Maddi Gaunt, Author at Ridouts Solicitors

Reminder to health and social care employers – Beware of HSE Covid-19 Spot Checks

Providers are reminded that the HSE is carrying out (often unannounced) spot checks on employers in all types of businesses to ensure workplaces are Covid-19 secure. Visits might be carried out by the HSE, or by agents acting on their behalf. In the latter’s case, they should carry a letter of authorisation from the HSE, …

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So now the Covid-19 claims might be coming, what should providers do?

Articles & Publications / By Maddi Gaunt

Covid-19 is leaving many casualties in its wake. This is not limited to the human casualties. Many companies will have gone out of business. Many contracts will have, technically been breached and people will have suffered loss and damage. Many employees will have lost their jobs, or had changes of terms imposed on them. People …

So now the Covid-19 claims might be coming, what should providers do? Read More »

A reminder to providers: Ofsted to resume “Assurance Visits”

Articles & Publications / By Maddi Gaunt

Ofsted will resume visits to children’s services again this month. Most visits were suspended in March 2020 because of Covid-19 restrictions but in August 2020, Ofsted confirmed that visits to children’s services would be resuming again from 1 September 2020. These “Assurance Visits” will be undertaken as part of Ofsted’s phased return to routine inspections. …

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Safeguarding referrals – to notify or not to notify the CQC?

The Ridout Report / By Maddi Gaunt

All providers will (we hope) be familiar with safeguarding referrals. These need to be made to the relevant safeguarding authority when certain incidents, events, or near misses arise in the provision of care services. Many events which lead to safeguarding referrals also fall within the definition of what must be notified to the CQC as …

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CQC’s strategy towards Smarter Regulation: Is a change in culture on the cards?

Articles & Publications / By Maddi Gaunt

As we have reported on previously, the CQC are currently considering their forward thinking strategy and aim to move towards a strategy of “Smarter Regulation”. Their goal is, they say: “to make regulation simpler but dynamic to reflect the changes in health and social care we can anticipate, as well as those we cannot. We …

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CQC’s survey on Smarter Regulation: a move towards an intelligence-led inspection schedule?

Articles & Publications / By Maddi Gaunt

The CQC have recently requested that stakeholders in the health and social care sector take part in a survey to help frame their strategy for 2021 and beyond. This survey has been published as part of the CQC’s project on “Smarter Regulation” on the citizenlab portal. The CQC says of the project: “We want to …

CQC’s survey on Smarter Regulation: a move towards an intelligence-led inspection schedule? Read More »

How preparing for an Inquest may actually prevent a ‘Prevention of Future Deaths’ Report

News / By Maddi Gaunt

Given the nature of their work, a large number of health and social care providers will at some point become involved in an inquest. The Coroners’ Courts have adjourned a lot of inquests because of COVID-19 restrictions but we expect them to start getting pretty busy over the coming months, trying to deal with the …

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The CQC’s new “Closed Cultures” guidance – a signal of a new super-critical approach?

Articles & Publications / By Maddi Gaunt

The CQC have recently published new guidance for its operational staff on “closed cultures” which it defines as a “poor culture in a health or care service that increases the risk of harm [including] human rights abuses”. Abuse in care has – and rightly so – been high on the CQC’s agenda for a while …

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Death of an employee in adult social care due to COVID-19 – PHE publishes advice on notifications

Articles & Publications / By Maddi Gaunt

Public Health England published helpful guidance last week to local authorities and social care providers on who and what they should notify when an employee or volunteer working in adult social care dies from COVID-19. The guidance, which is available here, covers the following: Telling the deceased’s family Telling others at work Reporting to the …

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Joint Committee on Human Rights makes further recommendations to CQC – how will the CQC’s “new strategy” develop?

Articles & Publications / By Maddi Gaunt

The CQC is already under fire following the Wholrton Hall and Winterbourne View scandals. Various public enquiries have highlighted a number of serious concerns about the treatment of service users with learning difficulties and/or autism in Assessment and Treatment Units (“ATUs” and other mental health hospitals, and in particular on the issue of restraint. The …

Joint Committee on Human Rights makes further recommendations to CQC – how will the CQC’s “new strategy” develop? Read More »

Maddi Gaunt

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