Asked by: Lord Boateng (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the adequacy of the powers and performance of the Care Quality Commission in inspecting supported accommodation for people with autism, in the light of the death of Chanté Lloyd-Buckingham.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have not made a formal assessment of the adequacy of the powers and performance of the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in inspecting supported accommodation for people with autism.
Under the Health and Social Care Act 2008, a provider must register with the CQC if they provide a regulated activity. More specifically, supported living providers need to register with the CQC if they carry out the regulated activity of ‘personal care’. The CQC’s guidance Housing with Care provides further information on regulated activities and how they apply in the context of supported living services. A copy of the CQC’s guidance is attached.
The Government is tackling poor quality supported housing to ensure that residents get the care and support they need and is committed to the reforms set out in the Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023 (the Act). The Act was enacted to address gaps in regulation and set standards for the support provided to prevent exploitation in the sector, ensuring that all providers deliver safe housing and necessary support services.
The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government consulted on proposals for implementing the measures set out in the Act between February and May 2025. These include the introduction of new National Supported Housing Standards for all supported housing settings, enforced through a licensing regime, and a proposal to link the payment of higher rates of Housing Benefit to licensing in England. We are working to issue the Government response to the consultation as soon as possible.