CQC have recently announced that they will be taking a location based approach to inspections to test out how well coordinated healthcare services are in local areas. This new proposal is to be tested by a pilot which will assess whole health systems in North Lincolnshire and Greater Manchester. However, as mentioned by Professor Steve Field, the Chief Inspector of General Practice, inspections of individual provider organisations will also continue to be implemented.
In his interview with HSJ, Professor Field explained that the two pilot regions chosen for the project had been selected for specific reasons. The Chief Inspector explained how the pilot scheme in Manchester would specifically focus on a region named Tameside due to its ‘outstanding’ ratings, and he said that North Lincolnshire was ‘interesting’ as ‘there was a question about how GPs link up with district general hospitals and social care. He further added that’ CQC’s aim is not to ‘increase the burden on hospitals or GPs,’ but to use the ‘inspections already done’ and add ‘a data review of that.’
Assessing care quality across local areas –
By exploring the results of many inspections, alongside other intelligence from local and national organisations, CQC’s new pilot project will aim to assess whether building a picture about the quality of care in local areas is sufficient to encourage health and social care providers to make improvements in their region.
The project will also take into account the experiences of the elderly, as well as those
with mental health disabilities and it will allow for analysis of various population groups, which will help draw together knowledge of entire health systems.
Overall, published reports with information about local areas should increase transparency and provide people with honest knowledge about the quality of care in their area.
