Nearly a third of former local authority inspectors have opted for redundancy rather than transfer to the Commission.
A Care Commission spokes-man said last week, 'A temporary shortage of staff has affected the level of inspections, but we have adjusted our focus with the priority of achieving one regulatory visit to each provider this year.' He also revealed that 121 staff - 29 per cent of the inspectors - had taken redundancy under a deal on offer from April to September this year.
The spokesman said the Commission was 'actively recruiting' staff and 90 replacements had so far been found. But there are concerns that the need to train new recruits will mean the pace of inspection will not quicken dramatically.
The backlog of inspections is intimated in a letter to childminders from director of operations David Wiseman, available on the Care Commission website. The letter said, 'Changes in the way we are conducting routine, announced inspections are being made in order that we can contact all registered services this year and increase and maximise our inspection rate.'
Drew McCanney, former senior inspector with Fife Council and now an independent trainer and consultant, said, 'These letters can be read as an admission of a Care Commission crisis. Everyone knows there are problems, and these should be acknowledged and made known to Scottish ministers.
'The Care Commission inherited a backlog. Some local authorities stopped completing inspections, and the Commission has also had problems in retaining experienced staff.'
Maggie Simpson, national development officer for the Scottish Childminding Association, said the staff shortage was 'a temporary glitch' and the Commission was 'right to prioritise at this stage and not carry out unnecessary inspections'.
