a friend of mine has her husband in a nursing home, (this was fairly recent), and it was undergoing accreditation. This lady's husband has been in the facility for 7 years, and this is the first time she has even seen an accreditation team through the nursing home (they're supposed to be accredited on avg. every 3 years, i thought).

Anyway, this lady, let's call her "Marg", asked for some time with the assessor, and when speaking with them, she commented that she was very unhappy about the nutrition and hydration aspects of her husband's care. The assessor, instead of taking the complaint on board, apparently told "Marg" that he was most upset with her revelation, as he had put in a lot of time and effort into the menus at that particular facility! Apparently, he dismissed her concerns...

If the same auditor or consultant is retained by both the facility and the agency, then one can assume that there is a conflict of interest, since the contractor is effectively working for two masters?

Do some facilities owe their successful accreditation to paying the contractor, and/or the assessor? As one might well say: "it's just not cricket, is it?"

Did anyone know that the provider can "nominate" the assessor of their choice.

I'd like to know:

• How can anyone (including the agency) prove that there has been a conflict of interest?
• Has a conflict of interest ever been reported before, and if so, what (if anything) was done about it?