CTSI launches new government-backed care home complaints guide
The Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) has launched a new complaints guidebook for the UK care homes industry, helping care home operators understand consumer law and providing guidance on how to implement a complaints process.
A 2018 study by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) – entitled the ‘Care Homes Market Study’ – found that once entering into care, it is incredibly stressful for residents and their representatives to organise a move to a different care facility. The CMA also found that many residents and their representatives found it difficult to make complaints directly to care homes, and perceived the complaints processes to be unclear, complicated and confusing.
In response to this, CTSI, in conjunction with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), produced a new guide for registered managers and care home owners. Written by industry experts, the guidebook, entitled ‘Care Home Complaints’, is a clear and informative guide that assists care home operators in understanding consumer law and implementing a complaints process.
CTSI Chief Executive Leon Livermore said: “This new care home complaints guide is essential reading for care home managers and operators. Entering care is a critical life decision usually undertaken during an extremely vulnerable time for residents and their representatives alike, and this guide will prove to be essential for the improvement of the care home industry.
“I am proud of CTSI’s role in producing the guide, and I ask the care home industry to take notice and use this free resource. The guide will improve both your business and the experiences of your residents. Let’s build a better care home industry together, which starts by reading and implementing the advice in this guide.”
In 2019, CTSI and BEIS produced three other guides for the industry entitled Care Home Communications, Fair Trading for Care Homes and Web Layout for Care Homes.
CTSI is a training and membership organisation that has represented the interests of the Trading Standards profession since 1881 nationally and internationally. It aims to raise the profile of the profession while working towards fairer, better informed and safer consumer and business communities.
CTSI’s members are engaged in delivering frontline trading standards services in local authorities and in businesses.
