An independent review of the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has revealed “significant internal failings” which hamper its ability to inspect health and social care organisations.
An interim report by Dr Penny Dash found that the CQC’s ability to spot poor performance in hospitals, care homes and GP practices was hampered by its own problems, including low levels of inspections, a lack of clinical expertise among those carrying them out, and shortages. Stability of assessments and IT issues.
The report found the watchdog was unable to effectively judge the quality of health and care services, including those in need of urgent improvement.
It said social care providers were waiting too long for registration and ratings to be updated, impacting local capacity.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Tap here
Health Secretary Wes StreetingOrdering the report to be published ahead of a full assessment due in the autumn, he said he was “appalled” by the findings, which showed the organization was “not fit for purpose”.
He added: “I know this will be a worrying development for patients and families who rely on CQC assessments to make their care choices.
“I want to reassure them that I am determined to get to grips with this crisis and give people confidence that the care they receive has been assessed. This government will never turn a blind eye to failure.”
Staff in an NHS hospital ward. File photo: PA
The CQC said it accepted the full findings and was “working swiftly” to “rebuild that trust and become the strong, credible and effective regulator of health and care services that the public and providers want and deserve”.
In her report, Dr Dash revealed that one in five health and social care providers have not received a rating from the CQC, despite having the power to assess them.
She also said some providers had not been re-inspected for “several years”, pointing to the oldest rating for a hospital from 10 years ago and the oldest social care assessment from 2015.
Dr Dash also heard evidence that some hospital inspectors had never visited one before, and a social care inspector had never met a person with dementia.
Please use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Streeting: ‘It’s clear to me the NHS is broken’
Mr Streeting promised immediate action and increased oversight of the CQC, announcing the appointment of former chief inspector of hospitals Professor Sir Mike Richards to review its assessment frameworks.
The government promised to improve transparency about the watchdog’s ratings for health and social care providers and ensure the CQC regularly updates the Department of Health on its progress.
In the meantime, Dr. Dash has asked all patient safety organizations to review any concerns they may have.
She said: “The contents of my interim report underline the urgent need for comprehensive reform within the CQC.
“By addressing these failings together, we can improve the regulator’s ability to inspect and rate the safety and quality of health and social care services across England.
“Our ultimate goal is to build a strong, effective regulator that can support the sustainable and high-performing NHS and social care system that ordinary people deserve.”
Dr Dash has called for urgent action from the CQC to overhaul its inspection and assessment system, as well as fix its IT problems.
Read more from Sky News:
The NHS trust got a grip on its waiting list
Junior doctors welcome ‘positive’ meeting with Streeting
Photo: iStock
Kate Teroni, CQC’s interim chief executive, said: “We fully accept the findings and recommendations of this interim review, which identify clear areas where improvements are urgently needed.
“A lot of this aligns with areas we’ve prioritized as part of our work by listening better, working more collaboratively with the public and suppliers and being honest about what we’ve got wrong.
“We are working swiftly and consultatively 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 want and deserve.”
Ms Teroni said the organization was committed to increasing the number of tests, increasing the number of people working on registrations and “enabling a more intimate and consistent point of contact for providers with a new approach to relationship management”.
#Health #Secretary #Wes #Streeting #warns #Care #Quality #Commission #crisis #calls #urgent #report
