending history, and when convictions occurred.”

Having a criminal conviction does not in itself prevent a person from working in health or social care, according to a CQC spokesman, who said if a criminal records check discloses a conviction or other relevant information, the onus is on the employer to decide whether the person is suitable to be employed in their service.

He said: “The organisations providing care service need to risk assess their staff’s suitability for the role they are undertaking, considering what information they have on the individual, if they have a criminal conviction, how old and relevant it is, the role and activities the person would undertake and the characteristics and needs of the people using the service. Providers should make decisions in the context of their responsibility for the wellbeing of the people who use the service.”

The investigation by the BBC also revealed that 217 home care companies have employed staff without ensuring they were properly qualified as stipulated in Care Quality Commission (CQC) guidance.

Care Minister Norman Lamb told the BBC it did not show that “the whole system”, which involves 6,000 companies, had failed.

The Department of Health said it was the responsibility of home care providers to employ suitable staff.

More on this story can be found at www.homecare.co.uk/news/article.cfm/id/1558167/over-200-home-care-companies-employing-workers-without-the-proper-qualifications