Regulator calls time on “unacceptable care” in hospitals and care homes in England

The wide variation in the quality and safety of care in England is unacceptable, concludes the Care Quality Commission’s annual report on the state of healthcare and adult social care.1

The independent regulator’s fifth annual report said that there were examples of outstanding care and many services were good but that there were also services that were inadequate or needed improvement. Wide variation in care was shown between trusts, between hospital sites, and within services.

The CQC’s report said that tight budgets should not excuse inadequate care and that providers must learn from the examples of others with the same resources. Strong and effective leadership at all levels within an organisation was vital, it said.

Its chief executive, David Behan, said, “The …