Health and social care watchdog seeks feedback

The new health and social care watchdog the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has launched a consultation on the registration standards it plans to enforce from April next year.

It said its system to meet the 29 registration requirements set by the government would fundamentally change the way services were regulated and how regulation would be used to drive improvement in services.

Now it is asking for feedback on whether the guidance appropriately reflects the requirements and if it matches what should rightly be expected of a safe, quality health or adult social care service.

Cynthia Bower, CQC chief executive, said the introduction of registration for all providers of health and social care was a “fundamental change” to the way quality of care would be safeguarded.

“People have a right to expect a certain standard of care, regardless of whether they are receiving health or adult social services and regardless of whether it is in the public or independent sector,” she said.

“Registration will make sure that health and adult social care providers across the country are meeting essential common quality standards.

“It will make the system fairer, more transparent, and make it easier for people to compare providers.

“Our focus will be on driving improvements, but we do have a range of new enforcement powers at our disposal if providers aren’t doing all they should be to deliver safe, quality services.”

Ms Bower added that the views of people who use services would be central to the consultation process.

She said: “We’ve spent a lot of time talking with people who use services and they tell us they want us to focus less on policy and processes and more on people.

“We think that’s the right way forward so the starting point for all the guidance is what constitutes a positive outcome for people using services.”

The consultation closes on August 24.