In the latest Conservative party conference the Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, has said that all care managers should be held accountable for the standard of care provided in their establishments, adding that anyone responsible for poor standards of care cannot expect to keep their jobs. He has called for a review of the system suggesting that bosses in charge of poor care should be fired as a result. He went on to say that he had communicated his views with Whitehall and Care Quality Commission officials.
In his speech he said that ‘health managers should be held accountable for the care they provide, both in the NHS and social care sectors.’ He stated that failing health bodies would be publicly named to avoid anything being ‘swept under the carpet.’ He went on to give examples of recent failures of certain organisations including in his list both care homes and NHS trusts.
He said that ‘you wouldn’t expect to keep your job if you lost control of your finances. Well don’t expect to keep it if you lose control of your care.’
It is expected that full details of the workings of the new, tougher system will be announced in the coming months.
