Council commissioning of homecare could come under the spotlight in a review by a health watchdog.
A report to a meeting of the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) board this morning revealed that health ministers may ask the organisation to carry out a thematic review in 2014/15.
Cuts to social care budgets have forced many councils to ration homecare services in ever-smaller chunks of time.
Topics already being examined by the CQC include diabetes care pathways, dementia care, mental health crisis care and end-of-life care.
The report read: ‘Options for delivering any additional thematic activity include either diverting resources from the agreed programme through replacing an agreed topic or through additional resourcing for a dedicated team.’
Talks with the Department of Health about the potential domiciliary care review are ongoing.