Sector Reacts to CQC’s Damning Report
The UK Government has admitted that the Care Quality Commission (CQC) is “not fit for purpose”, https://thecareruk.com/cqc-not-fit-for-purpose-says-health-secretary/ with the release today of an interim report from Dr Penny Dash chairwoman of the North West London Integrated Care Board.
In response, Kate Terroni, interim CQC chief executive, following previous chief executive Ian Trenholm’s sudden departure said: “We accept in full the findings and recommendations in this interim review, which identifies clear areas where improvement is urgently needed.”
“Many of these align with areas we have prioritised as part of our work to restore trust with the public and providers by listening better, working together more collaboratively and being honest about what we’ve got wrong. We are working at pace and in consultation with our stakeholders to rebuild that trust and become the strong, credible, and effective regulator of health and care services that the public and providers need and deserve.
“Work is underway to improve how we’re using our new regulatory approach.”
We’ve committed to increasing the number of inspections we are doing so that the public have an up-to-date understanding of quality and providers are able to demonstrate improvement.”
“We’re increasing the number of people working in registration so we can improve waiting times. We’re working to fix and improve our provider portal, and this time we’ll be listening to providers and to our colleagues about the improvements that are needed and how we can design solutions together. We’ll be working with people who use services and providers to develop a shared definition of what good care looks like. And we’re also developing a new approach to relationship management that enables a closer and more consistent contact point for providers.”
“Additionally, to strengthen our senior level healthcare expertise, we have appointed Professor Sir Mike Richards to conduct a targeted review of how the single assessment framework is currently working for NHS trusts and where we can make improvements. Sir Mike’s career as a senior clinician, and a distinguished leader of high-profile national reviews, as well as his direct experience of driving improvement through regulation, make him uniquely placed to conduct this work.”
Industry leaders and organisations have responded to the findings and the news that an ongoing and government-commissioned independent review of the regulator, Melanie Weatherley MBE, Chair of the Lincolnshire Care Association, said: “We welcome the interim report from Dr Penny Dash, and as a representative of care providers we have been raising concerns about the CQC for a number of months.
“We recognise the need for an effective regulator and at the moment it feels like the CQC does not fulfil this role.
“Many care providers have never been inspected, despite operating for years, and the reliance on an algorithm for assessing services can lead to ratings that don’t accurately reflect the current quality of care.
“As a sector we welcomed the Single Assessment Framework with its focus on quality and user experience, but its implementation has left us disappointed.
“The Digital Portal does not work consistently which causes anxiety, particularly for small and medium sized providers, who cannot communicate information that they are required to.
“And finally, the response from the DHSC and the CQC has been heavily focused on NHS providers and we need the care sector to be addressed with the same level of attention.”
Carl May Smith, Barrister specialising in health and care at UK and Ireland law firm Browne Jacobson, says: “The report by Dr Penny Dash identifies many issues that providers had long been highlighting including registration and inspection delays, inconsistent assessments and a lack of relevant experience for some inspectors.
“The CQC had already announced urgent steps to increase inspections, tackle IT issues with its provider portal and to review the implementation of its new provider framework. The NHS element of that review will now be led by the CQC’s former Chief Inspector of Hospitals, Professor Sir Mike Richards.
“The CQC has accepted the findings and made a welcome acknowledgment that it needs to listen more to providers if it is to make the improvements necessary.
“A final report is to be published in the Autumn. The DHSC currently concludes that the public can’t have faith in the CQC’s ratings or confidence in its identification of providers needing urgent improvement. The CQC faces a race to show it is moving in the right direction.”
Suhail Mirza, non executive director at Newcross Healthcare: “Any meaningful reform and flourishing of the social care sector is predicated on a regulator that not only assures compliance but fosters the space for creativity of operators. It’s a theme we have seen as a current across many of our Voices of Care episodes with leading lights across the sector.
The review of Penny Dash it is hoped will act as a catalyst for a mindset from the regulator that empowers providers. One hopes the regulatory rubicon has been crossed.”
Professor Martin Green OBE, Chief Executive of Care England: “It is clear that Dr Dash has listened to the voices of care providers, resulting in a clear set of recommendations. This report acknowledges the severe and systemic problems that sit at the very heart of the CQC, and gives a specific set of steps that the regulator must take to improve performance and re-establish the sector’s long-eroded trust.
“This is going to be a long and difficult journey for the CQC, but one that is entirely necessary. Care England stands ready to work with the regulator to help them deliver an effective and supportive regulatory system that will be the cornerstone of public protection and delivers fair judgements across health and social care.
“The CQC must embark on a radical improvement program that should not only include some tangible improvements in their performance, but also needs to move away from a culture of blame. We all want proportionate and effective regulation, and the challenge now is for CQC to take action and work with organisations across the sector to deliver it.”
Helen Wildbore, director of Care Rights UK, commented:
“We are pleased to see the new government acting so swiftly on the failures at [the] CQC.
“[Wes Streeting] has confirmed what families have been saying for years: that the CQC is not fit for purpose. We have been calling on the CQC for many years to act to protect people relying on care services, telling them how their lack of action is leaving people’s lives and dignity at risk.
“We hope now they will be forced into action. For the people we support, in the most vulnerable of situations, this cannot come soon enough. They desperately need the regulator to do their job.”
