The health ministry is considering requiring operators of group homes for people with disabilities to undergo external evaluation and publish the results, NHK reported, as poor management at service providers has become a problem.
Under the plan, the evaluation would come from a council made up of local residents and municipal officials, according to NHK. The ministry's aim is to secure the quality of the services the homes provide.
The source does not say how the evaluations would be conducted, what standards would apply, or what would follow for a home judged to be failing. Whether the results would carry any penalty or other consequence is not stated.
Group homes — shared housing where staff support people with disabilities in everyday life — are run by private operators. The ministry's review follows cases of inappropriate operation at such providers.