The CQC has launched an email alert service and an information sharing CQC Widget to improve transparency around care services.
The email alert service will allow people to sign up for the most up-to-date standards and quality reports about care providers across England. The alerts will provide direct access to CQC activity about health and social care providers.
The new innovations will improve historical information on care homes. The alerts service will enable all users, including Commissioners, MPs and Journalists to tailor their subscription by types of services i.e hospitals, care homes etc as well as by geographical area, local authority or constituency.
What this means for Providers:
The CQC widget gives one click access to the latest CQC inspection reports and findings. Providers will be able to insert a summary of their inspection results to their own websites, and include a link to the full report on the CQC site.
Since 8 October 2012, over 770 organisations have started using the widget and many directory sites including the Good Care Guide, Compare Care Homes, and Find Me Good Care.
Previously when providers and locations were no longer registered with the CQC, their profile pages were removed from the CQC website. This has meant inspection reports were no longer available for those services. However CQC has now started to make old reports available to the public. More than 8,000 location profiles and 2,500 inspection reports will become available again on the website.
The new service will allow people to find out about the history of care in an area as well as the services currently operating. These services include those where:
- The provider has voluntarily closed it – for example, a hospital relocated to a new site or a care home closed because it is no longer profitable.
- We have taken enforcement action to close it – for example, a clinic whose registration is cancelled after our inspectors found evidence of poor care or abuse.
- The legal entity providing the service has changed – for example, a dental surgery where a sole trader has been replaced by a partnership as the provider.
- A service has changed address – for example, a care home that moves to a new building around the corner to take advantage of better facilities.
CQC Chair Dame Jo Williams said, “these new digital services are an important step in making it as easy as possible for people to find the information they want. They bring valuable CQC information about the quality of services to a wider audience, helping individuals make informed choices about care”.
