Lynne Berry, Chief Executive of the General Social Care Council today said that the interests of service users and carers must come first in the proposed merger of the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) with other organisations.

"Consistent and high quality inspection is essential to protecting the 1.5 million adults and children who rely on social care services. Their needs must come first in any change.

"CSCI has already started to drive up standards of service delivery. They have identified new approaches to the inspection of both adult and children's social care services which we hope to see taken on board in the new structure.

“The GSCC would expect the distinct social care needs of children and adults using services to be recognised and fully accommodated at the heart of the new inspection system.

"We are committed to working with CSCI, the Healthcare Commission and Ofsted to ensure that through regulation and registration, standards in social care continue to improve and the interests of service users and carers continue to be at the heart of regulation."