Care Home Owners Could Face Jail Because of CRB Incompetence - Burstow

11.38.48am BST (GMT +0100) Mon 18th Aug 2003

Care home owners are at risk of imprisonment for employing staff that cannot get a criminal records check because of Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) incompetence.

The Government must close this loophole in the new guidance on national care standards from the Criminal Records Bureau, Paul Burstow MP, Liberal Democrat Spokesman on Older People, said today.

The CRB posted the new guidance on the National Care Standards Commission website on the 15th August. All exemptions from CRB checks have now been removed. This leaves care home owners facing prosecution if any of their staff are not CRB checked. This is despite many applications still being lost or taking weeks to process. No consultation on the guidelines took place.

Paul Burstow MP said:

"This buried and bungled announcement leaves care home-owners open to prosecution and imprisonment for employing staff that cannot get a criminal records check because of CRB incompetence."

"Piecemeal, confused and contradictory announcements like these will only cause further resentment of the CRB. Confidence in the system will continue to degenerate. It is time Ministers got a grip on the way this organisation operates, to ensure that all those who need record checks are not simply ignored."

"The CRB has once again failed to consult with the people who use their services, and instead have concentrated on their own self interest."

ENDS

Notes to editors

The guidance can be found at:- http://www.carestandards.org.uk/whats+new/crbaugust03.htm