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Care Commission fees to be frozen
18/01/2008
The maximum fees that the Care Commission can charge for regulating care services are to be frozen in 2008-09, it was announced today.
This means that the maximum fee levels set in 2005 will continue to apply next year. Any shortfall in the Care Commission's costs as a result of this decision will be met by the Scottish Government.
Care services regulated by the Care Commission include care homes, childminders and independent hospitals. Care providers pay the Care Commission an initial fee and continuation fee each year in order to operate.
Minister for Public Health Shona Robison said:
"Yesterday, we published our response to the Carer Review, which included the work of the Care Commission. I take the opportunity to reiterate that the Scottish Government is committed to developing a scrutiny landscape that provides for the public, a simplified and more coherent approach to delivering scrutiny.
"Detailed plans on how best to achieve this will announced in the summer. Until then, I have decided it would not be appropriate to place a further burden on care service providers by increasing maximum regulatory fees."
Ms Robison added:
"For most care services this means there will be no change in the fees that they pay to the Care Commission."
The Care Commission was set up under the Regulation of Care Scotland Act 2001 to register and inspect all care services, including care homes, early education and childcare services and independent hospitals.
Under the Act, Minister set maximum regulatory fees for care services covering their registration and inspection, the variation or cancellation of a registration and the issue of a new registration certificate.
For care homes where fees are already at full cost recovery levels and are currently set below the maximum fee levels the Commission will be expected to continue to ensure that fee levels reflected the cost of regulation. This is likely to mean an increase in care home regulatory fees from April 1, 2008."