Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason the Care Quality Commission took action against Radis Community Care nearly a year after the reported incident of June 2024, and whether she has made an assessment of the effectiveness of current CQC escalation procedures in cases involving alleged abuse of elderly residents.

Safeguarding investigations are led by local authorities. The role of the Care Quality Commission (CQC) is to share relevant information, monitor risks to people using services, and determine whether regulatory action is required within its remit.

In June 2024, following concerns raised by relatives, the CQC followed its escalation procedures by raising a safeguarding alert with the local authority. The CQC met regularly with the provider and local authority to monitor the situation, sought updates on the outcome of the safeguarding investigation, and carried out internal risk reviews to monitor and oversee the provider's four services in Portsmouth. The CQC also considered whether the matter met the threshold for criminal enforcement action against Radis Community Care (Milton Village) but concluded that it did not.