At Ridouts, we have recently noticed that staff recruitment records have been a key area of focus for CQC inspectors particularly in relation to agency workers and workers from overseas. The CQC’s report titled, ‘The state of health care and adult social care in England 2022/23’ (published on 20 October 2023) highlighted concerns in relation …
The Latest CQC ‘Hot Topic’ – Staff Recruitment Records Read More »
In this third installment of my four-part series on consumer law obligations, and their relevance to health and social care providers, I will be discussing what terms are implied into care contracts in relation to the quality of care provided. This will largely focus on adult social care providers, and in particular care homes and …
The Importance Of Consumer Law Obligations In Social Care – Providing Quality Care Read More »
Whilst it’s impossible to determine how inspections of GP practices will look once the CQC’s single assessment framework comes into play in the months ahead, it is always important for practices and the staff that work there to be prepared for an inspection. No matter what the changes are, there will still be an intense …
Over the last 3 years there has been one significant theme in the many conversations that we have had with care providers. They have not been visited by the CQC in years and have been left stranded with a “Requires Improvement” rating that no longer represents their service. Their frustration is tangible and their question …
What Can A Requires Improvement Rated Service Do To Get Re-Inspected By The CQC? Read More »
Despite being an optimist I cannot help but think that the repeated claims for reform in health and social care fall in the to-do later list. Of all the challenges facing government, local and national, reforms in the health and social care sector seem to be relegated to the bottom of any list of priorities. …
I first came across the concept of Suspension of Ratings (not suspension of registration, which is the concept most will be familiar with) in 2019. A power that allows the CQC to suspend your rating when it has belief that that rating no longer accurately reflects the service that you are providing. I wrote about …
Rating Suspension – A Lazy Way For The CQC To Regulate? Read More »
The words “we received concerns…” can often be found in an inspection report from the CQC. These illusive and ill-defined ‘concerns’ often form the basis for an inspection. This inspection may mark the beginning of a period of CQC scrutiny; this scrutiny may lead to enforcement action such as the issuing of a Warning Notice …
Running a health and social care service has never been for the faint of heart – but difficult economic and political times bring new problems to providers in the sector. At Ridouts we see it as part of our job to empower providers to stand up for their services and demand fairness and a reasonable …
Standing Firm: The Art Of Being A Health And Social Care Provider Read More »
In April 2023, the CQC published an update in relation to what providers can expect for the rest of 2023 in terms of its new regulatory approach and new single assessment framework. In its update, the CQC stated that it has been reorganising its internal operational teams and that whilst this is taking place, staff …
Providers often find it difficult to shake off a poor CQC rating. Once the CQC has downgraded a service’s rating it often takes more than one inspection for the rating to be upgraded. In this article I explore the difficulties providers face to get the CQC to re-inspect and re-rate their service, in light of …
Ridouts is a team of specialist health and social care lawyers, providing dedicated legal advice for care homes, GP practices, children’s homes, dental practices, domiciliary and home care agencies, supported and independent living services and both private and NHS hospitals.
info@ridout-law.com • +44 (0) 207 317 0340
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