More than a third of care homes not inspected since 2021
BBCMore than a third of North East care homes have not been inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) since 2021, it has been revealed.
Independent inspection firm CIUK said 242 of the region's 688 care homes (35%) had not had a CQC inspection within the past five years.
The CQC acknowledged it needed to increase its rate of assessments but said it responded as quickly as possible when receiving intelligence from relatives, whistleblowers and councils.
CIUK chief executive Dr Kevin Groombridge described the backlog as a "serious concern", with the "vast majority" of care providers working "incredibly hard" but it did not remove the need for proper "oversight, inspection and accountability".
On a national scale, of the UK's 13,475 care homes which were registered in early 2026, more than 5,400 had not seen a full investigation from the health watchdog since 2021.
Groombridge, who uncovered the figures, said: "How can families feel confident that their loved ones are receiving the care they deserve if inspections are not taking place regularly?
"The vast majority of adult social care providers and their staff work incredibly hard to deliver high-quality care but that does not remove the need for proper oversight, inspection and accountability."
The CQC told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that it continually monitored all the information it held about a service and received intelligence from several sources including local councils, safeguarding teams, relatives and whistleblowers.
The CQC also stated whenever it received any information causing concern it aimed to respond as quickly as possible.
Public confidence
Chris Badger, chief inspector of adult social care at the CQC said: "We know that we need to increase our rate of assessments to make sure that we update the ratings of providers and give the public confidence in quality of care."
Badger said since an independent review found that the regulator was not fit for purpose in 2024, the body had worked hard to help people receive a high level of care as well as supporting providers to improve.
This included making a clear commitment to increasing the number of assessments we carry out, Badger said.
Badger added the body was on track to meet assessment targets as agreed with the Department of Health and Social Care.
