On 7 January 2021, CQC published a formal consultation on its new draft strategy that it aims to implement over the next five years and it has requested feedback from providers.
In a statement published on its website, CQC acknowledged that the pandemic has forced the health and social care sector to think differently and it has accelerated the need for CQC to change.
In the statement, CQC stated, “…We need to make changes to the way we regulate so that it’s more relevant, working with health and care services to find solutions to problems and improve outcomes for everyone. We also want to be more flexible to help us manage risk and uncertainty.” The purpose of the draft strategy is to enable more effective regulation for the future and support services to keep people safe.
CQC’s draft strategy focuses on four themes:
- People and communities – CQC states that it wants regulation to be driven by people’s experiences and what they expect and need from health and care services. CQC said that it will focus on what matters to the public, and to local communities, when they access, use, and move between services.
- Smarter regulation: CQC states that it wants its assessments to be more flexible and dynamic. It said that it will update ratings more often, so everybody has an up-to-date view of quality. Being smarter with data means its visits will be more targeted, with a sharper focus on what it needs to look at.
- Safety through learning: CQC states that it wants all services to have stronger safety cultures. It said it expects learning and improvement to be the primary response to all safety concerns in all types of service. When safety doesn’t improve, and services do not learn lessons, it says it will take action to protect people.
- Accelerating improvement: CQC states that it wants to do more to make improvement happen. It said it will target the priority areas that need support the most. It wants to see improvement within individual services and in the way they work together as a system to make sure people get the care they need.
The consultation will run for eight weeks and will close at 5pm on 4 March 2021.
To submit responses to the consultation, you can use CQC’s online form, respond via email to strategydevelopment@cqc.org.uk.
Providers can also respond by post to Freepost RSLS-ABTH-EUET, Strategy 2021 Consultation, Care Quality Commission, Citygate, Gallowgate, NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, NE1 4WH.
To read the draft strategy in full, see here
