THE tough inspection body set up to enforce national care standards has begun spot checks in the region.

Inspectors from the National Care Standards Commission have visited every care home in the North-East and Yorkshire since the body was set up in April.

Now a wave of unannounced visits is under way.

Dee Colam, director of the North-East and Yorkshire Region of the commission, said care home owners could expect more out-of-hours visits by inspectors.

She said: "We are looking to do more weekend and evening inspections. They often present us with the best chance to talk to service users."

Mrs Colam said main aim of the commission was to work with service providers to raise standards of care and protect service users. But she stressed that the organisation would not hesitate to use tough powers of enforcement if care standards were inadequate.

In extreme cases, the commission could de-register home owners and even imprison wrongdoers, she added.

Since inspections began in the summer, teams from the commission have taken action against a wide range of service providers.

In one instance, a North-East tattoo parlour operator who had had only two days of training was using a laser to remove tattoos - which presented a potential risk to members of the public.

"We visited a tattoo parlour that had no shields up at the windows so members of the public could have been affected," said Mrs Colam.

"The operator was required to put safety equipment in place and prevented from using equipment until that was done," she said.

In another case, the commission brought in the police after it became clear that a care worker was abusing elderly residents at a North-East home.

And in a third instance, inspectors advised the operators of a home that it was inappropriate to mix residents with acute mental health problems with elderly people suffering from dementia.

Mrs Colam, a former chief inspector with Leeds City Council, said: "We want to be seen as a force for good."

She said she was passionate about her role as a protector of vulnerable people.

Responsibility for the registration of up to 40,000 care services in England formally transferred to the commission on April 1.

It replaced inspection procedures operated by more than 230 local authorities and health authorities.