Responsibility for the registration and inspection of residential care and nursing care homes in Croydon including private, voluntary and council-run homes, is to be transferred to the National Care Standards Commission (NCSC) as from 1 April 2002.

The NCSC is a non-departmental public body set up by the government to regulate social care and private and voluntary health care in England.

The NCSC will also take over responsibility for regulating children's homes, domiciliary care agencies, residential family centres, voluntary adoption agencies, independent fostering agencies, private and voluntary hospitals and clinics, nurses agencies and day centres.

Councillor Paula Shaw, cabinet member for social services, said: "The new National Care Standards Commission has been set up to ensure that high quality care is provided by all social and health care providers in the country.

"Regulation will transfer to the NCSC and it is expected that all homes will be formally registered by April 2003. Some of our inspection unit staff have already transferred to the NCSC and the remainder will transfer in April next year."

December 13, 2001 13:30