Steve Harris, director of Carewatch (Mid Shropshire) based in Stafford Park, Telford, said the advice by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) should drive standards up – but it needs to be regulated.
Mr Harris, who employs more than 100 people providing domiciliary care
in homes across Shropshire and Staffordshire, believes care in hospitals and care homes also needs to be transparent.
He said: “Broadly speaking I would support its use and indeed have done so if the circumstances warranted its legitimate use.
“However, we insist on a transparent process involving all involved without compromising the justification for its use.
“We must ensure we abide by legal requirements and have the trust and support of the people who use the service and their support staff.
“In this day and age we have to realise that mobile and surveillance devices are everywhere and can be used without due thought of potential consequences, I would hope that family members would have enough faith in their service provider to work with them to eradicate any poor practice and thereby safeguarding other users of the service as well as their own.”
The CQC has produced a pamphlet, available on its website, that sets out what relatives in England need to consider.
It includes advice on gaining permission from the person being cared for and where it can be done.
But Mr Harris does have some reservations about more widespread use of cameras and the potential for Shropshire families to fall foul of the law.
He said any use of surveillance in the delivery of care must be lawful, fair and proportionate.
“Too often family members can reach for video or audio surveillance not realising that privacy and legitimacy should be paramount and that includes the support staff as well as the family member,” he added.
“To this end we would like to see better communication between provider and family to ascertain if there are other alternatives that could achieve the same goal before introducing surveillance.”
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