INSPECTORS should use undercover surveillance to monitor failing care homes in Scotland and impose stiff financial penalties when they fail to heed warnings about improving standards, a Scottish Parliament inquiry has been told. a series of submissions to Holyrood s health committee, which is investigating the regulation of all types of care services in Scotland, from bodies ranging from councils and NHS boards to unions and care providers, has revealed a raft of concerns over weaknesses in the system meant to protect vulnerable elderly members of society. Concerns about the regulatory system have been amplified by the number of care inspection staff being cut by 10% in a year. More than a third of the submission stated that the regulator Social Care and Social Work Inspection Scotland (SCSWIS) is not managing to pick up on poorly performing services and only a quarter had full confidence in the regulatory system. Questions have been raised about whether SCSWIS is being adequately resourced, over the lack of support for whistleblowers to alert officials to cases of neglect, and whether there is enough scrutiny of the financial viability of care services. Staffing problems have also been highlighted, with questions raised about whether enough is being done to ensure sufficient numbers of trained staff are in place. Concerns have also been raised over low pay, with claims some care homes in Edinburgh experience shortages during the summer because workers can get better pay by taking on casual jobs during the ca