To ask the Scottish Executive whether it monitors staff training in nursing and residential homes.

The Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001 removed the distinction between residential care homes and nursing homes and all such services are now known as care homes. Under the act, regulation of these services is the responsibility of the Care Commission, taking account of the appropriate national care standards for care homes, which are developed and published by Scottish ministers, and the associated legislation. The standards for care homes all include a standard on staffing, which states that staff will have the knowledge and skills needed to provide care. The standards also detail the level of training which care staff need to have and the date by which this must be achieved.