Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing an award as a benchmark of quality social care for responsible care providers, which includes consideration of Care Quality Commission reports, a lack of complaints or tribunals in respect of staff payment and the introduction for staff of the living wage.

We have no current plans to make this assessment. The quality of adult social care providers is regulated independently by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Local authorities also have a duty under the Care Act 2014 to promote diversity and quality in provision of services. This includes a range of factors, including the CQC’s fundamental standards as a minimum, to ensure services are appropriate for its users and clear criteria on quality are established and met. The vast majority of care workers are employed by private sector providers who ultimately set their pay, independent of central Government.